Man Has To Work A 12-Hour Shift On A 101-Degree Day. Before He Clocks In, He Puts Raw Cookies On A Baking Sheet In His Car

There’s not much upside to working in triple-digit heat. But one North Carolina man may have found a way to turn working through a scorcher into a sweet treat.

In a TikTok series with over 5.1 million views as of this writing, Ben (@thebenstory) says he’s about to work a 12-hour shift in 101 degrees. So he decides to see if he can bake cookies inside his car.

“With the temperature of 101-degrees today and a heat index of 110 [degrees]. I’d figure why not have some fun with it,” Ben begins.

“I’m going to leave three trays in the car with cookie dough,” he says.

He reveals a tray apiece of chocolate cookies, sugar cookies, and cinnamon rolls in his trunk.

“The car is going to get hot enough to cook these things more than likely. I’m gonna play MythBusters with this,” he says.

In part two, Ben shares an update on the baked goods after four hours in the car.

“I’d be [expletive] I think we might actually be baking something here. Okay. The cinnamon buns are looking the most promising so far but we still have time,” he shares.

After four hours, the cinnamon buns are the frontrunner. Ben does another check-in after eight hours. He can’t believe what he finds. The cookies appear to be cooking.

“At the eight-hour mark and my god it’s hot as balls. Oh my gosh it looks like they might actually be cooking. This is actually working out,” he reveals.

At this point, Ben is starting to believe.

The moment of truth finally comes at the end of his 12-hour shift.

“Let’s go see the results… Alrighty it looks like we are baking,” Ben says.

“Oh it smells good,” he adds.

Ben pokes each cookie tray to see how the baking unfolded. He picks up a chocolate chip cookie and the bottom sticks to the pan. He thinks they’re nearly ready.

Next, he checks the sugar cookies. The one he grabs crumbles. But Ben isn’t worried.

“Not there but close,” he says.

Finally, he checks on the cinnamon buns. He checks one, but it’s still doughy inside.

“But in total not a bad little project,” Ben concludes.

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‘I Love Science Especially When It Involves Cookies’

People were fascinated by Ben’s experiment. Several wanted to know how his car smelled.

“Three batches of cookies is a great way to end a 12-hr shift,” one wrote.

“Your car is going to smell so delicious,” another commented.

“Careful the Cookie Monster may pop by,” one joked.

Other viewers offered baking suggestions.

“If you used waxed paper instead of parchment paper the wax melted into the cookies and that’s why they stuck,” one said.

“Do it on foil next time,” another added.

“I'm a little concerned about bacterial growth, given that they didn't experience high enough temperatures and never entered a fridge in those 12 hours. So probably don't eat anything,” one cautioned.

Many viewers applauded Ben and felt that MythBusters would’ve approved his little project. 

“THIS is the type of investigative journalism we NEED,” one wrote.

“‘Remember, the difference between messing around and science is writing it down.’ Adam Savage,” a second quoted one of the MythBusters’ cast.

Can You Bake Cookies In Your Car?

Some see extreme heat as an opportunity to cook foods outside using unconventional methods. Arizonans have cooked eggs on the pavement. Others, like Ben, have tried baking cookies inside their vehicles.

Internal car temperatures can rise significantly, especially if the car is a darker color. Some drivers have put aluminum foil on the sunroof to try to reduce internal temperatures. However, people like Ben may want all the heat to bake cookies.

AllRecipes offers three tips for baking cookies inside your car. 

First, use store-bought dough made with pasteurized eggs, or make an egg-free dough. This reduces the risk of salmonella if the dough doesn’t get fully cooked.

The second tip revolves around timing and maximizing sun exposure. The hottest time of the day is typically 1-5 pm; this is when baking will be best. All windows should be rolled up and the sunroof shade open. Additionally, remove any air fresheners, as this may change the taste of whatever you’re baking 

AllRecipes’  third tip is simply to be patient. Something that takes 10 minutes in a conventional oven may take five hours or more inside a vehicle.

U.S. News reports that if the car fails to reach above 160 degrees, the cookies won’t fully bake.

Did Ben End Up Trying the Cookies?

In a conversation with Motor1, Ben revealed that he did try the car-baked treats and believes they came out better than baking at home with an oven.

“The funny and sick part folks don’t know about this fun MythBusters experiment, is that I actually tasted one of the hot summer car baked cookies. Now granted, it was just one bite, but still tasted really good to me. Personally I think the cookies that baked in my fully sealed hot car in the parking lot for 12 consecutive hours tasted better than the ones I baked at home in the oven on my day off,” Ben said.

Motor1 asked whether MythBusters inspired him to run this experiment. 

“Gosh, MythBusters has been a big part of my life. That was one of my favorite shows growing up as a kid and it made me the science dork (in a good way) that I am now. Some of the stuff they proved to be actually possible was absolutely mind-blowing and unexpected to me,” Ben replied. “I even went to a MythBusters themed summer camp back in the day when I was a kid. We had fun testing various safe myths. I even still have my MythBusters science kit.”

Ben says his car-cooking days may not be done.

“I have considered doing this exact same experiment again but with regular bacon from pork vs turkey bacon on a cast iron skillet inside of my car to see which one gets the most crispy if we get the hot weather conditions again,” he said. “Also considered testing if a vegetarian stuffed bell pepper can be cooked in a hot car within 12 hours.”

 

 

 

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