# An All Important Question about Cookies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236 "2015-07-04T15:14:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/1 "2015-07-04T15:14:49Z")
Do you prefer your cookies (whether store bought or home made) soft and chewy or hard and crispy? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/2 "2015-07-04T15:39:00Z")
Ideally crispy on the edges, soft and chewy center. Chocolate chocolate chip. I’ve never had one. _sad_ ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/3 "2015-07-04T15:42:48Z")
It depends. Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies should be soft and chewy and wonderful. But when you dunk them in milk, they should be hard and crispy, and a different kind of wonderful. Hydrox/Oreos are a combination of both, and yet another kind of wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/4 "2015-07-04T16:07:35Z")
It depends entirely on the type of cookie, doesn’t it? Chocolate chip cookies should be chewy. Biscotti, OTOH, should be dry and crunchy. Asking “how do you like your cookie” is like asking “how do you like your meat.” ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/5 "2015-07-04T16:21:40Z")
Fair point. Let’s say whatever your favorite cookie happens to be. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/6 "2015-07-04T16:27:50Z")
Can’t vote, I love both equally. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/7 "2015-07-04T17:08:22Z")
I voted hard & crispy, and according to current poll results, I’ll only have to duke it out with one other person-- yay! ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/8 "2015-07-04T18:23:54Z")
Depends on the cookie! Ginger snaps should be snappy and crisp, but molasses spice cookies should be crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle. Sugar cookies should be soft. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/9 "2015-07-04T20:26:14Z")
I like soft if they’re home-baked because the store bought ones have some kind of weird-smelling preservative. I voted hard cookies because I buy more than I bake. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/10 "2015-07-04T21:04:12Z")
Yes. That is, I like both, by variety. Thin, crisp cookies are great; soft, chewy ones are great. I don’t much care for gooey ones, filled ones, or thickish, hard ones (like some chocolate chip, and sugar cookies). But these are _cookies_, man. It’s all good. It’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![Leonard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@Leonard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonard)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/11 "2015-07-05T21:48:37Z")
I like them way undercooked. Even if they fall apart. Last week there was a new worker in the bakery at the grocery store and they barely even cooked the peanut butter cookies so I bought 3 boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/12 "2015-07-06T14:45:25Z")
I have to say that I’m shocked at the results so far. I remember when ‘chewy cookies’ were all the rage in the early 90s, but it turned out to be just a fad. The only cookie I can think of that I like soft & chewy would be molasses cookies… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/13 "2015-07-06T15:06:25Z")
I can’t vote, as I like both, but in general, a little crispness on the outside and some chew to the center. Most people I know prefer chewy to crispy in general, and so far that seems to be borne out by this poll. I never saw soft cookies as a fad–they still seem to be around everywhere ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/14 "2015-07-06T15:07:44Z")
Hard and crispy cookies are an abomination unto God. He has spoken. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/15 "2015-07-06T18:08:13Z")
It really depends on the kind of cookie. One of my favourite cookies to make is almond-flavoured, and they’re sort of in the middle, though more on the softer side I guess. With store-bought cookies I tend to like hard kinds. And of course, there are few things more annoying than hard cookies getting soft or soft cookies getting hard. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/16 "2015-07-07T16:06:29Z")
Soft and chewy nearly all of the time (Oreos being one exception that immediately comes to mind). Chocolate chip? Sugar? Peanut butter? Yeah, those need to be chewy. Last week I was dealing with some serious back pain, and when I went to CVS to pick up the muscle relaxant prescription I decided to also get some comfort food: I was _so_ happy to find chewy Chips Ahoy there! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/17 "2015-07-07T16:44:28Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Hard and crispy cookies are an abomination unto God. He has spoken. Hell has all the good bands, anyway. Crispy cookies forever! ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/18 "2015-07-07T18:33:55Z")
Hard & Crispy. Soft cookies dipped in tea tend to end up as mush at the bottom of the cup. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/19 "2015-07-07T18:43:30Z")
Crispy, so I can get a good, long milk dunk. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236/20 "2015-07-07T19:11:21Z")
This is a tough one since I grew up with a grandmother who did each cookie two ways. Since she was an ardent dunker, one batch would always be softer and chewier, while another batch would be super thin and crispy. To this day I still make my sugar cookies and snickerdoodles super thin and crispy. But Toll House cookies neeeeeed to have some chewiness to them. They should pull apart, not snap apart, although they should never be so gooey as to go limp when you pick them up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-all-important-question-about-cookies/724236.md?page=2)