Additional Coverage:
- 9 Fast-Food Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ranked (blog.cheapism.com)
Fast Food Cookie Face-Off: One Reporter’s Quest for the Best
It’s a question that keeps many of us up at night: which fast-food chain boasts the best chocolate chip cookie? With so many contenders vying for the title, I embarked on a sugary quest to find the ultimate cookie champion.
Surprisingly, even pizza places are getting in on the action these days, offering family-sized cookies big enough to share (or not). But for this showdown, I focused on nine popular burger and sandwich chains, all promising a sweet treat to complement your meal.
The Best of the Best: Starbucks Takes the Crown
Starbucks, you’ve done it again! Their chocolate chip cookie is a revelation – a symphony of toffee and brown sugar notes that elevates it far above the average manufactured cookie. It tastes like a real baked good, and frankly, this could become a habit.
A Close Second: Panera Bread Delivers
Starbucks and Panera are in a league of their own. Panera’s version is thinner and flatter than Starbucks’ cakey offering, featuring both semi-sweet chocolate chunks and milk chocolate flakes. While the distinct chocolate flavors didn’t quite come through, a touch of salt would make this cookie truly perfect.
Best of the Burger Bunch: McDonald’s Hits the Spot
While not as nuanced as Starbucks or Panera, McDonald’s cookie takes the crown among burger chains. It offers the ideal chewy texture, generously sized chocolate chips, and a wallet-friendly price of just 89 cents. That means you can practically buy them by the dozen!
Wendy’s: A Crispy Contender
Wendy’s cookie is satisfyingly crisp around the edges – perhaps a tad too crispy, but I’m not complaining. The chocolate chunks are a welcome addition, making this a solid choice for cookie cravings.
Firehouse Subs: Perfectly Adequate
Firehouse Subs’ cookie is… fine. It’s not bad, but it’s not particularly exciting either. It’s a perfectly acceptable cookie, which, considering some of Firehouse’s past menu misteps, is actually a compliment.
Arby’s: A Salted Caramel Disappointment
Arby’s Salted Caramel and Chocolate cookie sounded promising, but it fell flat. The caramel pieces were sticky, crumbly, and flavorless, and the drive-thru worker even recommended the cookies at the bagel shop across the street! He wasn’t wrong.
Chick-fil-A: An Oat-rageous Offense
Chick-fil-A’s “Chocolate Chunk” cookie contains a sneaky ingredient: oats. While oats have their place, they don’t belong in a chocolate chip cookie. The result is a dry, flaky texture that leaves much to be desired.
Jersey Mike’s: A Soggy Sub-Par Surprise
Considering Jersey Mike’s excellent sandwiches, their cookie was a major letdown. It’s incredibly soft, almost paste-like, with chips that blend seamlessly into the dough. A disappointing offering.
Subway: A Culinary Crime Against Cookies
Subway’s cookie is a pale imitation of a true chocolate chip cookie. Thick, dusty, and dry, it resembles cardboard insulation more than a delectable dessert.
The raisin-like chips only add to the disappointment. Subway, you can do better.
Burger King: The One That Got Away
My quest to try Burger King’s cookie was an epic saga involving long lines, a newlywed couple’s PDA, a spilled ketchup disaster, and a broken oven. Ultimately, I was defeated. If anyone has successfully tasted Burger King’s elusive cookie, please share your experience.
Read More About This Story:
- 9 Fast-Food Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ranked (blog.cheapism.com)