PART 3                             

 Eggs

The protein in the eggs binds the dough together, and the moisture adds liquid.  Cookies that don’t contain any egg, such as shortbread, tend to be fragile and crumbly.  Cookies that contain lots of eggs, such as brownies and bars, tend to be puffy and cake-like. 

When recipes call for eggs, they usually mean the grade-A large variety.  The eggs are beaten into the butter and sugar mixture one at a time to keep the creamed mixture fluffy and to beat in the air.  Adding them all at once cuts down on beating time and makes the creamed mixture heavy.  Fresh eggs at room temperature hold the most air.  Eggs seldom need to be beaten before they are added to cookies.

Part three of six