The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie

You like soft and chewy. He likes thin and crispy. If only there were a way to bake chocolate chip cookies to please everyone.

There is! And, no, it's not Martha Stewart's way. It's science.

We've taken our cues from a few spots: a bioengineering grad student named Kendra Nyberg, who co-taught a class at the University of California, Los Angeles called Science and Food, and chef and cookbook author Tessa Arias, who writes about cookie science on her site, Handle the Heat.

There's also an illuminating TEDEd animation on cookie science. And if you really want to go nuts (or no nuts, your call), Serious Eats offers 21 painstakingly tested steps for the "Perfect Cookie," including kneading times and chocolate prep techniques.

"Even though I can describe what I like," says Nyberg, "I didn't know the role of each ingredient in the texture and shape of cookies." So she looked into it as only a scientist can.

Here, relying on the experts' help and the classic Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, OZY presents no-fail tips for baking your perfect cookie. (You're welcome.)

Ooey-gooey: Add 2 cups more flour.

A nice tan: Set the oven higher than 350 degrees Fahrenheit (maybe 360). Caramelization, which gives cookies their nice brown tops, occurs above 356 degrees, says the TEDEd video.

Crispy with a soft center: Use 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Chewy: Substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour.

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The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie