Finished!

By the end of Cookie Quest, those who'd been with us the whole day had eaten 15 different chocolate chip cookies and walked over 8 miles! We also exercised our critical faculties by rating and writing about each cookie we tasted. Our final overall cookie order:

1. City Bakery
2. Levain Bakery
3. Roasting Plant
4. Blue Ribbon Bakery
5. Ruby et Violette
6. Alice's Tea cup
7. Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
8. Milk & Cookies
9. Bouchon Bakery
10. Insomnia Cookies
11. Max Brenner
12. Momofuku
13. Good N Plenty
14. LifeThyme
15. Dessert Club Chikalicious

Best Texture: 1. Levain; 2. City Bakery; 3. Roasting Plant
Best Chocolate Quality: 1. Alice's Tea Cup; 2. Jacques Torres; 3. City Bakery
Best Cookie Composition: 1. City Bakery; 2. Levain; 3. Roasting Plant

CQ Stop #15: Levain Bakery

Levain Bakery
Price: $4.00
Texture: 4.71 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 4.44 out of 5
Overall Rating: 4.4 out of 5
2nd Best Cookie
Best Texture, 2nd Best Cookie Composition

Assorted Comments: "My perfect cookie! Crunchy outside, gooey / melty inside, thick, YUM. Good chocolate to cookie ratio" -Anneka Fagundes "Perfectly melty inside, crisp outside, almost doughy" -Ilya Kushnirsky "Nuts. :(" -Jason Eppink "A delicious mound" -Emily Young "Delicious, would be better with no nuts and better chocolate" -Naomi Huth "Huge, gooey, decadent. I just want a different chocolate" -Clay Ewing

Serious Eats #3: Levain Bakery, 167 West 74th Street
"This is incredible." "Melts in your mouth." "So moist! And so tasty." "I could eat this forever. But then I would die." Sure, it was a massive barely baked lump of dough. But such a good barely baked lump of dough. When we tallied up the scores, Levain came out on top. That said, there were a few hard-core anti-Levainites. "That's not a chocolate chip cookie! Homie don't play that." "This would be great, in a blondie taste-test." "Was this actually baked? I'm a little salmonella-nervous."

CQ Stop #14: Alice's Tea Cup

Alice's Tea Cup
Price: $3.00
Texture: 3 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 4.79 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 3.79 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3.76 out of 5
6th Best Cookie
Best Chocolate Quality

Assorted Comments: "Fantastic chocolate layering" -Naomi Huth "Gave us two cookies for free. Harder, great chocolate" -Ilya Kushnirsky "Crunchy, good chocolate, thick, dry" -Emily Young "Salty. Chocolate is great" -Jason Eppink

Serious Eats #11: Alice's Tea Cup, 102 West 73rd Street
Nice and thick, doughy but adequately baked, the cookies from Alice's Tea Cup took second place this week. Ed called them "a better version of Levain"—though we're sure the Levain loyalists would cry foul. Our tasters called them "pleasantly toffee-flavored, with bittersweet, tasty chocolate" and "thick but delicious, with a perfect crunch." More than one decreed them "the best of the bunch."

CQ Stop #13: Bouchon Bakery

Bouchon Bakery
Price: $2.50
Texture: 3.76 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 3.81 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 3.75 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3.56 out 5
9th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "Like Jacques Torres cookie -- layered chocolate. Sort of crispy on edges, softer in middle. Tastes ok." -Emily Young "Great crunchy outside to chewy inside ratio, chocolate throughout, so no cookie bites without chocolate -- very rich. A little dry on the outside." -Anneka Fagundes "Maybe a little too much chocolate, but great consistency, nice and thick center, better than the edge" -Jason Eppink "Grainy on the outside, deliciously melty / chewy inside" -Ilya Kushnirsky

Serious Eats #2: Bouchon Bakery, Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle
We've come to expect perfection from Bouchon Bakery, and its chocolate chip cookie was pretty darn close. "Perfectly baked, with three layers: crunchy border, softer middle, still softer core." "Just a little bit salty, just a little bit sweet." "Beautiful to look at. Better to eat." But some found it a bit dry. As one taster put it, "This just isn't a holy grail cookie."

