Close your eyes. Now, imagine yourself at grandma’s. She just finished baking in the kitchen. What do you smell?

Chocolate chip cookies have been a bakery and dessert staple since their invention in 1938. There is no doubt in my mind that chocolate chip cookies have withstood the test of time because they can be baked and used in so many ways, yet still be a chocolate chip cookie. No cookie will ever beat the original chocolate chip.

Whenever you bake, you start with basic ingredients, mix them together and toss them in the oven until golden brown. Once you’ve mastered that, the original recipe can be manipulated in so many ways. If you want a fluffy and soft cookie, add more flour. If you want a healthier option, use applesauce or yogurt to replace eggs, or honey to replace the sugar. If you’re like me, you can add brown sugar for a flat, crisp, and super sweet cookie. You can even add M&M’s or peanuts to spice up the flavor.

There are restaurants that are profiting from the magic taste of chocolate chip cookies. They serve edible chocolate chip cookie dough and allow customers to add mix-ins of sprinkles, nuts, and candy. But no matter what you add or replace, you’ll always be tasting the good ol’ original flavor.

The chocolate chip cookie recipe really sets itself apart for being so versatile. With sugar cookies, there’s only one way to bake them. If you mess up the recipe, you mess up the whole batch. They can end up tasting chalky and downright horrible. With chocolate chip cookies, it’s really difficult to ruin a batch of dough. You can even overcook them and they’ll still taste as good as the original, even if they end up flat and crispy.

So whether you need a good treat to bring to the picnic or want to grab a midnight snack, bake a batch and bite into a delicious chocolate chip cookie to sweeten up your day. Nothing beats the original.

Matt Scieszinski

Opinion Writer