by Matt McAnally

Cookies are a staple treat around the world, especially around the holidays, bringing the holiday spirit wherever they go. However, there are so many different types and flavors of cookies, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. This fact, alongside the subjectivity of them, makes it very difficult or even impossible to determine what the best type of cookie is. 

While finding an objective answer to the best cookie may be too difficult, finding the favorite cookie can be done simply with a poll. With the 74 responses to a poll about their favorite type of cookies, one could infer the best cookie according to the students and staff of PHS as a whole.

The least voted for cookies (24.5%):

Responses that either went unlisted or didn’t receive as many votes as others include gingerbread, buckeyes, and chocolate crinkles. Gingerbread received 4 votes and, of course, emphasized the fun shapes, balancing well with the holiday spirit. Buckeyes also received 4 votes, emphasizing their texture and flavor combination. Finally, chocolate crinkles received 2 votes and reminded one staff member of the beauty of the snow.

Snickerdoodle (9.5%):

In these 7 responses, multiple responses justified their choice by using family memories of either making or simply just eating them alongside family. Others reference the mixture of cinnamon and sugar to justify their choice.

Oatmeal Raisin (9.5%):

Tied with Snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin cookies earned 7 responses. In these responses, many remarked on the taste, specifically that many people don’t give this cookie a chance and call it boring, but “if made right with enough sugar, it is just as tasty as the rest.” 5 out of these 7 responses (71.4%) were submitted by juniors despite being only 20.3% of the total vote.

Peanut Butter Blossoms (17.6%):

With 13 responses, peanut butter blossoms were also a big choice from both students and staff. The majority of responses highly emphasized the cookie’s perfect flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter. This seemed to be the clear beneficial element of this cookie, being sweet, but not too sweet, and including the combination of both chocolate and peanut butter.

Chocolate Chip (18.9%):

This was a very popular option, collecting 14 votes. Many of the responses that gave an explanation as to why they chose this option commented on its simplicity and its standing as a classic cookie both within and without the holidays. Their simplicity makes them very easy to bake for yourself, which cements them as a great holiday cookie.

Sugar (20.3%):

In first place, sugar cookies were a big favorite of Palisades, collecting 15 votes. Many responses emphasized the frosting as their favorite part of the cookie. Many others emphasized how they can easily be made and cut into different shapes to “Match the [holiday] vibe perfectly.” 9 of the 14 responses (64%) were from staff members despite only 35.6% of total responses being staff, which is interesting, possibly speaking to the fact that they are easy to make and fun to cut out into shapes, and therefore great for young children.