And Now, A Word From Our Expert Cookie Reviewers
Top-rated recipe…so far…
While I am generally happy to review my own baking, I reached out to a select group of friends and family to provide unbiased input on the NYT Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge.
While perhaps unbiased, several of my reviewers are perhaps not especially discerning in the cookie department. My beloved husband, for example, eats stale baked goods. Not that there is anything wrong with that - after all, very little goes to waste! - but still. One does wonder. Others are happy with pretty much anything that contains sugar and chocolate.
And then there is one friend “CR” who should be writing reviews for the NYT. I picked him specifically for his love of sweets, and a memory of a ski vacation where I watched him quietly sit in the condo in the mornings with a cup of coffee in one hand and, stacked next to him on the arm of the couch, about 5 Double-Stuf Oreos. Talk about Breakfast of Champions.
So here are the rankings, so far:
First Place: Recipe #1, the Jaques Torres cookie
Second Place: A surprising result, Recipe #5, the Gluten-Free cookie
Third Place: Recipe #6, the Vegan cookies
Fourth Place: Recipe #2, the Salted Tahini cookie
Fifth Place: Recipe #4, the Giant Crinkle cookie
Sixth Place: Recipe #3, Tollhouse
The Reviews
Recipe 1, the Jaques Torres cookie:
From CR (note that the “cookies for breakfast” thing is still going strong) - “With just a bit of crunch and my first cup of coffee this was a fine start to my day. As my head clears, what comes to mind? Mmm, Yummy! Just the right size & amount of chocolate chips for this one, not too much or too little. And the sprinkling of salt crystals sets off the sweet & salty flavors very nicely. As for the base, there is a touch of something here, subtle, just a hint, that settles in as a fine aftertaste. All in all a very, very good CCC, at least an 8 out of 10 (0-10).”
Husband: Really good cookie, too much chocolate.
Son: These are great. Maybe less chocolate next time, but it doesn’t keep me from eating them.
Coworker 1: I love the salt. It’s like a pretzel but better, because it’s not a pretzel.
Coworker 2: These are great. Make sure you bring some from the next batch. No need to bake them.
Party 1: ate more than was probably good for them, and maybe liked the gluten-free ones (Recipe #5) more.
Party 2: “best cookies I’ve ever had” was one comment.
Recipe #2, the Salted Tahini cookie
From CR - “An unexpected cancellation resulted in an open morning, time for another cup of coffee, and the chance to try a second CCC recipe. Small chocolate chunks in this one, along with the former salt crystals. As before, a solid win, maybe even just a bit better with this chocolate. And here the batter includes tahini! Always a sesame fan, this additional touch of nutty flavor to the cookie itself works just fine for me. Easily an 8.5 compared to the former 8, a very pleasurable cookie on a beautiful sunny morning!!”
Me: The raw dough was delicious, but the tahini nuttiness gets lost in the baking. Eh.
Husband: I like these, but the texture is pretty soft. The salt, again, is great. Not too much.
Son: These are good but I like recipe #1 the best so far.
Recipe #3, Tollhouse
From CR - “For this third batch we return to our earliest cookie memories, the long-standing Tollhouse. Decades ago this was the center of our sweet attention, and large bowls never even completed their destination to the oven, but were fully and directly consumed. (Yes, this did occasionally happen!) Alas, either late adulthood has again readjusted previous conceptions, or my grandmother’s recipe may well have been better than I knew - or perhaps a bit of both. In any event, here we have a solid standard chocolate chip cookie (CCC) no frills or special flavor enhancements, enjoyable in a pinch - or after a long absence. However, we are rating 10 select CCC recipes as currently appreciated, so I will designate this as a 6 and look forward to tasting what else will be offered for comparison.”
Me: Ugh. These are so buttery they are almost greasy. I never make these - too much butter, inconsistent browning, unattractive cookie overall.
Son: I still like the first cookie the best.
Husband: Weakest of the three.
Other random comments revealed a surprising number of people who also never make this recipe, OR…they add more flour to get a better result.
Recipe #4, the Giant Crinkled cookie
From CR - “After a delightful vacation in the Pacific Northwest, a return home to a slower pace and the arrival of our 4th CCC recipe.
Just a single, large cookie.
More flat than all the others, but still a cookie and not quite a crisp. The result is that the chocolate is more evenly spread throughout, as opposed to the distinct chocolate morsels or chunks mixed in with and accompanying the baked dough. The baked dough is itself distinct, but not directly discernible, likely due to my limited exposure. This appears to have a different oil and/or flour, as well as a subtly distinct flavor. However, not quite rivaling the truly delicious taste of our previous tahini CCC. So, a fully distinct cookie to which we again will assign an honorable 8.
Postscript: With such a large cookie, I broke it in half and placed a portion aside for later. Given the subsequent puzzlement of flavor and dough I was looking forward to a second tasting. Alas, our dog “ate my homework!!”
Me: Too much work for a mediocre cookie.
Husband: These are OK but they seemed like a lot of noisy work.
Deck guests: Granted, they each only had a sliver. But the universal opinion was a solid “eh, OK, where are the others we had before?”
Recipe #5, the Gluten-Free
CR had these under less-than-optimal conditions, so his review will come along after a do-over.
Me: Surprisingly great. Only complaint is texture is almost too chewy. And salt seems to be a prevailing theme in these recipes - to lots of positive comments.
Party group: Really good! Would not have guessed gluten-free, although the texture is different.
Gluten-free guest: <eats three>
Other comments: “really like the chocolate chunks” “love the bittersweet chocolate” “nice almondy flavor” “love the salt, in the dough and on top, perfect amount”
Recipe #6, the Vegan
From CR, who waxes poetic on the larger impact of vegan choices on the world: Well, a vegan cookie! Wonders truly never cease! Going the extra innovative step, whether for a cookie or for a refined source of protein, is clearly essential to alter our broader dynamics and directions.
But I get ahead of myself.
About the cookie itself, fully satisfying and delicious! Again we have just a dash of salt for taste on top and a deep, flavorful chocolate. The batter is well flavored, with a very slightly different crunch to the bake, but not as distinct as that with Batch 4. So, fully a solid 8, with a noted asterisk or “+” sign, since something unique and potentially important is represented here.
For some this will truly matter.
For others they will welcome this extra bit of information and find it another source of discovery and thought.
For others it may not matter either way.
For a few, regrettably, perhaps another source of ridicule.
For me, an 8.5, because improvement, change and progress deserve attention and do matter.
Me: These are much better than I expected. The dough texture, and the cooked appearance made me think these were going to have a “healthy cookie bite” texture, i.e. dense and maybe a little tough. But they don’t. The texture is different, more of a chewy cake feel, but not a deal breaker at all. My only complaint - other than the expense of the ingredients - is this is not an especially attractive cookie.
Son: Not bad, considering. Texture is weird but didn’t keep me from eating them.
Husband: I like them. A fine chocolate cookie, I would never have guessed this was vegan.