Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/worlds-best-cookie/ (This is not where I got the recipe from, but it’s the same recipe I use)
Ease of Baking: 8/10 (exceedingly easy; only annoyance is chopping walnuts)
Taste: 10/10 (possibly a little bias, but still a fantastic cookie!)
I was a little busy the other week and didn’t have time to research any cookies before I began baking, so I whipped up a family favorite. Our family had three go-to cookie recipes; World’s Best, Jam Cookies (which have yet to be revealed), and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Chip (the chocolate chip recipe posted on October 2, 2013). There was a reason each of these remained a family favorite for so many years- the competition never stood up!
The recipe listed above is pretty easy to follow. Since they’re a pretty standard drop cookie, use the tried-and-true drop cookie formula; first, blend the sugar and butter well. Then add wet and dry ingredients, alternating between 1/3 of the wet ingredients, 1/3 of the dry ingredients, 1/3 of the wet ingredients, until all the ingredients are added. It’s a pretty crumbly cookie and crumbly dough, so don’t be surprised when it doesn’t “pack” or compress as nicely. Depending on the exact ratio of oil to flour, they may fall apart a little on the baking sheet when spooning them out; just press them back together and they’ll be fine. It’s quite a forgiving recipe, though varying the oil and flour amount will create a more cohesive or crumbly cookie, respectively. Note that this will create a lot of cookies! The recipe estimates 75 cookies, and it’s a pretty good guess.
Again, our family never added the sugar on top before baking; these cookies are sweet enough without extra sugar, and the mix of flavors shouldn’t be diluted by a coating of sugar. As for other ingredients, I use Kellogg’s corn flakes (surprisingly, Kelloggs are noticeably better than store-brand corn flakes). I use vegetable oil or canola oil; either should be fine. And the rest of the ingredients should not particularly matter.
These cookies are named “World’s Best Cookie” for a reason- they may be the best! A number of my friends believe these are better than any other cookie I make. The crunchy, crumbly texture is a surprising delight. Normally I enjoy soft cookies, but these don’t really count as hard cookies because of their crumbly nature. The corn flakes and walnuts add to the crisp nature, and the oil & butter keeps the cookies moist. The flavors blend together quite nicely; none of the individual ingredients are the focus or steal the show. A most excellent cookie, these can be baked for any occasion. And the dough may be better than the cookies themselves! (I’ve been known to make a batch and not bake any of them)
Suggestions for next time? Not much is going to improve this cookie. A lot of what makes this the “World’s Best Cookie” is the unusual combination of ingredients combined with the unique crumbly structure created by the large amount of oil. My only idea is trying a new ingredient in place of one of the current ones; for example, rice krispies in place of corn flakes. My family would consider any changes to this recipe sacrilege, so I may have to try this in secret.
Testing and tasting the best homemade cookies. 