Okay. I’m just going to admit it.

I cheated.

I’m doing a chocolate chip cookie challenge. Eight different cookies. Same basic setup. Same pans. Same parchment paper. Same oven. Blind taste test. Nobody gets to know which recipe is which.

And one of the contestants came from a tube.

Yep.

Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Before you revoke my homemade-cookie card, let me explain.

I specifically bought the Pillsbury Value Size Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Roll for this challenge. And technically, it counts. It’s chocolate chip cookie dough. It can be baked into cookies. It can also be eaten straight from the package because this particular dough is made to be safe to eat raw.

So really, I’m not cheating.

I’m conducting research.

At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

This is actually the cookie I grew up with.

My mom didn’t bake.

She didn’t really cook either, for that matter. I learned how to cook by reading the directions on the back of packages and in cookbooks.

So when we had cookies at our house, there were basically two possibilities: homemade cookies at my grandma’s house or something like Pillsbury.

And here’s the thing…

My mom had a pretty serious sweet tooth.

So sometimes when Pillsbury cookie dough made its way into our refrigerator, it never actually made it into the oven.

You know.

For quality control.

But that means this cookie dough was part of what I thought a chocolate chip cookie was supposed to be.

Which makes me even more curious about how it’s going to do in this competition.

I’m taking this way too seriously.

For the challenge, I’m trying to keep things as fair as possible.

Same pans.

Same parchment paper.

Same oven.

Same day.

I’m even using a second oven because apparently I’ve decided that baking eight different batches of chocolate chip cookies is a completely reasonable thing to do.

I’m following the package directions for the Pillsbury dough. I put the dough in a bowl and everything. 1) it made it easier to scoop, but 2) I wanted to make it feel included as well. By the way, I wound up with 3 sheets of 8 cookies a piece out of the storebought dough in case you wondered. I even used the 1 1/2 tbsp scoop to “accurately” measure.

See?

Science.

Except instead of test tubes, I have chocolate chips.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

The people judging these cookies aren’t going to know what they’re eating.

They’ll be labeled A, B, C, and so on.

Nobody will know which one is Memaw’s recipe. Nobody will know which ones came from recipes I’ve found. And nobody will know that one of these cookies started its life in a plastic tube.

Only Mark and Addison know the truth.

I’m keeping my mouth shut.

Because I genuinely want to know what people choose when they don’t know what they’re choosing.

And I’m especially curious about this one.

Years ago, my dad entered a chili contest. And the chili that won?

Canned Hormel.

I’m still not entirely sure how to feel about that.

But there are people who believe certain foods are supposed to taste exactly like the familiar store-bought version. Maybe that’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s what you’re used to. Maybe sometimes people just want the thing they recognize.

So what happens when you put a store-bought chocolate chip cookie up against a bunch of homemade recipes?

I don’t know.

And that’s why we’re testing it.

I even considered putting the original Nestlé Toll House cookie dough in the competition so I could compare it to the classic recipe.

But I decided one store-bought contender was enough.

For now.

So here we are.

Eight chocolate chip cookies.

One blind taste test.

And one very suspicious tube of dough.

I’m honestly hoping Pillsbury doesn’t win.

Because if a cookie that I sliced off a roll beats all of the homemade recipes I’ve spent hours making…

Well.

I’m going to have some questions.

And possibly some feelings.

But that’s the whole point of a challenge like this.

We don’t get to pick the winner. The cookies do. 🍪

Pillsbury Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350˚F (or 325˚F for nonstick cookie sheet
2. Spoon dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet
3. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet.