A $5.20 packet of Coles chocolate chip cookies has just beaten 21 brands to be named Australia’s best.
Consumer group CHOICE blind tested each brand before awarding first place to Coles Bakery’s ‘Dreams Crumb True’ New York Choc Chip biscuits.
CHOICE director Mark Serrels said the popular treats, which come in a pack of four, outperformed the competition thanks to their intense chocolate flavor and balanced texture.
“Our experts praised these cookies for their dark chocolate chunks and said they were quite crunchy with a little chew in the center,” Serrels said.
Judges described the blue ribbon cookies as “rustic” in style with a subtle vanilla aroma and generous, uneven pieces of semisweet chocolate.
Beyond the rich dark chocolate flavor, the cookies also scored an impressive 83 percent on the sensory scale for their texture and “surprising” mouthfeel.
The champion cookie was also surprisingly the healthiest of the bunch, with the best health star rating and significantly less sugar than other brands.
Coles also took second place for its Ultimate Cookies with 40 per cent chocolate chips ($5), and Woolworths took a solid third place for its Bakery Chocolate Chunk Cookie ($5.50).
Coles Bakery’s ‘Dreams Crumb True’ New York Chocolate Chip Cookies ($5.20 for four) have been voted Australia’s best by CHOICE after a blind taste test by a panel of experts.
Coles also took second place for its Ultimate 40% Chocolate Chip Cookies ($5) and Woolworth’s took third place for its Chocolate Chunk Cookie ($5.50).
The humble, award-winning dessert beat out other premium brands such as Cadbury and Arnott’s, which were expected to take the top three spots.
And Australians agree that the New York-style chocolate chip cookie is a “serious” treat for people who like cookies loaded with chocolate.
“They have an impressive amount of chocolate chips inside,” said one.
‘Oh, mmm! I’m obsessed with cookies right now. I need to try them,” added another.
Some fans of the range said the birthday cake cookie’s “totally addictive” taste was even better than the classic chocolate chip.
For those who prefer homemade treats, former Masterchef contestant Khanh Ong recently shared one of his sister’s baking secrets to achieving cookie “perfection.”
The trick is to use three different types of sugar, brown, white and raw, to add more depth to the flavor and texture.
“Raw sugar is there to make crunch, it doesn’t break down like other sugars, it stays in crunchy granules,” Khanh explained.