"Panade" in cookies: have you used this?

[cteavin]

When I was a kid there was a show called Remington Steel. In one episode, the man who created the calorie-free chocolate chip cookie was murdered, and all these years later I still think about that cookie. It's the Holy Grail, for me, anyway.

 

The other day I had some extra "de-watered" yogurt (think Greek yogurt) and on a whim I decided to use it place of butter in a chocolate chip cookie recipe. It was pretty good. Long story short, the tanginess from the yogurt really matches oranges and chocolate chips and I've made a few different batches with the expected cake like texture, but I wanna make it closer to gooey. Replacing the egg whites for yolks only takes me so far -- and adds calories...

 

I wanted to pick your brains: Hokkaido Milk Bread is made tender and moist without added fat by making a "panade" of milk and flour, basically a thickened paste they fold into the flour with the rest of the liquids. Has anyone here ever used such a method in cakes, cookies or other confections? Any thoughts of what might happen if used in cakes and cookies? 

[weinoo]

31 minutes ago, cteavin said:

Has anyone here ever used such a method in cakes, cookies or other confections? Any thoughts of what might happen if used in cakes and cookies? 

 

Never done it -  sounds disgusting.

[Anna N]

It is not really a panade. It is tangzhong, a water roux. 

[Kerry Beal]

It would appear that you are going to have to do the experiments and report back. 

 

I very much like the breads I make with tangzhong - not sure if that is responsible for the tenderness or more for the shelf life though. 

 

Have you considered just under-baking a little and see what texture that gives you?

[cteavin]

4 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

It would appear that you are going to have to do the experiments and report back. 

 

I very much like the breads I make with tangzhong - not sure if that is responsible for the tenderness or more for the shelf life though. 

 

Have you considered just under-baking a little and see what texture that gives you?

 

I have. Underbaked it is closer to the texture I'm looking for but it doesn't hold together. 

 

 

[AAQuesada]

The 'roux' creates tenderness by pre-gelatinizing some of the flour and not activating the gluten too much. You could do it for a cookie but I don't think eliminates the need for egg. When you replace egg in a  pastry / cookie you need to replace all its functions in that recipe. 

 

Please someone correct me if i'm wrong here. 

[Kerry Beal]

13 minutes ago, AAQuesada said:

The 'roux' creates tenderness by pre-gelatinizing some of the flour and not activating the gluten too much. You could do it for a cookie but I don't think eliminates the need for egg. When you replace egg in a  pastry / cookie you need to replace all its functions in that recipe. 

 

Please someone correct me if i'm wrong here. 

I would agree. Eggs can be replaced with a variety of other things but ground flax is the one I've read most about. 

[jimb0]

chia works as well in some applications. 

 

i agree that the flour/water mixtures of whatever stripe you wish to name won't work for a cookie, which requires driving more moisture out to get the desired effect. with all due respect to the op, this is something of a fool's errand unless you really get into some of the more novel technical ingredients

 

the closest to a low-ish calorie chocolate cookie that you can easily make imo are something like the flourless fudge cookies. here's a king arthur version of this recipe:

 

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/flourless-fudge-cookies-recipe

 

if you were to replace the sugar with a combination of non-nutritive or at least low-calorie sugars, it works pretty well. that in and of itself requires some experimentation, though.

Edited June 7, 2021 by jimb0 (log)