Thursday, January 17, 2013

Cookies from Goody Goodie Cream & Sugar

If you read my blog, you know I eat a lot of desserts, and a lot of cookies.  One bakery that I keep seeing pop up on all of the "Best Cookie In SF" lists is Goody Goodie.  They make a number of different cookies, all of which have won numerous awards.  They use high quality E.Guittard chocolate.  I wanted to try them for a long time, but their location isn't really convenient for me, so for over a year, they remained on my ever-growing "To Try" list.

I was thus delighted when I discovered them on Munchery.  I could finally try the famous cookies, delivered right to my doorstep?  YES!

First, let me tell you a little about Munchery, as I'm a huge fan.  The simple description is that it a food delivery service, but that doesn't really do it justice.  I've seen it described as "personal chef for the masses", but that doesn't really fit either.  So, I'll be more wordy, and try to accurately portray it!

The items available on Munchery are prepared by an assortment of chefs, some of whom offer dishes daily, others whom only contribute once in a while.  It basically seems like an opportunity for the chefs to cook whenever they have some extra time.  These aren't just random folks, they are alums of great places like Gary Danko, Michael Mina, The French Laundry, etc.  The food selection is incredibly varied, ranging from healthy dishes (lots of salads and soups) to classic comfort foods (meatloaf, mac and cheese, fried chicken) and everything in between.  There is Asian cuisine, Mediterranean, even Caribbean.  And then there are bakers, offering up fresh breads, cupcakes, cookies, and other treats.  There is certainly something for every taste, and the menus change daily.

Using Munchery is simple: you browse the menus and order online.  Menus are posted a few days in advance, some even posted a couple weeks in advance, but many items are not added until a day or so before.  If you order early enough (two days?), you get "early bird" pricing, which seems to be about $1 less than normal prices.  If you order late enough, you might catch a "flash sale", where 50% off discounts are offered.  You can see photos and very detailed descriptions of the dishes, along with reviews by other diners.  Finally, you select a 1 hour delivery window (or go pick it up at their headquarters in the Mission), and pay a modest delivery fee.  The driver will text you when they are close by, and then, your food shows up on your doorstep!  And if you won't be there to receive it, you can provide a cooler, and they'll stash it there for you.

The meals come nicely packaged, with detailed instructions on how to prepare the food.  For most items, this just means heating it up, or tossing with a sauce or dressing.  One thing that makes Munchery really different from restaurant delivery is that the items arrive cold, rather than hot (er, lukewarm), and are actually designed to be delivered that way.  This means for some items the chef deliberately under-cooks them, so that in your warming process, you complete the cooking, rather than over-cook it.  Items like salads come with the dressing on the side, so they don't get soggy.  This results in a much better meal than restaurant delivery!

Stay tuned for future reviews of main dishes that I have gotten through Munchery, but if you are interested in checking it out yourself, you can use my invite link and ... get $20 off your first order!

Anyway, back to Goody Goodie, my very first Munchery order.  After my Munchery adventure, I also did end up venturing to the Goody Goodie cafe to try out a few other cookies that are not offered on Munchery, so I've included those reviews here too.  Overall, they just aren't my style of cookie, but I understand why they have won so many awards.  And, it was the perfect excuse to try out Munchery!
The Circus Cookie, with kettle corn and chocolate.  $2.80 at Goody Goodie, but only $2.49 from Munchery.
The circus cookie sounds awesome.  A chocolate chip cookie, with extra huge chocolate chunks, and kettle corn?  All things I love.  And it has been featured on many "top cookie in SF" lists.

But ... it doesn't really live up to what I'd hoped it would be.  The popcorn was soft and kinda soggy, and not very pleasing.  There is indeed a ton of chocolate, some little chips, some big chunks.  But it seems like there was actually just too much chocolate,  as you don't get to taste the cookie dough much at all.  Overall, it just seems out of balance.

A shame, as I really wanted to like this!
The Goody Goodie Cookie.
This is their signature cookie, with a 4:1 chocolate to dough ratio.  It uses several types of chocolate, including giant chocolate chunks of high quality chocolate and cocoa nibs.  I loved the crunch from the nibs. This was a very thick cookie, not soft like I usually like, but definitely good!    The ratio of chocolate to dough makes it a little strange as you don't get as much "cookie" flavor, aka butter and sugar, but you get a ton of amazing chocolate flavor, the nice crunch from the nibs, and just a bit of cookie. I would certainly eat again.  I didn't finish it all in one sitting, and on the second day, I liked it less, as I really missed the cookie part.  I tried warming it up, but still felt the same way.

This one has also won a bunch of awards.  It isn't available on Munchery, but their other chocolate chip cookie (The Old School, which I haven't yet tried) is.
Peanut Butter Circus Cookie
This is like the circus cookie, but with a peanut butter cookie base rather than chocolate chip.  So basically, a peanut butter cookie with caramel corn and sea salt.

This was another one I wanted to love, since I love peanut butter, and the combination of sweet and salty.  But like the other cookies, it was very thick, hard.  The peanut butter flavor was not very strong and the popcorn inside again lead to a weird kinda soggy texture. Would not get again.

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