The Cookie Monster!!! Science Fair Project By Becky Ducar and

Hailey Schramm 5/13/11, 7-1

Statement of Problem

How does the insulated steel cookie sheet affect the baking of the cookie? Certain cookie sheets will affect the cookies by how well it

cooks them.

Project Overview

In our science experiment, we are testing how the different types of cookie sheets will affect certain types of cookies.

We are using two cookie sheets: an insulated steel and non-insulated steel cookie sheets.

We are using one kind of cookie dough: Tollhouse chocolate chip.

Research

We researched if anyone had done a similar experiment.

We found that a lot of variables impact your cookie.

We chose to test insulated and non-insulated steel cookie sheets.

Once we did that, we researched what types of cookies would be affected the most.

Variables Testing variables:

The types of cookie sheets (insulated steel and steel) Texture of the cookies: hard, middle, or gooey Height of cookies

IV: type of sheets (insulated steel and steel) One sheet will be steel insulated, and one will be just steel

(possibly non-stick).

DV: the texture and height of the cookie The cookies will be Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie dough.

We will measure height and how gooey a cookie is by putting a toothpick in it.

Variables, con.

DV: texture and height of the cookie We will measure the height of the cookie by marking a

toothpick with sharpie at the 0.5 mm mark, and sticking them in the cookie and recording the data immediately.

Constant Variables: Type of cookie dough (Tollhouse chocolate chip) Temperature of oven (190 degrees Celsius) Number of cookie sheets (2) How long the cookies are in for (12 minutes) Same type of oven (Thermadore Professional)

Variables, con.

Constant Variables: Same type of cookie sheets Same dimensions for cookie sheets Same amount of space between cookies (2 inches) Same type of toothpicks (Safeway, 250 round toothpicks) Room temperature

Control Group: The steel cookie sheet (non-insulated).

Hypothesis

If an insulated steel cookie sheet is used, the cookies will raise more and be less gooey because the insulated steel cookie sheet gathers and contains the heat of the oven.

Materials

Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie dough (exactly cut to 15 mm.)

Two cookie sheets (one steel insulated and one steel)

Toothpicks (2 per cookie, so 24) Safety gloves or oven mitts

Procedure

1. Get Tollhouse cookie dough.2. Set oven to 190 degrees Celsius.3. Get out the two cookie sheets.4. Set 6 measured amounts of the cookie dough

out on the first cookie sheet.5. When the oven is ready, place the cookie sheets

in the middle of the oven.6. Set oven for 12 minutes.7. Wait for 12 minutes, and get out all the

toothpicks for testing the cookies.

Procedure, con.8. When the time is up are done, take them out.9. Wait 5 minutes for the cookies to cool down.10. Test with toothpicks to measure height.11. Test with toothpicks to measure gooeyness.12. Repeat steps 1-11 for the second cookie sheet

when the oven cools down to room temperature.13. Look at the data.14. Compare and make graphs.15. Present data.

Photos

Photos

Data/Observations

Quantitative Observations: The height of the cookie The number of cookies that we are testing

Qualitative Observations: The gooeyness of the cookie.

Graphs of Our DataSheet 1: Steel, Testing Gooeyness

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

cookie 1 cookie 2 cookie 3 cookie 4 cookie 5 cookie6

Cookie Numbers

1=ha

rd, 2

=mid

dle,

3=g

ooey

gooeyness

Sheet 1: Steel, Testing Height

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

cookie 1 cookie 2 cookie 3 cookie 4 cookie 5 cookie 6

Cookie Numbers

Heig

ht (m

m)

height (mm)

Graphs of Our Data, con.Sheet 2: Insulated Steel, Testing Gooeyness

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

cookie 1 cookie 2 cookie 3 cookie 4 cookie 5 cookie 6

Cookie Numbers

1=ha

rd, 2

=mid

dle,

3=g

ooey

gooeyness

Sheet 2: Insulated Steel, Testing Height

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

cookie 1 cookie 2 cookie 3 cookie 4 cookie 5 cookie 6

Cookie Numbers

Heig

ht (m

m)

height (mm)

Conclusion

From the previous graphs, one can see that the gooeyness was the same for both types of sheet, but that the cookies got higher on sheet 2, the insulated sheet. We concluded that our hypothesis was not correct.

Possible Experimental Errors

Some errors in our project might be:1. The room temperature might not have been the same for

the two times that we baked the cookies. If the room temperature is different for the two batches of data, the dough might have gotten warmed, therefore making the cookies need less time in the oven to bake.

Applications and Recommendations

Improvements: We could have made improvements in our science project

by researching a bit more, because the outcome of the experiment might have been more pronounced if we had used a different kind of cookie dough.

Our measurement of gooeyness was too subjective. In the future, we could establish an objective measure.

Applications to Everyday Life: When you decide to bake cookies, you want them to come

out perfect every time. But what cookie sheet should you use. What kind of cookie sheet should you buy? Well, that is one of the many reasons why we chose this experiment. We were curious to see if the choice of cookie sheet impacted the quality of the cookie.

Bibliography/Works Cited

1164080, Ekco. "Vollrath Cookie Sheet Review." Product Reviews and Reports - ConsumerSearch.com. Consumer Search, Feb. 2011. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.consumersearch.com/cookie-sheets/vollrath-cookie-sheet>.

The America's Test Kitchen: Family Cookbook. 2006. Print. Ferland, Mallory. "Cookie Sheet Alternatives | EHow.com." EHow |

How to Videos, Articles & More - Trusted Advice for the Curious Life | EHow.com. EHow, 4 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/list_7285708_cookie-sheet-alternatives.html>.

"How to Choose the Right Cookie Sheet | EHow.com." EHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Trusted Advice for the Curious Life | EHow.com. EHow. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/how_4859961_choose-right-cookie-sheet.html>.

Bibliography/Works Cited

Nyerges, Scott. "Sweet Dilemma: Choosing Best Cookie Sheet." Product Reviews and Reports - ConsumerSearch.com. Consumer Search, 14 Mar. 2010. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.consumersearch.com/blog/sweet-dilemma-choosing-best-cookie-sheet>.