buzz finds the best chocolate chip cookie in town

4:00 am Oct 22 - by Margaret Carrigan – buzz Food and Drink Editor

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    No other cookie can rival a chocolate chip cookie in terms of nostalgia. There need not be a special occasion for these treats, but they are certainly the perfect way to cheer up any bad day, or even just celebrate a decent day. Add a big glass of milk to dunk ‘em in, and you’ve got yourself the best snack in the world. If you’re looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, look no further, because buzz went through the toil and trouble of trying the best cookies in the area. Judged in four categories­ — size, texture, dunkability and chip ratio ­— the results were close, but we’ve found the best chocolate chip cookie in the CU.

    Jimmy John’s — $1.50

    Size: Large and girthy.

    Texture: These gigantic cookies had a nice chewy texture, but tended to be a little dry, possibly a result of the fact that they are packaged rather than fresh.

    Dunkability: These cookies were ideal candidates for dunking, since their dryer composition would have the ability to absorb a lot of milk.

    Chip Ratio: Using big chocolate chips made for fewer chips altogether, but it also kept the chocolate-to-dough ratio about the same.

    Espresso Royale — $1.35

    Size: Medium. Not too thick, not too wide.

    Texture: These cookies were a little on the too dry side.

    Dunkability: A glass of milk would have softened these babies up a bit.

    Chip Ratio: The chip ratio was decent, but there was a curious spice-like background flavor that detracted from the classic chocolate-dough flavor combo. Overall, we agreed that the cookies tasted a bit like coffee; we were unable to discern whether or not this was intentional or the result of them sitting in a coffee shop.

    Pekara — $.50 each

    Size: Smaller in size, like the size your mom bakes — dropped by the tablespoon onto the baking sheet.

    Texture: These chocolate chip cookies were classic. They were slightly crispy on the edges with a nice chewy center.

    Dunkability: These could be eaten solo or dunked in milk by virtue of their dual-textured nature.

    Chip Ratio: The chip ratio was perfect with just enough chocolate without overpowering the dough.

    Cookie Jar — $.50 each

    Size: Classic, small homemade size.

    Texture: A little chewy, but slightly thin.

    Dunkability: These cookies could have absorbed some milk, but they didn’t have the thickness to hold on to much of it.

    Chip Ratio: A little bland — the dough itself lacked a lot of flavor, as if it was missing the crucial vanilla. Additionally, the chips were few and far between.

    Insomnia — $1 each

    Size: Small to medium.

    Texture: Doughy and delicious with a slightly crispy edge and a gooey center.

    Dunkability: These warm treats are too flimsy to dunk.

    Chip Ratio: Plenty of chips. The chocolate flavor is accentuated by the fact that the chips are still soft and melted.

    Panera — $6 for a dozen

    Size: We tried the mini chocolate chippers, so they were the size of a smaller, home-baked cookie.

    Texture: A little crispy, but not too dry. Overall, nice and buttery.

    Dunkability: Awesome for dunking. Had just enough texture to hold onto a lot of milk without getting soggy.

    Chip Ratio: These has plenty of chips without overwhelming the cookie.

    Courier Café — $1.60

    Size: HUGE! These cookies are seriously massive.

    Texture: Cakey, as in kind of chewy but kind of crumbly and soft at the same time.

    Dunkability: Perfect for breaking into pieces and dunking in a big glass of milk.

    Chip Ratio: Lots of miniature chocolate chips evenly distributed throughout the cookie. Although the use of mini chips was curious in the case of such a large cookie.

    And the winner is:

    First Place: Pekara

    Runner Up: Insomnia

    Second Runner Up: Courier Café

    Sound Off

    The views expressed are the sole responsibility of the visitors who submitted them and do no represent the opinions of the217, WPGU, buzz or Illini Media staff members.

    Last post: Oct. 23, 2009 at 3:24 pm

    smarterthanyou! (unregistered user) said on Oct. 23, 2009 at 3:24 pm:

    you guys NEVER go to the best places in town for your "best of"s. the best cookies in town are from mirabelle! DUH! dirka dirka!

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