Is a chocolate chip cookie just a cookie?

According to "I'm just here for the food" chocolate chip cookies fall under the muffin method.  I don't think there has been a more anticipated week of baking in my kitchen from my family.  It is actually the humble chocolate chip cookie that began my baking journey.  Well, perhaps I should say it is my husband Craig's addiction to the chocolate chip cookie that made it all begin!  Several years ago I began having joint trouble and it continued to get worse until the fateful day that I could no longer stir the dough by hand.  I had made mention several times that a Kitchen Aid mixer would be a great help to me and as soon as the prospect of a life without those chocolate morsels came to be - a mixer showed up for me.  The story of why any kitchen appliance is not a great gift - even when it is wanted - can wait for another day :)

My desire to find other things to make with such a grand mixer besides mashed potatoes and chocolate chip cookies lead me to start baking cakes.  Because my family doesn't like cake I was lead to start a non-profit for children to have birthday cakes; which lead to Cake Blessings and then this blog.

The problem is that because I now make so many cakes and I'm on this walk through Alton's book to learn new desserts and techniques, I don't actually make cookies very often.  That was why this week was even more exciting for my cookie-holics.  I'm not going to accuse Craig of coming home early from his business trip solely because of it - but I'm not going to buy his excuse that it had nothing to do with it either!  Adding to the fact was that I also decided I should do a taste test and try several different recipes and see if the results really made a noticable difference.

I settled on 4 recipes.  I had fun watching the selection of testers chew slowly, pondering their thoughts about each variety and then giving well anaylized opinions as to which one was better.  A funny trend emerged; a gender gap between 2 distinct varieties and one clear winner.  I really had no expectations going in to the taste tests.  In fact if I expected anything it was that there wasn't going to be any real differences, but that was very wrong.  Alton Brown - you have developed a very fine cookie, sir!  It was the clear winner from my family, friends at church and extended family on Mother's Day.  But it was second place that created the most interesting results.  Last winter while I wandered around Williams Sonoma dreaming of a kitchen filled with all of their wonderful wares, my husband leaned on the counter waiting for me and struck up a conversation with the sales clerk.  It was about chocolate chip cookies.  He really does have a problem.  She gave him a recipe for the ones she makes her family and they quickly became our favorite as well, replacing the standard Toll House staple.  Then last week on the blog Bake or Break a cream cheese chocolate chip cookie was highlighted that was perfect timing for my experiment. 

After I had made all four varieties I placed them in zipped bags and numbered them 1-4.  #1 being Alton's, then #2 was our Williams Sonoma benefactor's, 3 was the standard toll house recipe and fourth was the Bake or Break recipe.  It really was a neck and neck battle but it came down to all the men liking either #2 or 3 as second place and the women liking either #2 or 4.  I honestly don't think I could give a clear choice about it because there was so much flip flopping that no one was able to decide for sure.  So it just became interesting to watch the gender difference.  My guess is that the cream cheese made for a bit sweeter of a cookie for the ladies, while the toll house was familiar for the men.  It will be something I can chat about at parties I suppose.