CQ Stop #12: Ruby et Violette

 Ruby et Violette
Price: $2.00
Texture: 3.63 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 4.25 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 4 out of 5
Overall Rating: 4.04 out of 5
5th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "Small, tasty, yet not too much cookie for your buck." -Jess Lim "Excellent example of the 'tollhouse' style" -Josh S. "Chewy and rich, no crunchiness" -Anneka Fagundes "Too small but absolutely delicious. Cute place and so many (too many) flavors. Soft and moist with succulent chips" -Naomi Huth

Serious Eats (not in top eleven): Ruby et Violette, 457 West 50th Street
The "Perfect Cookie" from Ruby et Violette isn't exactly modest. But small and chewy, with delicately crisped edges and a bold dose of chocolate, it almost lived up to its name. "This is a totally classic cookie." "I like how the cookie isn't too overwhelmingly sweet. It lets the chocolate shine." "This is a buttery cookie. I like buttery cookies." The complaint? Not enough crisp in the crust to balance out the softness. It was the texture of a Mrs. Fields cookie—even if it tasted 20 times better.

Seamen on the Horizon

Fleet Week in NYC...

CQ Stop #11: Good N Plenty

Good N Plenty
Price: $1.95
Texture: 2.75 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 2.84 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 3.13 out of 5
Overall Rating: 2.89 out of 5
13th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "More dry, crunchy, thick, granular. Not too exciting" -Emily Young "Crunchiest of the day" -Josh S. "Grainy but buttery" -Ilya Kushnirsky "Standard fare, processed, good composition though" -Clay Ewing "Dry, standard, average" -Jason Eppink

Good N Plenty, 410 West 43rd Street
Not included in Serious Eats.

CQ Stop #10: City Bakery

City Bakery
Price: $2.50
Texture: 4.63 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 4.31 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 4.63 out of 5
Overall Rating: 4.61 out of 5
Best Cookie Winner
2nd Best Texture, 3rd Best Chocolate Quality, Best Cookie Composition

Assorted Comments: "Good chocolate, I'd prefer more butter. Too filling" -Clay Ewing "Gritty sugar / salt, thick and chewy, great sweet / salt ratio" -Jason Eppink "Delicious in my mouth and tummy. Rub it on my face in ecstasy!" -Naomi Huth "Great value, not too buttery (though the employees assured me they were loaded with it), had a slight aftertaste of almond, or liqueur? Very very good." -Jess Lim "Great balance...favorite of the day" -Josh S. "Chewy, even consistency, chocolate = delicious! After flavor = vanilla? Brandy?" -Emily Young

Serious Eats (not in top eleven): City Bakery, 3 West 18th Street
City Bakery does two chocolate chip cookies—the buttery ones, and the vegan ones. And while the vegan chocolate chippers didn't crack the top 3, they did pretty well, and only one taster called them out as dairy-free. They were called "crisp," "nicely gooey in the middle," and "just sweet enough." Several people complained about the "crumbly structure" and lack of chocolate. But for a vegan cookie, this is almost as good as it gets.

Lunch!

We ate lunch (and drew pictures) at Chat n' Chew! We loaded up on salads and macaroni and cheese to counteract all the sugar we'd taken in. By the end of lunch, we were ready to eat more cookies!

CQ Stop #9: Max Brenner

Max Brenner
Price: $4.95
Texture: 3.88 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 3.69 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 3.44 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3.46 out of 5
11th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "Too thick and meaty. I would like my brisket and chicken separate from my dessert. I did like the shaved chocolate appetizers" -Naomi Huth "Thick cookie but not too dense -- lots of smaller chocolate chips scattered throughout; somewhat wet, + walnuts" -Emily Young "HUMONGOUS" -Ryan Seit "Soft / gooey, slight crisp; only chocolate aftertaste, not salty (nut was nice touch, after all -- pine?)" -Lien Tran

Serious Eats #9: Max Brenner, 841 Broadway
Okay, we don't love Max Brenner's always-mobbed chocolate palace on Union Square. But, as Ed wrote, "This is one solid chocolate chip cookie." Though far too large to scarf in good conscience, it had basically everything we looked for in a cookie. "Crisp exterior, moist center, perfect balance." "Hint of spice, but not overpowering." "Enough salt! Thank goodness!" But just like Petrossian, while some loved the "cookie stuff action," others found it too overloaded.

