Coming back to campus after a month of online learning is hard. We actually have to get dressed, remember to wake up more than five minutes before a class and you can’t as easily make breakfast during your 8 a.m. lecture. Your routine is thrown off and it will feel like the first week again, except you’re already a third of the way done the semester. But the one thing that can make anything better?
Cookies.
Specifically chocolate chip cookies. They’re a gooey chocolatey hug for your mouth. It may be the most basic cookie, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t warm your heart. Cookies are abundant across campus, so this is not comprehensive, but I started with some UBC favourites.
Blue Chip Cookies
There was no way I could start my quest for the best cookie on campus without trying the famous Blue Chip Cookies. Located in the Nest, it was very convenient to grab a cookie before I headed out to wherever I needed to be. Although with its popularity, be prepared for some shortages later in the day.
But once I got my hands on a chocolate chunk cookie, I could see why it’s a UBC favourite. It’s a generous size, with a perfect balance between crunchy edges and a soft inside. The chocolate chunks melted in your mouth, although I would’ve preferred more chunks. There is a chocolatey taste throughout, but it is called a chocolate chunk cookie; I was expecting more than five chunks. But for three dollars — before tip — it's a very good cookie. Perfect when you need a pick-me-up after that pesky chemistry class.
I was skeptical at first because popularity isn’t always worth the hype, but this one has earned it. 9/10.
Starbucks
This chain may not be known for its cookies, but if you’re stopping to get a Chai tea latte, picking up a chocolate chip cookie to go along with it is not a bad idea. With locations across campus, this is a great option for when you need a snack before class, wherever you might be.
The cookie was more chewy than crisp, but it tasted like a bakery-baked cookie. Especially if that bakery was a grocery store in the early 2000s — it tasted exactly like the cookies I had in my childhood. With a good amount of chocolate chips, and coming in at just over three dollars, it’s a solid choice.
Where it loses points, however, is its delivery. When I ordered it, the single cookie was taken out of its plastic packaging just to be directly put in a paper bag. I can’t ignore the environmental impacts of the delivery, especially with the strangeness of it. Why not just give me the cookie in the plastic? Why waste a paper bag AND plastic packaging? It might be for COVID-19 safety, but I’m sure a big brand like Starbucks could figure out a way for me to get my cookie without additional waste.
Comforting, but mostly due to nostalgia. You get what you’re expecting. 6.5/10.
Hero Market + Coffee
Located in the basement of Orchard Commons, this small shop might not be on everyone’s radar. But if you somehow find yourself on that side of campus (like I did for a way-too-early sociology discussion group), make sure to stop by this place! Their cookie took its own twist on the classic chocolate chip.
Now, I come from the sort of family that emphasizes that things don’t need to be fancy to be good. This baked good could be the exception. With it’s pecan pieces and espresso flavour, this chocolate chip cookie blew me away. Normally, I’m not a coffee person but the chocolate flavour was elevated by espresso and it had a very generous amount of chocolate chips. It was chewy, but softer than the Starbucks cookie. The pecan pieces gave a slight crunch, which I appreciate in a cookie. It was the largest cookie, but only slightly drawing ahead of Blue Chip's in size.
It is the most expensive cookie on the list at $4.05 but they do take Flex Dollars. With a 5 per cent discount, my total was $3.85. It’s not a cookie you get every day, but a contender if you want to treat yourself.
A delicious cookie, even though it was more savoury than sweet. 8.5/10.
Verdict
Let’s be honest, there are no winners or losers when it comes to cookies. They’re all delicious. I would eat all of these again, no questions asked.
The Hero Coffee + Market cookie did leave me wanting more, but price and proximity ultimately led me to crown Blue Chip the winner. It tasted the most like the homemade classic I know and that is one of the most comforting things I can think of.
If you have any other food ideas you’d like us to compare and review, send an email to culture@ubyssey.ca. Be on the lookout for the next nosh hunt!