It doesn’t matter what time of year it is. It doesn’t really matter what time of day it is. Cookies are something I will consume. Chocolate chip. Oatmeal raisin. Peanut butter. Sugar. White chocolate macadamia nut. Lemon. Really, it is hard to go wrong with a well baked cookie. Well today we will be lowering our standards (or will we?!) from home baked to Chips Ahoy!
Which Chips Ahoy! cookies are we trying today?
Original
Chewy
Smores
Brownie
Reeses
Who is on this cookie quest?
Nate, likes his cookies to Crumbl.
Hannah, likes her meat vegetarian.
Amy, maker of Butterfingies.
Matt, cookie taste tester.
And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. We appreciate the support. You too can join us on this food journey. All you need to do is… SUBSCRIBE!
The History of Chips Ahoy!
Well it is impossible to know Chips Ahoy! cookies without first getting to know the chocolate chip cookie.
The name that pops up when researching the origins of the chocolate chip cookie…Ruth Graves Wakefield. Ruth was the owner of the Toll House Inn, located in Whitman, Massachusetts. This was a very popular restaurant that served home cooked meals. The most popular dessert served at the Inn was a thin butterscotch nut cookie with ice cream. But Ruth wanted to expand the offering and decided to adjust the recipe by adding chopped bits of a chocolate bar to the cookie dough. She named them Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies. They were incredibly popular. Not only did the United States devour them, but American soldiers serving in the Pacific would receive care packages containing these cookies. They loved them so much that they would write back home asking for more Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies. From there the popularity of the cookie exploded, leading to everyone developing their own version, with the simplified name, the chocolate chip cookie.
So, what would you say to a factory made cookie that tastes as good as homemade?
Gasp! It can’t be done, can it?!
Well in 1963, Nabisco released their version of the chocolate chip cookie, Chips Ahoy! cookie, and advertised it as such. Tastes just as good as homemade cookies. Another tagline introduced back in the 60s? “The 16 chip cookie.” This slogan promised at least 16 chocolate chips in every cookie. They eventually upped their ante to 32 chips, and eventually dropped back down to 24. What a ride! Eventually, they amended the promise to 1,000 chocolate chips per 18 ounce package of cookies.
The origin of the name Chips Ahoy! is debated. Nabisco has only ever said that the name was inspired by the nautical term “ships ahoy.” But an 1859 story in a Charles Dickens’s novel includes the passage, “Chips ahoy! Old boy! We’ve pretty well eat them too, and we’ll drown the crew, and will eat them too!” You also may recognize the name from the Donald Duck short Chips Ahoy.
In 2020 the data was calculated on how many packages of Nabisco Chips Ahoy! Chewy cookies were eaten by the U.S. population in 30 days. A shocking 2.9 million Americans consumed 8 or more packages in a 30 day time period. 3.58 million answered with 4-7 packages. 22.06 million said they ate 1-3 packages and 10.39 million said they ate none at all. And Chips Ahoy! Is only second to Oreo in American cookie sales, averaging over 600 million.
Today, Chips Ahoy! sells the following cookie variations…
Chips Ahoy! Original
Reese’s
Chunky
Chunky White Fudge
Chewy
Candy Blasts
Brownie Filled
Soft Chunky Original
Red Velvet
S’mores
Hershey’s
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
5th Place: Smores
Amy: 3
Hannah: 4
Matt: 5
Nate: 1
4th Place: Original
Amy: 4
Hannah: 4
Matt: 5
Nate: 3
3rd Place: Chewy
Amy: 4
Hannah: 5
Matt: 6
Nate: 5
2nd Place: Brownie
Amy: 5
Hannah: 5
Matt: 5
Nate: 6
1st Place: Reese’s
Amy: 5
Hannah: 6
Matt: 7
Nate: 8
There you have it. Reese’s Chips Ahoy! receives the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Check out their website to try them out for yourself.
https://www.snackworks.com/brands/chips-ahoy?Brand=CHIPS%20AHOY!
Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried all these cookies? We would love to hear your rating as well.
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
And of course, remember to subscribe to hear the latest episodes. Additionally, paid subscribers will have access to monthly content where we put two restaurants head to head in a Quest for the Best battle. You definitely do not want to miss out.
SHOW NOTES:
https://www.mashed.com/492753/the-murky-origins-of-the-chips-ahoy-name/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/76408/12-facts-about-chips-ahoy-chew
America's Second Favorite Cookie