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PPP & CCC

Jul 23, 2020

Has anyone ever been to a powerpoint party? TLDR; you choose any random topic to present on & make a powerpoint about it & if you’re me, you spend way too much time on it, turn it into a research project for no reason at all other than the daze of quarantine has set in & you are Very Sad & need something to do.

With one of the first weeks of quarantine came the invite to a PPP (powerpoint party, of course). The topic I chose to my roommate’s & boyfriend’s amazing luck? CCC (chocolate chip cookies, please). Every day for one week I made a different recipe & we sat around the kitchen table to rate them.

The powerpoint in its entirety can be seen here. If you want to look at graphs of the data, judge how much effort I put into this, or read full reviews of said CCC from each of the lovely reviewers please do so.

the rating system (scale 1-5)*:

dunkability: how well does this cookie hold up to being dunked?
texture: overall pleasingness to eat
flavor: overall tastiness
chocolateyness: not necessarily how chocolatey but a rating on how the amount of chocolate in the cookie contributed to the overall likability
presentation: is it pretty?
overall rating: how much did the tester like the cookie?

Additionally, I rated the recipes on difficulty & pantry friendlyness.

*cookies are rated on their own merit, not in comparison with each other.

In case you needed a weekend project maybe choose one of the following recipes based on what looks the most delicious to you.

Up first: Quintessential Chocolate Chip Cookies by Martha Rose Shulman, NYT

This is basically just your average Toll House cookie recipe with a few minor changes.

average ratings:

dunkability: 5/5
texture: 3.83/5
flavor: 2.33/5
chocolateyness: 2/5 (too much chocolate, not enough cookie)
presentation: 2.67/5
recipe difficulty: 2/5
pantry friendlyness: 5/5
overall: 3/5

All in all? Most average cookie award.

Kevin’s favorite: The Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Copycat by Joshua Weissman

Video above, typed out recipe here. This cookie has a more complicated list of ingredients & takes a lot of chilling time but I promise you it’s worth it. Levain’s cookies are meant to be eaten warm but the texture is much better when they’re cooled. Anyone else think day old cookies are better than fresh baked? Just me? Cool cool cool.

Kevin’s review: “I like big cookies and I cannot lie. A wonderfully brown shell wrapped around a soft, gooey interior. This is the Rolls-Royce of cookies. A vehicular fashion statement of chocolate and dough that proves after first bite it’s not just another pretty face. The chocolate shines as a true hero of this unwieldy sweet treat, playing perfectly into the subtler molasses and butter notes of the cookie which all pull their weight (all 6oz of it) to never let the cookie stray too far into a chocolate abyss. My only note: 2 cookies is almost a pound of cookies and therefore my conscience weighs far too heavy (like this cookie) after contemplating a second of these delicious behemoths; therefore minus 0.1 for making me feel badly about myself.”

average ratings:

dunkability: 3/5 (better if it completely cools)
texture: 3.83/5
flavor: 4.8/5
chocolateyness: 5/5
presentation: 5/5
recipe difficulty: 4/5
pantry friendlyness: 2/5
overall: 4.63/5

Erin’s favorite: BA’s Best by Chris Morocco

The browned butter in these takes them to the next level. Be careful when browning! It’s easy to go overboard so just take it slooooowwww. Also — best cookie for ice cream sandwiches. No contest.

Erin’s review: “BA’s best is truly just that! For someone who likes a bit of a snap to her cookie, this recipe was an utter delight to indulge in on a cloudy, brisk, Wednesday afternoon. The savory flavor of the dough highlighted the chocolatey goodness and left me craving more. Appearance wise, these cookies could use a makeover, but their balance and flavor can’t be beat. Delicious warm or cold!”

average ratings:

dunkability: 4/5
texture: 4/5
flavor: 4/5
chocolateyness: 4.5/5
presentation: 2.67/5 (very ugly no kiss for him)
recipe difficulty: 4/5
pantry friendlyness: 4/5
overall: 4.08/5

The classic: Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

I always add some extra flour to these to give them a little more structure & chill between batches. Use salted butter. I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips for this batch — very delicious but you don’t get as pretty of a cookie. I’m tempted to include a photo of the ones I made this week with the Nestle choc chips but for consistency’s sake you get what you get.

average ratings:

dunkability: 5/5
texture: 4.33/5
flavor: 4.33/5
chocolateyness: 5/5
presentation: 3.33/5
recipe difficulty: 1/5 (plain & simple)
pantry friendlyness: 5/5
overall: 4.33/5

Nostalgia factor: 100. Best for eating 5 in a row.

Finally: Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies AKA The Cookies by Alison Roman

IMPORTANT: DO NOT EAT THIS COOKIE FRESH OUT OF THE OVEN PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WAIT FOR IT TO COOL OR YOU WILL NOT GET THE DELICIOUS SATISFYING CRUNCHY CRUNCH THAT YOU DESERVE.

ok it’s not that serious but iykyk. Don’t skimp on the flaky salt.

My review: Truly thrilled to end a week of cookie testing with this recipe. This is really a shortbread chocolate chip cookie hybrid. It’s more shortbread with chocolate chunks than traditional chocolate chip cookie but I didn’t want to leave these out of my chocolate chip cookie testing journey because they are nicknamed “The Cookies” for a reason.
This salty, buttery, chocolatey cookie has all the notes that make a satisfying sweet yet savory breakfast, dessert, snack, whatever. With this cookie you are immediately hit with the sugar on the outside and the salt on top which makes for the perfect bite.
As someone who usually prefers a softer cookie, I was surprised that I loved this one so much the first time I tried the recipe.
This cookie is best dunked in coffee. Its perfect crunchy, crumbly texture doesn’t mesh perfectly with a cold glass of milk — but with coffee? *Chef’s kiss*

average ratings:

dunkability: 4.67/5
texture: 4.83/5
flavor: 4.5/5
chocolateyness: 4.5/5
presentation: 5/5 (so handsome)
recipe difficulty: 3/5
pantry friendlyness: 2/5
overall: 4.5/5

I apologize for the length of this newsletter but I hope the pictures made it worth it. If you knew how much longer it could be and how much more I have to say you would understand. More questions about cookies? Leave me a comment:

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