Cookies that stay soft

[RichardJones]

A friend of mine is trying to develop a recipe for a soft/chewie cookie which will stay chewy when stored at ambient temperature in a shop after distribution (ie for some time!)

 

I don't know anything about cookies so if you have any ideas or recipes you'd recommend looking at I'd be very grateful. Thank you for your suggestions.

[pastrygirl]

My first instinct would be to include a portion of liquid sugars.  Molasses, honey, glucose, golden syrup.

[Lisa Shock]

Take a look into oil cookies. Shortening will usually also give the same result, but, I cannot in good conscience recommend transfat. Generally, cookies make with butter will tend towards being crispy.

[paulraphael]

A portion of liquid sugars will help. So will higher protein flours that absorb more moisture. Bread flour can work, if your method minimizes gluten formation. I make chocolate chip cookies with a significant portion of oat flour, which is high-protein and non gluten-forming. Even without a liquid sugar component, and with tons of butter, these stay soft and chewy almost indefinitely. 

Edited May 15, 2016 by paulraphael (log)

[RichardJones]

Thank you all for your replies. Invert sugar and oil were my first ideas too so I'm glad to see them backed up. I have never come across oat flour before so thank you for that suggestion too. Time to play!

[paulraphael]

Oat flour does taste like ... oats. Not powerfully so, but it's perhaps most useful in something that has a lot of flavor, or something where the oats are welcome.

[Lisa Shock]

Also, you don't need to go 100% on the oil. I recall being in a class taught by someone who runs a famous NYC bakery, and he replaces the butter/shortening with about 10% oil in many items just to improve shelf life.