DoubleTree - Cookie Hunt

The NCAA treats well. I’m with my team in Springfield and we found the rumors to be true – the DoubleTree Hotel provides warm chocolate chip cookies upon check-in. Receiving a fresh-baked cookie after a long day of traveling might encourage bias, but I guess we’ll never know. I usually don’t like walnuts in my chocolate chip cookies, but I’ll make this exception.

I was too excited to eat my delicious warm cookie that I forgot to take a picture, so I stole this from the internet. If you’ll believe me, it looks 10 times better in real life.

Specialty's Bakery - Cookie Hunt

Honestly, I was expecting more from Yahoo's "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in America." The closest Specialty's to Boston is 45 minutes away, so obviously, I asked my momma to bring me a box from Specialty's in California instead (cut me some slack, she visits every other weekend. I'm running out of "things I miss from home that only mom can bring.").

The cookies were giant, but something key was missing. The crumble was excessive. I want my cookie more mushy gushy than fall apart, crumbly. Aside from being made with love, there should be something holding it together (butter, cream, fat, lard...).

Looks can be deceiving.

So all in all, the look was there, but the texture was not. You could blame it on the 3000 miles it travelled before landing on my tastebuds, but a truly good cookie will always persevere.

ButterGirl Baking - Cookie Hunt

“Best when eaten within 72 hours” – my favorite kind of cookie. The company is called ButterGirl Baking. I'll let you make what you want of that.

The cookie was interesting. ButterGirl tried to make it fancy or something by adding a dash of salt on the top. Can’t say that I’m a huge fan of salty stuff in my cookie (Uh, bacon chocolate? Don’t listen to the cashier. He just wants your money.).

Don't you love it when your housemate brings home cookies?

But a cookie is a cookie, and in the end, it's always good. There was a chocolate chip overload (in the best way possible). And ButterGirl makes cookies in the shape of the alphabet so you can send a sweet and edible message to your boo, or to me :)

Paradise Bakery - Cookie Hunt

Currently running unopposed in the race for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie is Paradise Bakery & Café. I can see why Tollhouse and Mrs Fields are hesitant to compete.

Cookies baked fresh on location. You can smell them from a mile away.

You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can definitely judge a cookie by its looks-like-homemade-ness. Who wants to eat a cookie that looks like it came straight out of a box? (Single exception: Girl Scout cookies.)

After examining its beautiful asymmetrical shape comes the bend-and-squish test. Crunchy on the edges and soft in the middle. Paradise cookie, I give you an A+.

Mmm, me like cooookie.

Finally, it’s delicious. And there’s so many different kinds! Peanut butter, white chocolate chip macadamia nut, and something mysterious with everything on it that has no name. Coconut chocolate chip is my personal favorite – just add milk, and you’ve got yourself a little taste of heaven.

And that’s the way the cookie crumbles.