Welcome back to campus for a sunny and exhilarating spring quarter! Promises of beautiful weather, full social calendars and a happier mood fill our consciences as we prepare to enjoy the perks of a Northern California spring. Another exciting promise to get excited about this quarter is The Daily’s addition of a weekly food column! Each week we will be exploring and reviewing food on campus and in the greater Palo Alto area — offering our opinions on various eateries, finding unique cuisine or relaying the best place to get a scoop of ice cream. Although we all know the best part of returning to campus is getting back into the dining halls for grilled chicken, cantaloupe and soft serve, the Killa Bites is here to provide opinions and options for a meal outside the hallowed halls of Stanford’s Residential and Dining Enterprises.

To get the ball rolling, we wanted to find and report the best chocolate chip cookie on campus. The contenders are CoHo, Coupa Cafe (we sampled the one in front of Green Library), Jimmy V’s Sports Cafe, the Med Cafe and Lagunita Late Night. The cookie reviews are below. Look to the bottom for the overall winner!

 

CoHo

These cookies had large chocolate chunks and a cakey texture. Although the cakey texture was a favorite, the chocolate chunks had a mysterious after taste. CoHo cookies had the best presentation of a large cookie with giant chocolate chunks surrounded by monkey breads, pumpkin loaves and pinwheel croissants. I believe the slightly off chocolate taste could be remedied by a quick dunk in a creamy CoHo cappuccino.

 

Coupa Cafe

This cookie was the most underwhelming chocolate chip cookie. This fact truly saddened me since Coupa is a Stanford student staple when you need that caffeine kick before your 9:30 or 10:30 — or any other class during the day, for that matter. Considering there are so many Coupas on campus, I was looking forward to hopefully finding a new go-to chocolate chip cookie spot. However, the cookie was pretty dry, and the edges were slightly burnt. I don’t even think a cappuccino dunk could save this cookie.

 

Jimmy V’s

Jimmy’s had by far the best deal for cookies (one for 75 cents or three for $2!), so if you are looking to surprise your roommate, friend or your later self with an extra cookie, Jimmy’s is the way to go. Jimmy’s chocolate chip cookies are a cafe signature, with usually two to three plates sitting behind glass as you wait to order your lunch. These cookies were also beyond delicious, with the perfect dough-to-chocolate ratio and chewy but cakey consistency. These morsels of deliciousness are a perfect snack and treat, and since they are smaller, it’s totally fine to have, like, three or seven.

 

Med Cafe

The Med Cafe, although slightly out of the way for many students, was worth the trek for a very yummy cookie. This chocolate chip cookie was covered in white sugar for an extra sweet kick. The cookie was wider and thinner, with lots of dough and fewer chocolate chips, so if you are more of a cookie dough person and less of a chocolate person, then this cookie is definitely for you.

 

Lagunita Late Night

Lastly, we evaluated a tried and true favorite, the Lagunita Late Night warm chocolate chip cookie. There is no better feeling than pulling apart the cookie and seeing the gooey chocolate slowly ooze apart. The cookie was crispy on the edges and soft in the middle, creating a delicious experience. However, the drawback with this cookie is its limited availability, between 9:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays. Or does its elusiveness make it that much more valuable?

 

Overall, I tasted some great cookies and had some incredible gastronomical experiences. However, in the end, one cookie stood above all else. Jimmy V’s chocolate chip cookie had the best texture, chocolate-to-dough ratio, price and taste. So, if you are looking for an afternoon pick-me-up or stocking up on essential snacks, look no further than Jimmy’s for the best chocolate chip cookies (in my humble opinion) on campus.

We hope you enjoyed the first article of Killa Bites and that you continue to read our weekly column. See you next week as we venture off campus for some University Ave restaurant reviews!

 

Contact Blake Sharp at blakesharp ‘at’ stanford.edu.