Cookie Dough Paradise

Santa Clause isn't the only one who likes eating cookies with a glass of cold milk around midnight.

There are times when we want something sweet and tasty to go along with a glass of milk at night. And what’s better than a warm chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven to have with that milk?

The problem though is that when I want something like food, I want it as soon as possible especially if it’s a really bad craving. Or if it has sugar in it. I mean who doesn't like sweets?

So, if I’m craving something like say cookies. I wouldn't want to make them from scratch. Don’t get me wrong I love baking, just not from scratch. And if I do bake from scratch, which is rare for me, then I usually make a huge mess that I have to clean up. Call me lazy, but all that prep time and having to wait for them to bake is just too much to satisfy a midnight craving.

I want my cookies. And I want them fast.

This is why I like baking things that you don’t have to do a lot of prep work. You just place them on a cookie sheet, because the cookie dough is already pre-cut into little squares and and into the oven they go.

Anyway back to what I was originally here to talk about—cookie dough, more specifically chocolate chip cookie dough. Sweet chocolaty goodness.

So, I went to two different stores to purchase four different brands of chocolate chip cookie dough. At Wal-Mart I bought: Pillsbury, Nestle Toll House, and Great Value. And at Dominick’s I bought Safeway, since I couldn't find another brand at Wal-Mart. Half of the brands, Safeway and Pillsbury are 16oz. While the other half, Nestle Toll House and Great Value are 16.5oz, so not much of a difference because they all make 24 cookies. All cookie dough brands take approximately 10mins to bake, a reasonable amount of time.

Pillsbury…Overall Score 9

Although they don’t have many chocolate chips they have a rich chocolaty taste. These cookies are chewy and gooey making a perfect combination. Calorie intake for one cookie is 85 calories, and a total fat of 4g.

Nestle Toll House…Overall Score 8.5

These cookies are crispy and chewy. They taste so fresh as if they came right out of a bakery.  Calorie intake for one cookie is 90 calories, and a total fat of 4g.

From the Bottom: Pillsbury, Nestle Toll House, Safeway, and Great Value

Safeway…Overall Score 7

Safeway cookies are the crispest of all the brands. They have the greatest amount of chocolate chips, but the taste isn't that great. Too much chocolate overpowers the cookie, thus it alters the taste making the first bite too sweet. It tasted like it was uncooked even though it was baked properly. Even though these cookies aren't the tastiest they contain only 85 calories and 4g of fat.

Great Value…Overall Score 6.5

Great Value is the chewiest of all brands. They have a decent amount of chocolate, but they tasted a little doughy, like kind of raw.  Their calorie intake for a cookie is 90 calories and 4g of fat.

Prices ranged between $2-3. Tax not included.

Pillsbury and Nestle Toll House were both $2.50

Great Value was $2.18

Safeway was $2.99

Small vs. Large

Is small actually better than large? Let’s find out.

Some cookie dough brands expand more when the cookies are baked. While others seem to have more chocolate chips in them, but tend to be smaller cookies. Some of us try and find the closest thing to a perfect cookie. At least I do, so hopefully I’m not the only one.

The smaller cookies are the Safeway and Great Value brands. These cookies average about 2 inches, while Nestle Toll House and Pillsbury tend to be the larger cookies averaging at about 2.5 inches.

In this particular order: Safeway, Great Value, Nestle Toll House and Pillsbury, are the brands with more chocolate chips. So if you’re a chocolate chip lover then Safeway cookies are your best bet. But if you’re looking for taste then I would recommend Pillsbury or Nestle Toll House, and even though they have the least number of chocolate chips I can guarantee that their taste will not disappoint.

I mean who wants a cookie with too many chocolate chips to the point where they overpower the taste of what a cookie is supposed to taste like? It’s called a chocolate chip cookie, there’s chocolate and dough baked together. Not one or the other. You might as well get a chocolate bar if you want that many chocolate chips in your cookie.  

I believe that in this case large is better than small; overall the larger cookies taste better and smell more appetizing than the smaller ones.