From: Andrew Kessler (kessler@cisco.com)

The Chemist's Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies

The following recipie for chocolate chip cookies recently appeared in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN, Jun 19, 1995, p. 100). It was attributed to Jeannene Ackerman of Witco Corp.

Ingredients:

  1. 532.35 cm3 gluten
  2. 4.9 cm3 NaHCO3
  3. 4.9 cm3 refined halite
  4. 236.6 cm3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride
  5. 177.45 cm3 crystalline C12H22O11
  6. 177.45 cm3 unrefined C12H22O11
  7. 4.9 cm3 methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde
  8. Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated protein
  9. 473.2 cm3 theobroma cacao
  10. 236.6 cm3 de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10)
To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat-transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr add one, two, and three with constant agitation.

In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm add four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogeneous.

To reactor #2 add eight followed by three equal portions of the homogeneous mixture in reactor #1. Additionally, add nine and ten slowly with constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result of an exothermic reaction.

Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm). Heat in a 460K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank & Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown.

Once the reaction is complete, place the sheet on a 25 deg. C heat-transfer table allowing the product to come to equilibrium.

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And here is a response to this posting.....

Subject: HUMOR: Chemist's Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies (followup)
From: billw@cisco.com (Bill Westfield)

I dunno. It doesn't seem likely this came from a chemist, nor would be produce very good cookies....

  1. 532.35 cm3 gluten

    Gluten is the protein component of wheat flour. For Cookies, you do want the starchy components as well, or your cookies will be very chewy indeed. Also, solid ingredients should never be measured by volume, as they are throughout this "recipe"!

  2. 4.9 cm3 NaHCO3

  3. 4.9 cm3 refined halite

    Sodium Chloride, I assume? "Halite" doesn't seem very scientific to me!

  4. 236.6 cm3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride

  5. 177.45 cm3 crystalline C12H22O11

  6. 177.45 cm3 unrefined C12H22O11

    "Brown Sugar" is not unrefined. It's refined sugar with molasass (extracted during previous refining steps) added back in. You would not want to use unrefined sugar. "C12H22O11" might be used by an inorganic chemist, but it probably describes half a dozen different isomers with differing properties. Be exact and use the IUPAC name, or list structural formula.

  7. 4.9 cm3 methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde

    The natural version, with assorted trace impurities, is considered superior.

  8. Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated protein

    Never trust a chemist to identify a biological construct? The variety of mass of such constructs (from humming bird to ostrich) makes a much more accurate description necessary!

  9. 473.2 cm3 theobroma cacao

    Yuch! Better get the version with C12H22O11 already incorporated, or you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise!

  10. 236.6 cm3 de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10)

Leave these out, or be very carful just which legume you use! (Nuts are considered legumes? Really?) : : Once the reaction is complete...

NO NO! Studies have shown that the reaction should not be allowed to reach completion. In fact, there is a graph of reaction time vs aceptability that looks something like this:

        |\                        __
        | |                      /  \
	| |                     /    \
	| |                    /      \
	| |                   /        \
	| |                  /  	\
	|  \________________/            \________________
	+__________________________________________________
        ^                          ^    ^                ^
	"raw"		      "Chewy"   "Crispy"      "Charcoal"
As an engineer, let me suggest freezing most of the separate extruded portions, so that the final stages of the process can be implemented at your temporal discretion! Like I did last night. And right now I can go and... Hmm.

Yummy. BillW

Additional comments:

* Actually, if done by a classical organic chemist... Starting with Air, Water, an Ethane source, and your own personal copy of Beilstein...