Five cookie options were presented to our writers, but only one would be deemed the best. Photo by Waid Jones

When confronted with purchasing decisions consumers always want to know they are getting the most out of their money. So, on March 3, members of The Alabamian staff got hungry and sat down to determine the best chocolate chip cookie you could get in Montevallo. The cookies were judged based on taste, mouth feel, chocolate-to-cookie ratio, temp, consistency (between cookies) and were then given an overall score. The contestants were purchased from Lucky’s (Cookie A), McDonald’s (Cookie B), Subway (Cookie C), KFC (Cookie D) and Pizza Hut (Cookie E). All writers were presented with a cookie and told nothing about it; these are their truthful, unbiased impressions. 

Cookie A 

Laura DeRocher: Ugly, but pretty good 

Stephen Gilbert: Tad bit crispy and super sugary. Nothing that was special 

Katy Barnes: Very crumbly and scratchy. Soft in a bad way and cold. 

Ariel Hall: Great aesthetic, but a little too crumbly and dry. 

Kathryn Bell: Gritty, but still pleasurable. 

Harrison Neville: Has a gritty taste. Plenty of space between the grains of cookie. Almost dry. Highly crumbly. I appreciate the chocolate chunk. 

Camryn Brookes: Unmemorable. It’s been 20 minutes and I’ve already forgotten this cookie.  

Cookie B 

Laura DeRocher: Unremarkable 

Stephen Gilbert: The edges felt like they were close to being burnt. Though, the temperature of this was pretty decent, like it just came out of the oven 

Katy Barnes: Salty on first bite, very chocolatey and gooey. 

Ariel Hall: Gooey, but crumbly. 

Kathryn Bell: Warm. Almost a completely different taste than A, but not better. Left an after taste. 

Harrison Neville: Chunky. Tastes slightly burnt. Too thick. 

Camryn Brookes: The salty flavor of this cookie was a nice surprise. 

Cookie C 

Laura DeRocher: This was fine 

Stephen Gilbert: Tad bit chewy. The chocolate tastes a little different. Very noticeable like it’s fake chocolate. 

Katy Barnes: Hard – looks fresh hours later, but it’s way too sweet. 

Ariel Hall: Chewy, gooey and delicious. Also, it had the best size. 

Kathryn Bell: Largest of all the cookies. Sweetest and very good. Not particularly warm but the chocolate chips were melted. Looks homemade. 

Harrison Neville: Too sweet taste, very gooey chocolate chips. Not the best of aftertastes. 

Camryn Brookes: I put this cookie in my mouth and everything felt wrong. 

Cookie D 

Laura DeRocher: Ugly, unappetizing 

Stephen Gilbert: Very soft and chewy. Chocolate is very good. 

Katy Barnes: Looks pale. It’s mid-soft. Chewy, not melty. 

Ariel Hall: Pale, but it has a weird after taste. 

Kathryn Bell: Chocolate chips look dry and like fake melted chocolate. It’s chewy though it feels cold. Not as sweet which is actually preferable to Cookie C. 

Harrison Neville: It’s quite chewy. It has a good aftertaste that creates a strong craving for a cool glass of milk. 

Camryn Brookes: This was pleasant. The chocolate was creamy and cookie was soft. 

Cookie E 

Laura DeRocher: Tasted super burnt? Also, looked fake which was weird 

Stephen Gilbert: Wack. Absolutely not. 0/10, so bland and overcooked. It tasted like cardboard. 

Katy Barnes: artificially chewy, hard on crust and too thick. It also tastes stale. 

Ariel Hall: Triangular so the crust is crunchy and the rest is soft. 

Kathryn Bell: Crumbly. This one had an odor. The chocolate chips are more bitter than the others. Thick, like a cast iron cookie. 

Harrison Neville: The pie shape is unusual, but it’s very consistent with a pleasant crunch on top and chewier in the middle. 

Camryn Brookes: This cookie was “dummy thick.” Fantastic, I loved it.