A chocolate chip cookie is a classic dessert for many people.
For the last few years, chains that specialize in cookies have gained increasing popularity, especially on social media.
With so many of these stores popping up, people might wonder if the hype for their cookies are worth it. Considering that many are also expensive, it is a difficult decision to make to want to try them.
That is why a taste test was conducted with Crumbl Cookies, Insomnia Cookies, and Mrs. Fields to determine who has the best and most affordable cookies.
Crumbl Cookies: 2416 Foothill Blvd. La Verne
Crumbl is one of the most well-known cookie chains.
The store itself was not meant for customers to eat inside, as most of the space is taken up by the kitchen area. Despite that, the area was tidy and it had a strong minimalistic style.
The menu options consisted of mini- and regular-sized cookies of flavors that change out every week.
One regular-sized milk chocolate chip cookie came out to be $4.99.
Presentation: 3/5
This cookie turned out to be the largest and thickest of the three stores.
Although the cookie is bare and lacking chocolate chips on its exterior, it remains to be well rounded and looks visually pleasing. The cookie was served warm and inside of a pink box with the store’s logo.
Taste: 2.5/5
The cookie was not pleasant to eat. The exterior was crunchy while the center was way too soft and might have been underbaked.
It was also overwhelmingly sweet and did not have a good balance of flavor. As the cookie became cold, it was a lot more crunchy and began to fall apart with each bite.
The cookie may have not been the best of its own batch, but there were not many chocolate chips inside it to begin with. Most of what was eaten was just sugary dough.
The consistency felt less like a cookie and more like cake.
Insomnia Cookies: 101 N. Indian Hill Blvd. Claremont
Just like its name implies, Insomnia Cookies is a chain that is well known for being open until late at night.
On Monday through Wednesdays, the store opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 1 a.m. On Thursdays and Fridays, they open at 11 a.m. and close at 3 a.m.
Saturday and Sunday both open at 12 p.m., but close at 3 a.m and 1 a.m.
Similar to Crumbl, Insomnia is fairly popular.
The inside of the store was absolutely covered in purple, giving the store a warm and cozy environment. There are tables and chairs for people if they wanted to eat inside.
In terms of variety, there is definitely a lot they have to offer. Their menu options consist of classic cookies, deluxe cookies that are large and stuffed, brownies and ice cream.
One classic chocolate chunk cookie costs $3.29. It is smaller than a standard Crumbl cookie, but still decently sized for its worth.
Presentation: 4.5/5
Although the cookie was not well-rounded, the imperfection did not affect this rating. It had a lot more redeeming qualities.
Its appetizing appearance had visible chunks of chocolate, which complemented the cookies’ fully baked exterior. This cookie was so warm that the chocolate chunks were soft and melty. It remained warm enough to last a 20-minute trip in a car.
Taste: 5/5
This cookie may just have everything a dessert lover aspires to have.
Each bite was gooey and rich and full of a flavor. It may seem kind of excessive at first glance, but there is enough balance to keep this cookie leveled.
The dough was an equal amount of crunchy and soft and neither contradicted each other, which allowed a pleasant texture.
Even as the cookie became cold, the melty feeling of the chocolate still remained, and it was enjoyable till the last bite.
Mrs. Fields: 603 Plaza Dr. West Covina
While Crumbl Cookies was founded in 2017 and Insomnia Cookies was founded in 2003, Mrs. Fields was founded in 1977. That makes it the oldest chain of the three. It may not be as well-known online, but it is still going strong and remains a popular chain.
This chain location was at the Plaza in West Covina, so it was a concession stand instead of a store.
There are a lot of different items on their menu such as regular cookies, cakes, cookie cakes, brownies and ice cream. One chocolate chip cookie by itself was priced at $2.50.
Presentation: 2.5/5
This cookie turned out to be the smallest and thinnest of the three, so its appearance was not anything special.
It did not come out warm and was clearly sitting in its display for a while. Despite that, the cookie had a good amount of chocolate chips and appeared to be fully baked
Taste: 3.7/5
This cookie was a pleasant surprise. Although it had a much more chewy texture than the other cookies, there was definitely something that felt different than Crumbl Cookies and Insomnia Cookies. The cookie is original in its own way with its distinct soft taste.
At the same time, the cookie does not feel like it was freshly baked at all, and might instead be premade like Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies are.
It still makes for a satisfactory cookie since it was soft and well worth the price.
Overall, all of these cookies had their own special characteristics that made them all different.
Crumbl comes in last place with a total score of 5.5/10. It was also the most expensive cookie.
Mrs. Fields is in second place with a 6.2/10. The taste is debatable, but the upside is that they have the most inexpensive cookie. That makes it more affordable to buy in a dozen.
The cookie that comes in first place is the classic chocolate chunk cookie from Insomnia Cookies with a score of 9.5/10. The deliciousness and presentation made up for the cost, and checking out the store is definitely recommended.