CQ Stop #8: Momofuku Milk Bar

Momofuku
Price: $1.85
Texture: 3.33 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 3.08 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 3.56 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3.42 out of 5
12th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "Great gritty texture, unappetizing after a few bites." -Jason Eppink "Like if Ben and Jerry's made a cookie" -Ilya Kushnirsky "A bit grainy and salty." -Naomi Huth "I LOVED these, though not a traditional chocolate chip cookie... very creative" -Jess Lim

Momofuku Milk Bar, 207 2nd Avenue
Not included in Serious Eats.

CQ Stop #7: Dessert Club Chikalicious

Dessert Club Chikalicious
Price: $1.00
Texture: 2.17 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 2.33 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 2.28 out of 5
Overall Rating: 1.98 out of 5
15th Best Cookie (Last Place)

Assorted Comments: "Disintegrated in hand." -Jason Eppink "Too wet and greasy." -Ilya Kushnirsky "SUPER WET - WET AND SLIPPERY WINNER!" -Emily Young "Damp, nasty with grease, artificial aftertaste" -Josh S. "So wet! Like pizza, but sweeter!" -Naomi Huth "Wet, greasy, still pretty delightful." -Clay Ewing "Good / very gooey with good, crispy, but not much chocolate flavor. Got a bit of a salty aftertaste, oily napkin" -Lien Tran

Serious Eats #6: Desert Club Chikalicious, 204 East 10th Street
It wasn't too surprising to watch these chocolate chip cookies rack up the rave reviews. "The gooeyness of the chocolate gives it a perfect texture." "I love how it's woven in and swirly." "Soft, chewy, crisp." "You get the buttery, the salt, and the sweet." The only dissenters were those who thought that the chocolate dominated the rest of the cookie. (And Adam, who sensed an inexplicable "Twizzler aftertaste.") But for most of our tasters, the chocolate wasn't a bad thing.

CQ Stop #6: Insomnia Cookies

Insomnia Cookies
Price: $1.00
Texture: 3.64 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 3.42 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3.51 out of 5
10th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "Cookie womb / drawer kept cookies nice and toasty -- wet and sugary inside, big and gooey chocolate chunks." -Emily Young "Chocolate drawers make everything taste good" -Naomi Huth "Place smells heavenly; tastes heavenly." -Clay Ewing

Serious Eats (not in top eleven): Insomnia Cookies, 50 W 8th St
It's hard to resist a confection so hot it hurts your fingers. But a few minutes out of the oven and these chocolate-chip cookies show their true colors: generic and unmemorable. "Processed." "Huge chunks of low-quality chocolate." "Sickly sweet." Some freshness and chewiness points, but that was about all.

CQ Stop #5: LifeThyme

LifeThyme
Price: $2.79
Texture: 2.57 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 2.21 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 2.43 out of 5
Overall Rating: 2.6 out of 5
14th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "As vegan goes, great!" -Jason Eppink "Just not the real thing." -Clay Ewing "Pretty good, for vegan" -Josh S. "Feel like I can't judge vegan cookies by the same standards. But they were really tasty and sweet" -Jess Lim

LifeThyme, 410 Avenue of the Americas
Not included in Serious Eats.

CQ Stop #4: Milk & Cookies Bakery

Milk & Cookies Bakery
Price: $1.95
Texture: 3.65 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 3.83 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 3.61 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3.66 out of 5
8th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "Too oatmealy!" -Ryan Seit "The composition hid some of the sweetness." -Naomi Huth "Free extra cookie! Oat flour! Not too sweet, dense, and not too rich. 'healthy' Sassy!" -Lien Tran

Serious Eats (not in top eleven): Milk and Cookies Bakery, 19 Commerce Street
The chocolate chip cookies from Milk and Cookies had quite a few vocal fans, who loved their texture (gooey chocolate, soft interior, crispy edges) and buttery, chocolatey taste. But with more than a hint of oat in the batter, it just wasn't the chocolate chip cookie we were dreaming of.

