It’s one of America’s all-time favorite snack: the chocolate chip cookie. There’s nothing like biting into chocolaty goodness. But there are so many different variations that are made, it’s hard to choose which ones are the best: chewy or crunchy; large chocolate chunks versus small chocolate chunks; nuts or no nuts. So this FoxNews.com reporter decided to put it to the test, and gathered some friends for a non-scientific polling of chocolate chip cookies from bakeries across the country. We were out to find what was unique about them: the chips, the dough, the flavoring? It was a tough job to taste each one, but someone had to do it.
In no particular order, here’s our take on some of America’s most delicious chocolate chip cookies and where you can find them.
1. Victory Love + Cookies - Denver, Colo.
(Victory Love + Cookies)
In Denver, Victory Love + Cookies makes a classic chocolate chip cookie. The cookies have an appealing look because they are round and large. Take a first bite into the cookie and it’s a gooey (chewy) sensation. Chocolate is definitely not forgotten in this cookie, because there is a generous amount of Ghirardelli chocolate chips in each cookie. The mission of the bakery is to spread love through the sweet taste of cookies.
Verdict: We could all use some more love in our lives, and this cookie helps do that.
2. Cake- Chicago, Ill.
(Cake)
Cake makes a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie they call Choosy Chocolate Chip Cookies that you’d never know wasn’t made with wheat flour. The outside is lightly colored and look crispy. Once a first bite lands in your mouth, the crunchy texture and bittersweet chips make for a perfect combination. Since the cookies are gluten free, some ingredients used include rice and tapioca flour. Overall, the cookie has a nice light and simple taste.
Verdict: Worth the trip to The Windy City--even if you don’t avoid gluten.
3. Tate’s Bake Shop - Long Island, N.Y.
(Tate’s Bake Shop)
The chocolate chip cookies at Tate’s Bake Shop have been a go-to snack and best kept secret for posh Southampton residents for decades. Now, Tate’s is expanding in the Washington, D.C. area, and sells its cookies to select stores, such as Whole Foods. Though they have a wide variety of cookies to chose from, the chocolate chips continue to be a favorite. These cookies fall in the category of crispy, crunchy, flat and delicious. They are so lightweight that one is never enough. And they have just the right amount of small round chips in each cookie.
Verdict: For the folks who love chewy cookies, this isn’t the cookie for you, but worth a try because of the lightweight, buttery taste.
4. JD’s Chippery-Dallas, Tex.
(JD’s Chippery)
When eating chocolate chip cookies from JD’s Chippery, be sure to catch them right as they come out of the oven. Or if they come through the mail, pop them in the microwave for a couple of seconds. On the outside, they are the quintessential shape and look of a chocolate chip cookie: round, thick, and chewy. The first bite corresponds to its look- very chewy with huge chunks of chips. They have a hint of vanilla in the aftertaste, but it is subtle enough.
Verdict: Best cookie for you to leave for Santa with a glass of milk by the fireplace.
5. Milk- Los Angeles, Calif.
(Milk)
Milk has something for everybody- it’s an ice cream parlor, bake shop, sells old-time food items --and everything in between. But the bake shop is known for its Ooey- Gooey double chocolate chip cookie. The cookie’s surface has the topography you’d see of a mountainous region because of the amount of huge, rectangular chocolate chips sticking out of the dough. The chocolate dough and the chips make for an incredible taste of chocolateness.
Verdict: You have to be a chocolate lover with this one, for it’s a double whammy of chocolate in the dough and in the huge chips.
6. Manderin Cookie Company-- Seattle, Wash.
(Manderin Cookie Company)
Amanda Nokes, the owner of Manderin Cookie Company, has fond memories of cooking with her mother, which led her passion for baking cookies in Seattle. Eating one Crazy Love Cookie will make you crazy in love with them. And if you want to dance to Beyonce’s Crazy in Love song while eating them, we won’t judge. The love potion for this cookie is coconut, dark chocolate chips and toffee. Manderin cookies are available for online sale only, but don’t let that stop you from ordering.
Verdict: The chocolate isn’t an overpowering taste that balances nice with the coconut.