A few weeks ago, Cup of Jo colleague Maureen shared a pro tip with us…
When people come to dinner, Maureen slips batches of supermarket slice-and-bake (also known as “break avala”) cookie dough while guests put together their meals. dessert. “Everyone loves warm cookies,” she pointed out. Best of all, Maureen says, just drop a plate of cookies down before clearing the table. No more trying to help, it takes the formality out of serving a Capital D dessert course. It also saves you the trouble of washing dishes. As she puts it, “Who wants an entire set of dessert bowls and spoons in an already full dishwasher?”
A woman after my own practical mind! I loved the idea and decided it was just the excuse I needed to find the best supermarket brands of refrigerated cookie dough. Pictured above), we invited an expert to our house to pick a winner. You know, all the usual variables when dealing with cookies right out of the oven.
You might recognize those experts! Joanna’s boys, 12-year-old Toby and 9-year-old Anton, very long dinner with adults finally I had to sit with the candidate. We are good parents and decided it was unfair to leave all the heavy lifting to them, so a few adults (Joanna and my husband Andy) attended the tasting.
But first, a very rigorous methodology! As usual, the taste test was done blind — no one but me knew which cookie was which — but everyone was at the same time. I weighed the same cookie. Either way, it was a group of dogmatic and authoritative eaters who rarely needed more than one bite before confidently offering feedback. Grab a bite if you want. Here’s what they said about each: (Prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.)
1. Pillsbury ready to bake chocolate chip cookie dough ($5 for 24 cookies) Toby decided one looked “worst” at first sight, but changed his mind shortly after taking the first bite. “Very buttery,” he said. “And I like that the dough crushes the chocolate.” Other analysis: “I got a good crunch,” said Andy. “Overall, a very solid cookie.”
2. Stop & Shop Break and Bake Cookie Dough Chocolate Chip ($4 for 12 cookies) “Oh yeah,” said Andy. “It’s really good.” She’s definitely “crispy,” agreed Joanna, though she felt it “looks like wheat” at first.Overall, we agreed that this was the least artificial, almost homemade flavor. very Good,” Anton declared.
3. Nestlé Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar ($4 for 24 cookies) I had high hopes for this, as it’s Maureen’s go-to and iconic brand, but I was quickly bombarded with criticism. “No taste,” said Joanna. “Actually, I take it back. It tastes a little… gassy, like when you leave the stove on,” she said. Everyone commented on the dryness and Toby worked hard giving it a “minus 0 out of 10”.
Four. Sweet Loren’s Chocolate Chunk Gluten Free Cookie Dough ($7 for 12 cookies) The only gluten-free option in the bunch (” appear gluten free” – Andy;” appear Healthy” — Joanna), which Toby said tasted “like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich” and “like sweet toast,” said Anton. According to Andy, we all sipped milk after every bite because of its dry, cake-like texture and aftertaste that was “persistent” and “not really good.”
Five. Annie’s Organic Chocolate Chunk Cookies & Share Dough ($5 for 12 cookies) “Anton, you haven’t eaten this yet,” said Joanna. “That’s a bold statement in itself!” Indeed, this was criticized by others for the ‘chalky’, ‘sandy’ and ‘dusty’ experience we had when eating it. I was surprised because I’ve been a fan of Annie for a long time.
Winner
Based on the complex auditory data breakdown of my recordings, I decided the last three were “meh” (sorry for being academic). Pillsbury (shown here) and Stop & Shop generic brands were by far the best. I’m sure you all have your opinions on this, so please share!
PS More taste tests, including the best supermarket salsas