The Walk to Find More Cookies Continues

CQ Stop #3: Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven

Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
Price: $2.50
Texture: 3.58 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 4.39 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 3.61 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5
7th Best Cookie; 2nd Best Chocolate Quality

Assorted Comments: "Chocolate is dark, in layers-not chippy." -Emily Young "Does not taste like gourmet cookie-all butter and chocolate." -Ilya Kushnirsky "A little too buttery, but the chocolate was great quality, and swirled in with the cookie which gave it an interesting texture and consistency" -Jess Lim

Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven, 350 Hudson Street
Not included in Serious Eats.

CQ Stop #2: Blue Ribbon Bakery

Blue Ribbon Bakery
Price: $0.75
Texture: 3.72 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 4 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 4 out of 5
Overall Rating: 4.08 out of 5
4th Best Cookie

Assorted Comments: "The friendliness of the staff made it wonderful; the chocolate melts in my mouth like a hug." -Naomi Huth "Amazing texture, good sweet/salt ratio, very flavorful." -Jason Eppink "Nice & melty, cheap" -Josh S.
Serious Eats #4: Blue Ribbon Bakery, 35 Downing Street
At 75 cents each, they're a bargain to boot. "Looked too dark, but were soft and delicious inside." "The first to be salty enough, without tasting salty." "There's a haunting flavor I can't put my finger on. I like it." Ed had the last word: "This is a serious cookie."

CQ Stop #1: Roasting Plant

We all met up and began our quest at Roasting Plant! We had to wait a moment to get our cookies since they'd just come out of the oven when we arrived. We were deliciously rewarded as we sank our teeth into the gooey warm goodness.

Price: $2.75

We rated cookies by:
"Texture" -- crispiness / softness, gooeyness, meltiness, etc
"Chocolate Quality" -- how good the chocolate was
"Cookie Composition" -- chip distribution, butteryness, sweet / salty ratio, etc

Here are the group's averaged scores in each category:
Texture: 4.07 out of 5
Chocolate Quality: 4.14 out of 5
Cookie Composition: 4.07 out of 5
Overall Rating: 4.2 out of 5
3rd Best Cookie; 3rd Best Texture; 3rd Best Cookie Composition

Assorted Comments: "Gooey and soft, crisp edges (fresh out of oven)" -Lien Tran "Not too sweet; very chewy inside, crispy outside" -Ilya Kushnirsky "Definitely want more" -Clay Ewing

Serious Eats #1: Roasting Plant, 81 Orchard St
These perfectly chewy cookies prompted an absolute outburst from Adam ("These are incredible! These are a revelation!") on first taste. The rest of our judges were nearly as enthusiastic ("These win the gooey award!" "Crisp and airy edges that the others didn't have." "Stops just short of too buttery." "I could eat these all day.") A few tasters found them too sweet, or too gooey, but they were far outnumbered by the thumbs pointed up. Bonus? It's open 24 hours. "A gorgeous cookie--bumps, nooks, and crannies. Chewy, crispy. An absolute ideal." There wasn't much we didn't love about the Roasting Plant's chocolate chip cookies--the winners of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship. The Plant baked their own cookies—and they do. But their dough? It comes from acclaimed NYC wholesaler Tom Cat Bakery. Their recipe uses pastry flour and Callebaut chocolate, and other shops, including Colador Café, Ground Support, and City Bean carry these cookies—but The Roasting Plant is the only place to bake them in-house, turning out fresh chocolate chippers at least four to five times a day. What can we say? It works. Score one for freshness.

Cookie Quest 2010!

And so it begins again...

You may remember the rousing success that was last year's Pizza Expedition: The Search for the Best Neapolitan Pizza in New York City. May 29th we took the next step with Cookie Quest: The Hunt for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in Manhattan. Cookie Quest took us all over Manhattan (by foot), including many of the spots featured in Serious Eats' New York Chocolate Chip Cookie Championships: We started at 11:00 am on Saturday, May 29. Cookie Quest lasted until 6:30pm. Some people joined or left at various points, but those who made it to the end had tasted some of the best chocolate chip cookies to be found in Manhattan.