Flour is the backbone ingredient of almost all cookie types. Understanding the role of flour in a cookie formulation is important to control finished product attributes such as surface appearance, diameter, color, structure, and eating quality. Flour for cookie applications is generally milled from soft wheat that is grown in the central part of the U.S. This region includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee. There is also some soft wheat grown in the East Coast states around Virginia and Maryland. Wheat in these regions is generally classified as Soft Red Winter, is planted in the fall of the year, and harvested in late spring/early summer. There is also some Soft White Wheat grown in the Pacific Northwest that can be milled into flour for cookie applications.
Desired characteristics for cookie flour include the ability to mix with other ingredients into a homogenous mass with minimal added moisture, provide good machining properties, control the expansion and spread of the dough during baking to give the finished product dimensions desired, and readily release moisture during baking to optimize production.