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Cookie Comparison
Written by: Janet Pope
So many cookies, so little time
My last assignment was to write a story about ice cream, this week- cookies. I'm on a roll- this has certainly been a good month for me. I've gained a few pounds, but I've also discovered friends I never knew I had. My editor handed me a few boxes of cookies including a rather large one from Bellows House Bakery. He is on a health kick and my husband is on a diet, so neither of them wanted the temptation around. I, on the other hand, hate both healthy foods and diets and love cookies with a cup of tea- so I was chosen.
Bellows House Bakery
I had never heard of Bellows House Bakery, but I soon discovered they make a delicious cookie. The wrapper says that there is a Bed & Breakfast in New Hampshire that makes these cookies and an assortment are left nightly for the guests who love them. After tasting the cookies, I too want to visit this B&B just for the nightly treat.
The assortment was large and the task was daunting, so I invited a few friends over for tea and cookies. Soon they all had strong opinions on cookies. Everyone's a critic! We first tried the Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookie, which has a great chocolate taste. The consistency is good- not too hard and not too soft. The cookie is large and heavy and big enough to share. It's a great treat for any choco-holic.
Next, was the Sugar Cookie, which after the chocolate cookie, tasted a little too plain. It has a soft, sponge-like consistency and we quickly discovered that cookie eaters fall into two categories- those that like crunchy, crisp cookies and those that like soft, moist ones. Again, it is a very big cookie- too much for anyone who is looking for a small treat to satisfy a quick craving.
Lemon Shortbread Cookies were next and they are delicious. We also liked the size better, as they came four smaller ones in a package. This cookie has a shortbread consistency and tasted a little like a Lorna Doone cookie, with a lemony, refreshing flavor. It was deemed the perfect snack cookie.
The Fudge Brownie is more of a cake than a cookie, as many brownies are. It wasn’t a bad size- neither too thick nor too large. The brownie connoisseurs among us felt the top was a little too dry. But another discovery we made was brownies tend to be as varied as taste buds- so to each his own.
The classic Chocolate Chip Cookie was next. It is very chunky and filled with chocolate. Some likened it to Soft Chips Ahoy. Our tummies were getting filled; I re-poured the tea and coffee. Our comments were getting fewer, as we were zoning out on sugar highs.
The Maple Walnut Blondies, which are a variant of the brownies, smelled like pancakes or at least maple syrup. We loved the nuts and the sweet maple flavor. This is a different cookie, one that you might not often get to have.
Caramel Nut Shortbreads were not a big hit with our group, but perhaps our taste buds were getting dulled. Most felt it was a dull cookie, and neither the caramel nor the nuts had a strong taste.
There certainly were enough cookie types to choose from. Milk Chocolate Butterscotch is a large cookie. Our tasters preferred the smaller cookies, where you can choose your portions. This cookie has a rich butterscotch taste.
I hesitated eating the Peanut Butter Chip Brownie since I don't usually like peanut butter, but this was delicious. The consistency is nice and chewy, with a subtle peanut butter and chocolate flavor.
Last, but not least, was the Chocolate Chip Blondie, which basically seemed like a chocolate chip cookie in the shape of a brownie. It is very sweet and by this time we all had a sugar rush.
The all time favorite was the Lemon Shortbread Cookie. The smaller size is perfect for a snack. The consistency and the taste were both a hit with everyone.
Cookies By Design
We were stuffed, but our task was not done, so we forged on. We had yet another brand of cookie to sample- Cookies By Design. One of my friends had in fact ordered cookies from them, as a gift to someone and she felt they made a beautiful and unique present.
This company intricately decorates cookies into every imaginable shape and style. The ones we received were holiday in nature and were absolutely as beautiful as a cookie could be.
We tried the Brown Sugar Cinnamon cookies which were shaped like Christmas trees. They smelled yummy, but the taste isn't as strong as the smell, which was a little disappointing.
Next, was the Sugar Cookie, which again is a little too plain. In another tree shape, it is pleasing to the eye, but an average cookie to the taste.
Our vote in this category definitely went to the intricately decorated cookies which could not only make a beautiful gift, but were delicious too. Did you ever hear of too much of a good thing? Well, I never really believed that was possible. Could you ever have too much money or too many vacations? Not really, but now it felt like there could be too many cookies. We forged ahead.
Creative Cookie
The next cookie we tried is made by Creative Cookie and comes in a chineses take-out container. They are designed like fortune cookies and come in various themes; like Halloween or Teacher's cookies. They look and taste just like a traditional fortune cookie, with a light, crisp taste. They definitely are a "gift" item, with eight cookies in a container, each one having a distinct fortune inside. It's a unique and fun present and obviously, if you like the taste of fortune cookies, you will like them.
Liz Lovely Cookies
Next, we moved on to Liz Lovely Cookies, which are handmade in Vermont .They are packaged two in a bag, tied with a rattan ribbon and make a wonderful presentation. "One for you and one for me- This is called soulmating." They looked delicious and the description sounded too healthy to be true. Made from all organic ingredients, with zero trans fats and cholesterol and low in salt and saturated fat, they are even certified Vegan. They sounded like they would be bland and boring. Anything that is supposed to be good for you, can't taste good as well, right?
Cowgirl Cookies are dairy-free with a chocolate taste, but left some of our tasters with mixed reaction. Some thought it tasted under-baked and were not happy with the consistency.
The next variety- Cowboy Cookies, with chocolate and nuts, were generally liked more. "This could satisfy a chocolate urge, but with less guilt."
The winner among Liz Lovely's cookies was Peanut Butter. It had a full, delicious taste and a good indicator for judging was that they were soon all gone.
If you know anyone who needs dairy free, egg free or cholesterol free products, this is definitely the cookie for them.
Joseph’s
Joseph's has been making sugar-free cookies since 1986. We sampled the Chocolate Raspberry Sugar Free Cookie, which we didn't even realize was sugar free till after we were done- which I guess is a good sign. There is a strong raspberry and chocolate flavor and the consistency is crumbly.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip is fat free and the perfect bite size. It had a great chocolate chip taste, but by now our comments were getting fewer and farther between. All I know is that tasters went back for seconds and after eating over two dozen cookies- that says a lot.
Sugar Free Chocolate Peanut Butter did not win a lot of votes, as most thought it was too crispy. We were getting full and when we tried to break one in half, it would not break. Also, the peanut butter connoisseurs among us wanted a stronger peanut taste.
The last one to be sampled was Sugar Free Oatmeal, which was good, but tasted more like an almond cookie than an oatmeal.
Our favorite Joseph's cookie was the Chocolate Raspberry Sugar Free Cookie, which in essence tasted most like a sinful, unhealthy cookie.
And the Winners Are…
Out of all the cookies, we liked them each for different reasons:
We liked the Liz Lovely cookies for their ingredients or lack of ingredients.
The Creative Cookies won kudos for their cleverness.
Joseph's cookies were the best sugar free cookies.
Phillipa's cookies won for style, panache and sex appeal.
Cookies By Design definitely wins the prize for most artistic cookie- almost too pretty to eat.
Bellows House Bakery had the greatest variety and appealed to the most people for an everyday cookie.
Well that's it for now, that is unless more boxes of cookies show up at the office. It was a hard assignment, but over cookies and tea I learned a lot. Cookies are like life. In fact, life is like a box of cookies- you never know what you're going to get. Also, just like the world is filled with a multitude of all types of people, thankfully there are also all types of cookies to match. And last, I learned that you can tell your true friends, by those who love you, with or without cookies. I offered everyone some cookies to take home and as of now, I am the hit of the Holiday Season. Everyone loves cookies.
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