Cookie Wars, Part 2: A Winner is Declared

The judges have spoken. A winner has been declared. Fame and eternal glory has been awarded. Or, well, at least bragging rights. That’s right: our date night card suggested having a contest to see who makes the best cookies, and we took those instructions to heart.

Some of our friends and Alex’s dad served as the “judges.”

Inspired in part by chunky monkey ice cream, Jessalyn made peanut butter-banana cookies and dipped them in chocolate. Alex’s strategy was more straightforward: he googled “best cookie recipe” and came across an award-winning triple-ginger recipe.

Some of the highlights from the whole experience include Alex’s paranoia that I was trying to sabotage his cookies each time he asked me a question about the ingredients in his recipe; Alex declaring Jessalyn “cheating” for not following a specific recipe and trying to get fancy with the chocolate coating; the aroma of freshly baked cookies; and laughing together as our friends made comments with their best food critic banter.

By a narrow vote, the winner was Jessalyn. But in Alex’s defense, a couple of our judges were not ginger cookie fans, and one who was refused to vote because she didn’t want to play favorites. It’s also worth noting that Jessalyn has eaten more of Alex’s cookie than her own.

I guess it’s ultimately up to you to decide! Here are our recipes. Let us know what you think.

Jessalyn’s recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Banana Cookies (inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s Peanut Butter Cookies and these Banana Drop Cookies)

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
– 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
– 3/4 cup sugar
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 1 egg at room temperature
– 1 ripe banana, mashed
– 1 tablespoon milk
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Mix butter and peanut butter in blender until fluffy. Mix in sugars. Mix in egg and banana, followed by milk and vanilla extract.

– 2 cups all-purpose flour
– 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
– 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2. Mix together dry ingredients then add to other mixture until combined.

– 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
– 1/4 cup sugar
3. Fold in chocolate chips. Put sugar on small plate. Use mini ice cream scoop to shape balls of dough. Roll gently in sugar and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the cookie gently using the back of a spoon or fork to flatten slightly.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove and let sit on baking sheet 1 minute before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.

– 1 cup dark chocolate chips
– 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
5. Melt together slowly in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between to melt the chocolate. When it’s smooth, use a knife to spread a thin layer on the bottom of each cookie. Place on a cookie sheet or cooling rack, chocolate side up and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set.

Alex’s recipe: Triple-Ginger Cookies (adapted from Bon Appetit’s Dede Wilson as posted on Epicurious)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

– 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/3 cup crystallized ginger, minced
– 2 teaspoons baking soda
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
2. Mix together.

– 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
– 1 cup light brown sugar
– 1 egg at room temperature
– 1/4 cup molasses
– 1.5 teaspoons minced ginger
– 1.5 teaspoons ground ginger
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3. Beat butter in mixes until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and beat until creamy. Add remaining spices and mix to combine.

4. Add the flour mixture a little bit at a time until mixed in.

– 1/4 cup sugar
5. Using a mini ice-cream scoop, shape dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes. Let cool on racks.

Well I guess this concludes this round of cookie wars. We hope you enjoy these recipes and we encourage you to invite a little love and friendly competition into your own kitchen. Just be sure to have plenty of milk to share too.