Some recipes I've seen use an egg + yolk combination. A lot of them just use one egg. Does it make a big difference, as long as there is enough liquid in the batter? Would big brands use egg + yolk for a chocolate chip cookie? Wouldn't that waste a lot of whites?
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Why does it matter what big brands do? Is there a specific style of cookie you're trying to get? I notice that you've posted several questions about this topic, and added a lot of miscellaneous information in comments here and there. You will get much, much better answers if you'll simply state up front what problem you're trying to solve, and what you've tried so far (what recipe you're using).– Cascabel ♦Dec 5, 2014 at 20:31
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Also if one of your questions is put on hold, editing it and asking for it to be reopened (as you did) is the right approach. There's no need to delete and repost it; that makes things confusing for those of us trying to sort through what's happened.– Cascabel ♦Dec 5, 2014 at 20:32
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I've closed this as a duplicate of your first question, now that most (?) of the relevant information has been edited into it.– Cascabel ♦Dec 6, 2014 at 20:43
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1 Answer
The main reason that you'll see recipes use a specific part of the egg is that the whites and yolks have a very different composition. The whites contain a large number of structural proteins (which is why they can be whipped into stable foams) while the yolks contain most of the fats in the egg. Fats and proteins play very different roles in baking.
So, if you see a recipe that uses a whole egg plus an additional yolk, the yolk is there to add fats without adding the additional proteins that the white would bring to the party. This affects the structure of the batter and the texture/flavor of the finished product. Generally the extra fat will contribute extra softness and richness, from its composition and of course extra moisture. Here's a good question with related information.
In regards to commercial production, I'd be really doubtful that large commercial producers are using anything like whole eggs. Based on scale alone, they're more likely to be using pre-separated eggs from a supplier, or perhaps some kind of horrifying egg substitute. Not to mention all sorts of stabilizers, emulsifiers, preservatives, and so on that all perform functions similar or complementary to the chemical action of the egg.
As for extra whites, there's any number of uses for those. Powdered egg white is a surprisingly common food additive because of its thickening and emulsifying properties, and it's possible to find packaged, pre-separated egg whites in cartons. The same producers that make these are likely supplying the commercial baking operations too. Don't go imagining that the Chips Ahoy factory is full of a bunch of enterprising bakers cracking and separating eggs all day long, casually chucking out extra whites. If there's waste, it's further up the supply chain, and most likely the supplier is finding something to do with those extra whites.
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Thank you.. as you have stated extra yolk gives a richness. would that also give me a stiffer dough? as per the commercial usage,, you are right.. they probably buy the yolks and whites seperately..so no waste..– christenDec 5, 2014 at 21:01
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@christen more yolk won't give stiffer dough, it's more likely to give you softer dough if anything.– rumtscho ♦Dec 5, 2014 at 21:04
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@christen Less egg and less moisture will produce a stiffer dough. Richness and softness would be the opposite of what you're asking after. A higher ratio of egg white would start getting there too but the result will also be "fluffier" because of how the egg emulsifies and captures air. Dec 5, 2014 at 21:26
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@logophobe Thank you.. i have a recipe for 3/4 cup fat, 0.5 cup sugar 0,5 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup flour,1 egg , 2 tsp extract.. i get a semi stiff dough. but also an airy cookie. Ok then i have to try a recipe with little bit flour but also an extra yolk. to get a dense cookie.– christenDec 5, 2014 at 21:49
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2@christen You should really edit all the information into one question, probably your very first one: cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/49933/…. Right now people trying to help you have to look at the comments you've posted on three different questions to figure out what you want and what you've tried ("like Subways, dense" here, "smooth top" somewhere else) - which basically means no one is going to know, so you won't get good answers.– Cascabel ♦Dec 6, 2014 at 1:44