What effect does creaming fat and sugar have on cookies?

• A. Increases gluten formation for a tougher texture
• B. Reduces spread during baking
• C. Introduces air and tenderness; yields softer, lighter crumb
• D. Makes cookies denser

Answer: (C)

Creaming fat and sugar introduces air into the batter. When you beat butter with sugar, tiny air pockets get trapped and the mixture becomes light and fluffy. As the cookies bake, that air expands and the fat melts, helping the dough spread into a softer, lighter crumb. The fat also coats flour proteins, limiting gluten development, which keeps the texture tender rather than dense.

So, the creaming method mainly creates air and tenderness, yielding cookies that are softer and lighter. It doesn’t increase gluten and make the cookies tougher, nor does it inherently reduce spread; and it certainly doesn’t make them be denser.