Baking soda is sodium hydrogen carbonate or bicarbonate of soda. Its chemical formula is NaHCO3. If you taste it, you will know it is a salt with some alkaline flavors.
It is a leavening agent necessary for rising, but when baking cookies, it is much more than that. It encourages browning as well as giving the cookies a chewy, coarse texture. If you forget to add the baking soda, your end result cookie may be hard and flat. The scientific explanation is that baking soda encourages spreading by raising the batter’s pH, which slows protein coagulation. This gives the dough more time to set before the eggs set, which results in a more evenly baked cookie.
So what is the chemical reaction that happens when you have baking soda as an ingredient, you ask? When combined with an acid like buttermilk or lemon juice and a liquid, it produces carbon dioxide that helps to make your batter rise. My grandson loves to create a “volcano” with baking soda and vinegar, which is one way of making use of the baking soda before it loses its bubbling power.
So one way of checking if your baking soda is still good to go is mixing it with a little vinegar or lemon juice. If it doesn’t bubble up, it is time to replace it. Don’t ever take for granted that one teaspoon as it makes a whole lot of difference on your result cookie.
Baking powder, on the other hand, already contains baking soda and an acid and all it needs to activate the carbon dioxide is a liquid. Usually double-acting baking powder is asked to react twice in the baking process, first when liquid is added and the second time when it is heated.
Martha Stewarts’s peanut butter cookies ask for 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking soda.
Martha
Stewart’s Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 4 dozen cookies
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Place butter and two sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (To me, this step is the most essential for a light cookie) Mix in the 2 eggs, one at a time, then the peanut butter.
Reduce speed to low, add the flour mixture in three batches, mixing only until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Using a 1-1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 1-1/2 inches apart. Press cookies with fork tines to flatten and create a crosshatch pattern. Bake until golden brown, 14-16 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
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Here is my favorite recipe for Chinese almond cookies:
Chinese
Almond Cookies
Cream together:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
Add slowly:
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons almond extract
Sift together:
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture. Use a 1-inch scoop to form little balls. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them 1 inch apart. With your thumb, press the center of each cookie. Use a bamboo wooden chopstick and dip the tip in red food coloring to make a dot in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them onto wire racks to cool completely.
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Baking soda is important when making brittle and you need to create the bubbles in the mixture to get the right texture.
Nut Brittle
Cook on high heat till the mixture reaches 300 degrees, about 10 minutes:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
Remove from heat, add:
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
The mixture will bubble. Stir in:
12 ounces roasted, salted peanuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans and/or macadamia nuts
Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the back of the spoon, spread into thin, even layers. Sprinkle it with salt. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Break up into pieces. Coat with powdered sugar.
Foodie Bites
Hawaii Community College’s first year culinary students have prepared lunches and snacks at The Cafetera and the second year students have themed lunches to pick up at The Bamboo Hale. You can find menus for The Cafeteria at http://hawaii.hawaii.edu/cafeteria or the Bamboo Hale at: https://www.hawaii.hawaii.edu/bamboo-hale.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
