results of the cookie-throwdown

And then the analysis beings. After tallying everyone's results from my cookie throwdown (I asked them to rank each in order, to which I gave 5 points to their favorite, 1 to their least favorite) I came to an inconclusive conclusion.

Unfortunately there was no "dominant" winner as I was hoping to find. Certain people tended to prefer particular types of cookies, while others really disliked them. Some people couldn’t get past the oats in the Neiman Marcus, while others chose it as their favorite. Others completely hated the flatness of the New York Times cookie, while a few preferred them greatly. Me so confused!

Cookie #1 - the New York Times cookie


Honestly, what a disappointment. I really had high hopes for this guy. But even if I did make ity-bity dough balls and bake them only for a few minutes, they somehow manage to completely spread out. Being as this was a "chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie" tasting, this was last place, with a whopping 19 points. However, since there were dozens and dozens remaining at my boyfriend's house (seeing as how he ate all the other ones first), I began trying new things. I placed a damp paper towel over it and microwaved it for about 20 second. Surprisingly it came out quite good, and the taste (while comparing with others leftover) was more dominant. The other cookies were just bready and plain, while this one had a distinctly pleasing cookie taste. For the record, I rated this second to the last place; and majority of people ranked it their very last.
Conclusion: 5th

Cookie #2 - Alton Brown's "The Chewy"



What should be noted is that we did not make these cookies the same size as Alton Brown states we should. These little nugget cookies were probably half the size of his, so I'm not sure if that made much of a different in taste. They were a little cakey in the center, and had not much flavor, but I still enjoyed the chewiness. I personally ranked these third but I guess no one else really cared for them because it got fourth place.
Conclusion: 4th place

Cookie #3 - Cooks Illustrated "Thick and Chewy"


Ahh, my old friend Cook's Illustrated. These were very good, and most people agreed. With an amazing 35 points, this cookie wins the competition! The size was perfect, the spread of the dough allowed for a chewy center and crisp outer, and the taste was good as well. Overall, this was a winner.
Conclusion: 1st place

Cookie #4 - Neiman Marcus cookie

The underdog of the day was this cookie. Resembling a bowl of day old oatmeal, I had no expectations for these cookies. Once spreading nicely, they allowed for a chewy center with an interesting crunch. I actually ranked these second, and coincidentally it came out at second place as well. Only a few points behind Cook’s Illustrated, I can’t really consider this a close winner because it had staggered results- either people loved it or they absolutely hated it.
Conclusion: 2nd place

Cookie #5 - Tollhouse

Blehh, Tollhouse is Tollhouse, and will always be Tollhouse. Actually, a lot of people enjoyed it and even chose it as their first choice. Really? You had all these gourmet cookies yet you choose the old-fashioned Tollhouse... I guess it has been ingrained into their taste buds that this is what a chocolate chip cookie should taste like. Personally, it was my last choice, but in the end it came out right in the middle at third place.
Conclusion: 3rd place

Here are my tallys. Hopefully I calculated them right lol.
#1 - 5 3 1 1 1 1 1 4 2 = 19
#2 - 1 2 4 3 2 3 2 2 3 = 22
#3 - 3 1 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 = 35
#4 - 4 4 2 5 5 4 4 1 4 = 33
#5 - 2 5 5 2 3 2 3 3 1 = 26