Finding the Right Flour
Flour is arguably the most important ingredient for just about any cookie; it gives baked goods structure, crumb, and chew. While a majority of cookie recipes call for all-purpose flour, we also employ cake flour from time to time. The main difference between flour varieties is the amount of protein they contain. More protein leads to more gluten development, which, in turn, translates to chewier cookies—or, depending on the proportion of other ingredients, tough, dense cookies. For that reason you won’t see us using bread flour, the white flour with the highest protein content, in our cookie recipes.
All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is just that—all-purpose, meaning that it can be used for a wide variety of different baking applications. All-purpose flours can contain anywhere from 7 to 13 percent protein. The more protein a flour has, the more gluten—the specific material that gives baked goods structure—it can form. If you want to buy only one type of flour, you’ll be best off buying one with a moderate amount of protein because it will be the most versatile for all baked goods.
Cake Flour
Cake flour generally has less protein than all-purpose flour (from 6 to 8 percent) and produces baked goods with a fine texture and tender crumb. Cake flour is usually bleached during processing; as a result, it can absorb more moisture, sugar, and fat, which overpower any off-flavors that might have been introduced by bleaching. We use cake flour to produce the more delicate texture in our Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Substitution: For every cup of cake flour, mix 7/8 cup all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
