For candy lovers, Oct. 31 couldn’t come soon enough. The entire month is practically an excuse to indulge in  sugary goodness. But for the everyday sweet tooth craving, Pulp has compared some local treats to trick your tastebuds into thinking it’s time for Halloween.
— Compiled by The Daily Orange feature staff

 

Chocolate chip cookie rankings

Insomnia — #1

As an establishment solely focused on selling cookies, it’s not surprising that Insomnia has the standard chocolate chip down pat. With large chunks of chocolate in soft, crumbly dough, this cookie is exactly what you imagine when you’re craving the classic sweet treat. In typical Insomnia fashion, however, these cookies practically come with a side order of grease. They also lack the slight saltiness of a cookie made in a more homemade setting. Still, these treats are dependable and can be ordered at any hour of the day — the clear makings of a winner in our book.

Roly Poly — #2

Roly Poly’s chocolate chip cookies were large and soft with just enough chocolate chips and a good balance of saltiness in the dough to counteract the chocolate’s sweetness. They were also less greasy than Insomnia’s, which is a plus if you plan on using your hands after snacking. The cookies tasted homemade, with more flavor depth than the typical grocery store dessert. But beware of the homemade irregularities — while the outer edges were soft, some cookies had insides that were almost raw. There’s nothing wrong with homemade dough, but it needs to be cooked all the way through to be palatable.

A la Mode — #3

A la Mode’s chocolate chip cookies are about as standard as it gets. These hockey puck-sized desserts are suspiciously round in a way that suggests they might not be made from scratch. The cookies are dry and seriously lacking in chocolate chips. While some bites had a few measly morsels, others were completely devoid of any chocolate at all. The crumbly dough was overly sweet, and had a noticeably weird aftertaste. If you’re looking for a cookie that tastes like your grandmother made it, this is not the place — unless your grandmother serves you stale Chips Ahoy.

 

Specialty cookies

White chocolate macadamia

Despite an appetizing presentation, Roly Poly’s white chocolate macadamia cookie was a let down. There was too much happening in each bite. A shocking citrusy taste overpowered everything else. It was like taking a bite of a lemon: so sour it makes you scrunch up your face — a very unpleasant surprise for a cookie. In addition, it was infused with a nauseating amount of sugar. And while the ideal cookie has a degree of warm gooeyness to them, this one was far too soft. This specialty cookie doesn’t warrant more than a couple of bites.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

A la Mode Cafe’s buttery Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cookie is filled with peanut butter chunks and topped off nicely with the chocolate candy. But while the Reese’s taste comes out from time to time, the peanut butter cup is not evenly distributed throughout and the dessert is severely lacking some chocolate, leading to an overwhelming peanut butter taste. While sometimes dry and crumbly, this cookie is great for the peanut butter lovers out there — just be sure to pair your cookie with a nice, cold glass of milk.

S’mores

These Insomnia cookies are some of the messiest. When they’re hot, they’re just as gooey as actual s’mores. But you get the texture of marshmallows, not the taste. And without being told there are actual graham cracker bits in the cookie, you might not notice them at all. There’s no crunch and you certainly won’t taste them, either. The dominant flavor is by far the chocolate, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But make sure you eat these while they’re warm, or you’ll miss out on the sticky s’more experience.

Published on October 28, 2013 at 2:48 am