So, for the sake of science, our taste test included a pretty wide variety of brands.
), so I grabbed both options for my coworkers to test.
By contrast, all the mixes listed brown sugar as an ingredient.
As for the boxed mixes, I used my 1.75-inch cookie scoop to ensure relative size consistency.
To me, it resembled more of a hearty bowl of oatmeal than a chocolate chip cookie.
Lauren and I didn’t necessarily hate the oaty flavor, but we were clearly in the minority.
The texture of this cookie was probably the hardest for folks to overlook.
Spencer may or may not have even made aDune: Part Tworeference.
The first bite was a little confusing.
Stonewall Kitchen The most expensive boxed mix of the bunch definitely let us down.
The reviews were a little mixed; some liked the texture but hated the taste, others vice versa.
The overall consensus seemed to be “It’s fine, but could definitely be better.”
I won’t lie; visually, these cookies reeled us in at first.
Unfortunately, the first bite was far from Levain.
Most people found that they lacked flavor and were a little bland.
Potentially having less brown sugar also made these cookies not as chewy as the others.
In fact, they were pretty dry.
Even while I was mixing the dough, it was super stiff, crumbly, and hard to scoop.
Overall, I think the photo on the box was pretty deceptive in terms of how these turned out.
Needless to say, we were not impressed.
They were flat and pale, making Lauren deem them the “ugliest of the bunch.”
They spread much more than expected and started forming small holes on the surface.
Was there too much butter?
Not enough brown sugar?
All of the above?
Pillsbury This was the cookie we all had the least to say about.
Is that a bad thing?
The more we ate this cookie, the less we seemed to like it.
Lauren clocked right away that these were Pillsbury and said that they reminded her of the printed sugar cookies.
Surprising, considering they were, ya know, chocolate.
All in all, they seriously lacked flavor.
We were all pretty torn about whether these passed our texture test.
While Ajani thought they were perfectly chewy, Sarah thought they were “a little too chewy.”
Trader Joe’s If we were judging by appearance alone, this cookie would’ve won big.
Unfortunately, its picture-perfect look wasn’t enough to sway everyone.
But perceptions shifted once we took a bite.
Natasha and I also spotted an aftertaste that we could not figure out.
Texturally, these were a little confusing.
Even if you’re not, you might just make them and admire their beauty.
After all, there’s a reasonPhoebe’s grandmotherwas able to pass this recipe off as homemade.
Sarah thought they were “perfect,” and Lauren compared them to something homemade.
And if you’re thinking, “What the heck is Blockbuster…?”
just trust me and buy these cookies.
Ghirardelli Eating this cookie was a luxury experience none of us will soon forget.
But don’t be fooled; Ghirardelli isn’t just relying on their chocolate to carry this cookie.
The edges were golden, and despite it baking quite thin, there was still a fudgy center.
Take it from Sarah, who said she’d literally marry this cookie (same).
