What is the term for the tendency of a cookie to spread and flatten out during baking?

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Multiple Choice

What is the term for the tendency of a cookie to spread and flatten out during baking?

Spreading describes the way cookie dough flows outward on the baking sheet as it heats, causing the cookies to flatten and widen. When the fat in the dough melts and the mixture becomes fluid, it moves across the surface before the edges set, so the diameter increases and the center can flatten. This is distinct from rising or puffing, which involve gas bubbles expanding the dough upward, and from hardening, which is about the cookie becoming firm as moisture leaves and sugars set. You can influence spread by chilling the dough, or adjusting fat, sugar, and flour to change how fluid the dough becomes before it sets.

Spreading describes the way cookie dough flows outward on the baking sheet as it heats, causing the cookies to flatten and widen. When the fat in the dough melts and the mixture becomes fluid, it moves across the surface before the edges set, so the diameter increases and the center can flatten. This is distinct from rising or puffing, which involve gas bubbles expanding the dough upward, and from hardening, which is about the cookie becoming firm as moisture leaves and sugars set. You can influence spread by chilling the dough, or adjusting fat, sugar, and flour to change how fluid the dough becomes before it sets.

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