This week I made 150 chocolate chip cookies. Critics may say that I did this because I have an addiction, but I say it was all in the name of science. I bought three different brands and quality of chocolate chips, followed the chocolate chip cookie (CCC) recipe on the packaging, and taste tested each brand of CCC (maybe more than once) to see which one tasted the best. The results did not go exactly as I was expecting.
The Three Chips
The three brands of chocolate chips I used were Ghirardelli ($4.19), Nestle ($2.99) and a generic store brand ($2.25). Each brand was semi-sweet chocolate. I expected Ghirardelli CCC to taste the best because it is the most high quality chocolate, and the generic brand to come in at the bottom of the scale. All of the recipes had similar ingredients and measurements, as well as the same baking temperature and cooking time.
Time to Get Cookin'
The first chip to be tested was Ghirardelli. Its shiny gold packaging and fancy logo created some very high expectations. At this time I was totally #teamGhirardelli. The process of making the dough went smoothly (and tasted amazing), and I baked them until golden brown.
Next I made the CCC dough for Nestle, and the generic brand came last. Again, the dough for these two brands tasted to die for, and I cooked them until golden brown as well.
The Analyzation
In silver was Ghirardelli. The texture was similar to the generic brand, but there was a much more pronounced chocolate flavor. And the gold medalist was Nestle. This CCC was crunchy around the edges, gooey in the middle, and presence of chocolate was immediate as soon as I took a bite.
After waiting 10 (or so) agonizing minutes to let the cookies cool, it was time to put them to the test and channel my inner Bobby Flay. By appearance, Ghirardelli and the generic brand looked similar. They were both slightly puffy and chips were a little bit hidden within the dough. As for Nestle, it was more flat than the other two, but the chips were more pronounced.
Now for the taste test. The generic brand tasted good. If I wasn't comparing it to the other two brands, I would of thought it was almost perfect. But the cheaper/more artificial chips didn't bring as strong of a chocolate impact, placing them with the bronze medal. In silver was Ghirardelli. The texture was similar to the generic brand, but there was a much more pronounced chocolate flavor. And the gold medalist was Nestle. This CCC was crunchy around the edges, gooey in the middle, and presence of chocolate was immediate as soon as I took a bite.
Winner Winner
All of these cookies tasted great. I mean, you can't really go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie. But if you are really trying to go the extra mile to impress someone, or even just craving a perfect cookie, your best brand to buy would be Nestle. It's nostalgic and classic flavor is unbeatable. #teamNestle.