We Held A Chocolate Chip Cookie Taste-A-Thon

The backstory: The recipe comes from blogger Tara O'Brady's Seven Spoons cookbook. When this cookbook came out, I saw beautiful pictures of these cookies all over Instagram and knew that I had to try them. Turns out there was a reason: These cookies won in a landslide victory for favorite cookie.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Buttery, toasty, and toffee-like."

• "Crunch on the front, goo everywhere else. Divine."

• "This is like a cartoon cookie: nice shape and the taste is flawless. Wouldn't fall apart, would be there for me."

Get the recipe here.

The backstory: New York-based bakery Momofuku Milk Bar frequently has lines out the door for pastry chef Christina Tosi's whimsical creations like Crack Pie and Cereal Milk Frozen Yogurt.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Very pretty, nubby and chewy with salt up front and strong vanilla."

• "It is gooey but also crunchy and definitely has enough chocolate vibes."

• "Soft and yum."

This recipe was originally published in her book, Milk Bar Life, but you can find the recipe online over at Foodie Crush.

The backstory: If you love a crispy cookie, then these are for you. The recipe was created by Alison Roman, (formerly of BuzzFeed Food) during her tenure at Bon Appétit.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Salty, toasty, buttery."

• "Oh fuck, it's perfect," "It tasted complex and more dynamic — like this cookie elevated me to another level."

• "It was notably salty and notably sweet."

Get the recipe here.

The backstory: J. Kenji López-Alt is a sort of mad genius in the kitchen. His Food Lab column over at Serious Eats is a must-read for cooking geeks because he delves into the hows and whys of recipes with nerdy granularity. This recipe was the result of months and months of testing, and the payoff is a somewhat complicated, totally delicious cookie.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Oh boy. Crispy and chocolatey. Come to Papa. Toffee-ish, salty — this cookie had all my favorite qualities."

• "Perfect shade of brown, toffee AF, and also, like, browned butter?"

• "So much butter! (In a good way) LOVE the gooeyness."

Get the recipe here.

The backstory: Cook's Illustrated is basically Mecca for food geeks like me, so including their "perfect" chocolate chip cookie in the taste test was essential. After many rounds of testing they settled on browned butter for a nutty note and one egg and one yolk to enhance chewiness.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Love! So much chocolate. Hell yes. I also like the dark color."

• "Perfect balance between gooey and a bit crunchy. Loved the salty kick."

• "Chocolaty but not too sweet."

Get the recipe here. (You'll need a subscription to access the recipe.)

The backstory: When the New York Times published famous pastry chef Jacques Torres's recipe for chocolate chip cookies back in 2008, it started a mini-revolution. Even though professional bakers commonly wait 24 hours (or more) to bake their cookie dough, this article brought the trick to light.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Awesome. Crunchy, kind of chewy, good salt. I would be pleased if I made this."

• "Flood of chocolate."

• "Nice crunch with a soft, chewy inside."

Get the recipe here.

The backstory: You may be familiar with food scientist Alton Brown, who has the show Good Eats on Food Network. He's a recipe perfectionist, and this cookie is perfect for people who want a chewy cookie with crispy edges.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Chewy, buttery, lots of chocolate."

• "Super caramel-y, heavy brown sugar."

• "Chocolaty, velvety...all I can think about is the chocolate."

Get the recipe here.

The backstory: If you grew up in the U.S., then you've probably eaten one of these cookies. (The recipe runs on the back of Nestlé chocolate chip bags.) The legend goes that Ruth Wakefield, one of the owners of the Toll House Inn, chopped a chocolate bar and folded them into her drop cookies, thinking that the chocolate would melt into the batter. No such luck — the chopped chocolate stayed in place. The result was a massive success, and this American classic was born.

Here's what the tasters said:

• "Golden and smooth; looks like a classic."

• "This tastes like what a cookie should be: perfect amount of chewy and crispy."

• "Grandmother-y. The epitome of a 'decent' cookie."

Get the recipe here.

The backstory: At last count, these cookies by blogger Pinch of Yum have 350K-plus repins on Pinterest.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Oh fuck, I like this a lot. Soft, tastes cheap, and classic."

• "Looks store-bought and tastes like it."

• "Cakey, really good."

Get the recipe here.

The backstory: David Lebovitz is a Paris-based pastry chef who's written several dessert cookbooks. These cookies call for almonds, but can be made without, which I did for the sake of standardization.

Here's what tasters had to say:

• "Compact and chewy."

• "Very chocolaty, but weak finish."

• "The taste is nice and mild, but it lacks oomph."

Get the recipe here.