Once in a while, the question of “what is the best cookie?” arises. This question alone is hard to answer, since each cookie has its pros and cons, but there are a few that undoubtedly make the top 5. Belmont Hill’s long-lasting tradition of Milk and Cookies made Massachusetts’s own chocolate chip cookie popular among Belmont Hill boys. What makes a good cookie, you might ask? The criteria used to judge cookies consist of:
- Texture (crunchy, chewy, crisp on the ends, soft in the middle)
- Mix in’s (chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, sprinkles)
- Flavor (chocolate, cinnamon, peanut butter, cookie dough)
- Difficulty to make (baking time, ingredients, cost, fragility)
- Visual appeal (melting chocolate, sprinkles, cool designs, engravings)
Peanut butter cookie
The peanut butter cookie has a peanut butter flavor, mixed with a thick, crumbly cookie dough, giving it a unique combination of flavor and texture. The peanut butter cookie has very good visual appeal. Notorious fork-pressed engravings on the top of the cookie give it an original appearance and design, making it an above-average cookie in the visual criteria. They taste good and look good; however, they are more of a process to eat than the cookies higher up on the list. Peanut butter cookies tend to be extremely dry and can be very fragile. Overall, the interesting combination of flavor and texture, combined with the fork-pressed design and thick shape, makes peanut butter cookies a solid 7.75/10.
Snickerdoodle
Snickerdoodles have the classic sweet flavor and chewy texture that’s hard to hate. The crisp edge on the outside, combined with the chewy texture in the center, makes the snickerdoodle iconic. When baked perfectly, sugar cookies equal the top competitors in texture and flavor; however, they lack visual appeal. Snickerdoodles have a thin cinnamon coat that makes them look bland compared to others. Overall, I give the snickerdoodle an 8.25/10.
Oreos
Oreos are a reliable, quick treat that always prevails. The combination of vanilla and chocolate gives the Oreo a subtle sweetness. The ability to take a cookie apart and eat it however you please is a rare trait that automatically makes the Oreo a top-three contender. The well-known Oreo engraving makes it a recognizable dessert. Although the Oreo is easy to eat, it is quite small and hard to make at home. The sweet center and chocolate edges make the Oreo an 8.9/10.
Macarons
Maybe the fanciest cookie on this list, macarons look beautiful, taste amazing, and have the best texture of any cookie. The visual appeal of the macaron is unmatched. The chewy meringue crust and sweet jelly center make it the perfect cookie sandwich, while its vibrant colors and shiny toppings make it visually one-of-a-kind. Macarons are often served in groups of 3, making them the perfect dessert or snack. Macarons are also surprisingly healthier than the other cookies on this list. Traditional macarons contain under 90 calories per cookie, which is a 22% decrease compared to Oreo cookies and an even larger decrease compared to larger cookies. It is incredible how such a sweet, perfectly crafted cookie can be healthier than a smaller Oreo, but macarons are usually made in a local bakery, whereas Oreo and other cookies are mass-produced. Although the macarons have a health benefit, they come with a price tag. A 3-pack of macarons usually costs anywhere from 8-15 dollars, which is almost 7x the price of a 4-pack of Oreo cookies. Overall, the dreamy texture, incredible taste, and beautiful designs make the Parisian macarons a 9.5/10.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
The stampede of seventh graders at 9:45 in the morning makes it clear that the chocolate chip cookie is the best cookie of all time. The sweet dough with random milk-chocolate chips in the chewy middle of the cookie is one of the best combinations, not just in cookies but in all desserts. The chocolate chip cookie was created by a genius. In 1938, in Whitman, Massachusetts, a woman by the name of Ruth Graves Wakefield added a chopped-up Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar and added the chopped pieces of chocolate into a cookie recipe. The result changed history forever. In WWII, soldiers deployed overseas from Massachusetts shared the cookies they received from care packages with other soldiers from the United States. Within the next year, the Toll House Cookie (Chocolate Chip Cookie) became the most sought-after cookie in the United States. Easy and fun to bake, with sweet chocolate chips throughout, a sweet chocolate/cookie dough flavor combination, crisp on the outside and chewy within, and a distinguished appearance, the chocolate chip cookie is a 10/10.