Twenty tasters, ten bakeries, three winners. And a lot of milk.
Little Rae’s Bakery
Tasters’ note: “Love the crunch.” “But the middle is dry.” “The ratio of chocolate to dough? It seems really uneven.” “I actually don’t like as much chocolate in my chocolate chip cookies, so I like that about these cookies. But it does look like an uneven distribution.” “Really simple.” “It tastes like it has pretty good ingredients—the butter, the chocolate, it tastes classic.” “I would not regret eating an entire one of those.”
Eaters’ info: $1.60/cookie. Little Rae’s Bakery, 309 S Cloverdale St #D47, 206-762-5750; littleraesbakery.com
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Little Rae’s Bakery
Tasters’ note: “Love the crunch.” “But the middle is dry.” “The ratio of chocolate to dough? It seems really uneven.” “I actually don’t like as much chocolate in my chocolate chip cookies, so I like that about these cookies. But it does look like an uneven distribution.” “Really simple.” “It tastes like it has pretty good ingredients—the butter, the chocolate, it tastes classic.” “I would not regret eating an entire one of those.”
Eaters’ info: $1.60/cookie. Little Rae’s Bakery, 309 S Cloverdale St #D47, 206-762-5750; littleraesbakery.com
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Dahlia Bakery
Tasters’ notes: “It isn’t as crispy as I thought it was going to be.” “It kind of looks like when a second grader makes cookies for the first time and goes, I like big cookies! and and puts a huge thing of Tollhouse dough on the pan.” "The chocolate is really sweet. It tastes like Cadbury…like Easter chocolate.” “Or like the dough is made with a fake sugar.” “It’s a little too chewy.” “I feel like there are candy shells or M&M’s in it.”
Eaters’ info: $2.50/cookie. Dahlia Bakery, 2001 4th Ave, 206-441-4540; tomdouglas.com
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FIRST PLACE WINNER!
Volunteer Park Cafe
Tasters’ notes: “Oh, this one is sweet. It’s very fragrant.” “I like the way that it’s cracked because then you feel like you’re getting a really good crunch.” “The chocolate chunks are so rich. Definitely tastes like high-end chocolate.” “The chocolate is definitely richer in this one.” “Points for the stick-to-your-teeth aspect.” “The cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy toward the middle—a perfect combo.” “Nice and buttery.” “The chocolate chips are really soft, in a good way.”
Eaters’ info: $2/cookie. Volunteer Park Cafe, 1501 17th Ave E; 206-328-3155; alwaysfreshgoodness.com
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Essential Baking Company
Tasters’ notes: “Is it whole wheat or something? It’s not very sweet. It really makes the chocolate pop out.” “I like the chocolate, the level of sweetness.” “The texture is almost mealy, and was very crumby, but I liked the cookie taste.” “It tastes like it’s missing an ingredient.”
Eaters’ info: $2.05/cookie. Essential Baking Company, 5601 1st Ave S, 206-545-3804; essentialbaking.com
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Skydottir Epic Cookies (gluten-free, vegan, organic dark chocolate)
Tasters’ notes: “There’s a big essence of vanilla. Like an extra vanilla flavor. It’s maybe a little bit exaggerated for me.” “For a special diet cookie, this is well done.” “It tastes healthy, like a breakfast or protein bar.” “It’s got a really nice texture to it, but a weird aftertaste.” “I don’t mind it, but it’s not the taste I expected out of a chocolate chip cookie.”
Eaters’ info: Skydottir Epic Cookies, sold in markets and cafes across Washington State, 206-265-3195; skydottir.com
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SECOND PLACE WINNER!
Specialty’s Café and Bakery
Tasters’ notes: “They’re so thick! They look like scones.” “They look like they pack a lot of chocolate, but I got a fairly large piece with barely any. I actually think they need more chips, they’re pretty inconsistent.” “I love the texture, they’re light.” “I’m impressed because it must require some kind of confection cooking or something like that. I can’t imagine you can cook those in a regular oven.” “I would have no clue how to make a cookie this thick.” “Nice ingredients, really good quality.” “Does it taste like a S’more to anyone else?” “Can you imagine ice cream on that?”
Eaters’ info: $2.19/cookie. Specialty’s Café and Bakery, various locations; specialtys.com
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Macrina Bakery
Tasters’ notes: “It’s the first one I finished all of. Every other one, I took a bite and didn’t want the rest.” “Chewy and crunchy. Nice and light. I feel like I could eat this and not feel guilty afterward.” “It’s more of a milk chocolate than a bitter chocolate.” “Nails both the cookie and the chocolate parts.”
Eaters’ info: $1.90/cookie. Macrina Bakery and Cafe, various locations; macrinabakery.com
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Sugar Bakery
Tasters’ notes: “Mine is falling apart!” “It reminds me of when you have a brownie, there’s a more cakey taste.” “It’s too doughy in the middle. Look at the plate, they’re all sagging.” “It’s like we’re conducting a cookie dough tasting.” “The chocolate is really nice.” “It made me think of licking a spoon covered in chocolate chip cookie dough.”
Eaters’ info: $1.95/cookie. Sugar Bakery, 1014 Madison St, 206-749-4105; sugarbakerycafe.com
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THIRD PLACE WINNER!
Delaurenti
Tasters’ note: “I think it’s the dark chocolate that makes it stand out. It’s not too sweet.” “And there’s lot of it, which is obviously a plus.” “This is the best chocolate we’ve tasted. Almost liquidy.” “It’s pretty evenly distributed.” “Yummy. That’s gotta be one of the best ones.” “The texture is really hard. It’s kind of crispy.”
Eaters’ info: $2.19/cookie. Delaurenti Specialty Food and Wine, 1435 1st Ave, 206-622-0141;
delaurenti.com
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Hiroki (made with orange zest and cocoa powder)
Tasters’ notes: “It’s too orange.” “The cookie part isn’t bad.” “I kind of like it, and really would if it had less orange. The zest is just a bit too intense.” “They’re not really chocolate chips, are they? They’re like chunks.” “Certain bites were underbaked in the center.” “The texture reminds me of those Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies.”
Eaters’ info: $2.50/cookie. Hiroki, 2224 N 56th St, 206-547-4128; hiroki.us
There are lots of trendy desserts out there, but it’s the classic chocolate chip cookie that always gets our sweet tooth. So in the interest of finding Seattle’s best ones, we chilled gallons of milk, corralled a panel of 20 tasters, and asked them to sound off as they tackled platefuls of the goodies.
We solicited submissions from bakeries all over town; the 10 represented here are the ones that chose to participate. Bakeries were asked to submit what they considered their closest representation of a traditional chocolate chip cookie. All but two notched a vote, but tasters responded most favorably to those that 1) maintained an even ratio of dough to chocolate and 2) mastered a crispy rim with a chewy-but-not-doughy middle. Chips that weren’t overly sweet also fared better.
To find out whose cookies took first, second, and third place, plus tasting notes and details on how to get your own plateful, click through the slideshow.
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