Friday, July 26, 2013

Cookie review-BART & JUDY'S "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie In the World" ???


are these "THE BEST chocolate chip cookies...
 IN THE WORLD"?

well, i think Bart and Judy have opened a ferocious can of worms with a statement like that.

first let me tell you,  I LOVE THE PACKAGING !  that's what made me buy them, not that it claimed to be the best.  although i must say, curiosity riled the baker in me and i just had to try Bart & Judy's "THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE IN THE WORLD"
how very very clever those two are.
reeling the buyer in with packaging like that.  i wonder if Bart & Judy are friends with "Dr.Bronner", the soap guy with small print all over his products.  the box has all kinds of quotes, philosophies, information, instructions and warnings....AND it's made of 100% recycled paper with a mention on the side..."MADE IN THE USA: THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD".  the whole experience in kind of fun, very unlike any mass produced store bought cookie...for that reason i thought it was worth the purchase....

the cookies are secondary.

i felt like the kid that gets an expensive gift for x-mas, tosses the gift aside and plays with the box for hours.


as you can see from the photo above...these are tiny teenie cookies.  some smaller than a quarter.
some don't even contain ONE CHIP !

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

AND i bought the ones with walnuts and pecans.  i'll bet ya anyone with a nut allergy would have no big anaphylactic shock after eating the whole box...there might be one walnut and one pecan somewhere in the box, but i haven't found it yet.


on the back he makes a pretty obvious reference to "Famous Amos"...
i was around for the Famous Amos craze in the 70's.  were you?  Famous Amos was the first big hit phenomenon of the bakery world that i can remember.  when Famous Amos cookies arrived on the scene they were nothing like the prepackaged lame cookie that those little Kellogg's Keebler elves are hocking now a days...these were a pretty darn good cookie.  especially if you could get some hot out of the oven at the flagship store in Los Angeles.  it was a good cookie...small, BUT NOT THAT SMALL, crisp, homemade tasting and it had at least a few chocolate chips in each cookie.  nuts were a good size.  you could actually see them, but even he didn't claim to be the best in the world.

nutritional facts?...
it claims 6 cookies per serving equaling 30 grams for 83 calories.
now...i know many many people who would jump at the chance to have 6 chcocolate chip cookies for 83 calories.  but do you know how pathetic 30 grams is?
don't sneeze or you'll loose 1/2 your serving !
"ecstatic delirium"?...hasn't hit me yet...personal injury?...maybe a paper cut from playing with the box.

after you finally get the box open you see a gold bag reminiscent of Willy Wonka's golden ticket.  the bag comes with warning instructions to let the cookies "decant" for 10 minutes to enjoy their fullest flavor.
who do you know that will open a bag of cookies and wait for 10 minutes before trying one?  
of course i had to try one right away.  then i waited 10 minutes and tried another.  was there a huge difference?...NO.  same small, smaller than a quarter, cookie.  nice flavor, nice crunch, but yet another fun gimmick that sets these cookies apart from the norm.

oh...and i forgot about the "STOP! READ FIRST!...important instructions...it's another note about the "decanting".
 do i really need to be told twice HOW to eat a chocolate chip cookie?...maybe one so small that could get lost between a tooth?  it goes on...then there's another side that is "optional reading".
i will admit i went for the whole deal and entered my "exclusive serial number" on the web site.  i have no idea what that does except give my email address out there for more people to spam me....whatever...it's all in fun.


in conclusion...
don't get me wrong...i DO like the cookie (i like the box better).  this IS a "good" cookie, but it's just so very very small....and general consensus from friends and chefs?..."a good cookie, crunchy, homemade flavor, better than the elves",  but best in the world?...not so much.
on the back of the box, Bart states that this venture is not about the money (good thing).  he just wants to put a smile on your face and make the world a better place with his "great cookie"

well...that he did....he put a smile on my face.  definitely NOT from the best chocolate chip cookie in the world, but maybe just the shear enjoyment and conversational debates i had when sharing the box and tiny little nondescript cookies inside.

9 comments:

Emily said...

Thank you for writing this. It is about time people claiming deliciousness were called on their bs. What was their reasoning behind the 10 minute decanting? And where did you find there silly things?

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Emily...i'm so glad someone out there saw this. i laughed all the way through it. who on earth can say they make THE best chocolate chip cookie...huh? i have not seen them in many stores. i bought mine at Bristol Farms. i might have seen them one more place, but don't remember. thanks so much for stopping by and the comment. oh, and the decanting? hmmph! not much difference, but another funny gimmick for the packaging.

Bart's Bakery said...

Jules--

Thank you for your review of our cookies! I especially appreciate the gorgeous product photos. You really seem to enjoy our patented "un-slick" packaging. Yes, it's a little jokey but that's what makes our cookies unique.

As for the "decanting", there's actually science behind it. Because we don't use any preservatives in our cookies, we have to bake them a little crunchy (not using any artificial sweeteners to keep the cookies "moist"). So if you allow the cookies to "decant" and absorb the moisture in the atmosphere, they actually get softer! It also allows the flavors of the cookie (dark chocolate, creamery butter, Madagascar vanilla, the pre-roasted nuts) to develop and become richer.

Bart just put 10 minutes on the box, although through personal experimentation I've discovered 45 minutes is ideal (of course, I usually can't wait that long). I like to open all the bags at once, eat one bag right away and let the other cookies sit out so I can eat them later (a dessert for my dessert, so to speak).

Thanks again for your write-up and photos!

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Bart's...geez, i'm so sorry i forgot to give you a BIG thanks for stopping by. come to think of it...i might just buy another box...hmmmmm

Unknown said...

They don't honor their "golden ticket"! I sent in the required things weeks ago (2 months?) and last week emailed them to see why I never received anything. Bart said he'd get back to me the next day, but it's been over a week and no contact, even after reminder emails. Bad customer service in my book...

Wendy said...

I'm a chef and I know cookies. These are not good, let alone the best in the world. Sorry

Anonymous said...

I just bought these at sprouts
I should've known better
No one had bought any so I thought ehh I'll give it a try

My mistake. One of the worst boxed cookies I've ever had... I have had sugar free boxed cookies that were low calories... tasted like a cardboard box flavor and even THOSE tasted better than this brand... "best chocolate chip cookie in the world".... more like best chocolate cookie if you enjoy ripping your tastebuds off

Anonymous said...

What a waste of money!! Crock of shit!! Bought these at Whole Foods, should have known better. These were like Dollar Tree quality crap cookies. Such BS!!

Anonymous said...

Great cookie. Clearly, the mental midgets and keyboard warrior critics are out in full force. I especially love the, “I’m a Chef” comments. LMAO. GTFOH. Twatwaffles.

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