the case for 6 ounce cookies

There are so many cookies we could specialize in... chewy cookies, soft & puffy cookies, NY style 6 ounce cookies, shortbread, sugar cookies, etc. But in all of our flavor testing, pudges have been real winners for us, batch after batch after batch.

Like most people, we love the elusive crisp-edged chewy cookie. It is, in my opinion, one of the most sought-after cookie textures. Plenty of bakeries fall short of expectations. If you've ever experimented with chocolate chip cookies at home, you might've attempted to cut sugar. If that was you, your cookies probably didn't spread very well or achieve the crisp yet chewy texture you love. (Sidebar: Or, you didn't cream your butter & sugar well enough to incorporate sufficient amounts of air... but I digress). Sugar is essential for spready, chewy cookies.

The way we see it, you can make your less-sweet cookies at home and they just won't be *chef's kiss*. But as a professional cookie baker... I prefer not to be shackled by sugar. 

Which brings me to Pudge. One of the best things about baking pudges is that we don't want them to spread that much. It's called Pudge for a reason - it's cute and fat. Due to its shape, we can typically use a higher brown to white sugar ratio, boosting flavor and moisture. That's why pudges are very robust - although they're best fresh, they can last for days without feeling stale. My brother has eaten 2-week old pudges MANY times and claims they taste the same. Your mileage may vary...

Then, there's additions, flavors, and fillings. *rubs hands together excitedly*

- Take red velvet pudge, for example. It was basically like cake, capturing the traditional red velvet flavor using buttermilk, vinegar, and cocoa. Crisp edges, and a melty soft center thanks to its high brown to white sugar ratio and plenty of moisture - and then bam, perfectly complimentary cheesecake filling. Honestly, just try filling a smaller cookie with filling. Pudge's advantage here is its size. You can pack so much filling in it & it looks amazing. The ratio of cookie to filling is awesome. Filling in a small cookie just seems a little sad - so much cookie and half a bite of filling.

- Here's an example that includes additions - we're releasing a Fererro-Rocher-inspired pudge in January, which has toasted hazelnuts, quadratini wafers, and kit kats (for the milk chocolate and wafer texture). And you'd be shocked... it tastes exactly like fererro rocher. We can use SO many chunky additions that give us fantastic flavor without worrying about spread. If we tried  adding so much to a regular cookie, we'd end up with kind of a squat, ugly cookie. 

Anyways, my last point for the pro-pudge column is: pudges double as handheld pizookie. Warm em up & serve with cold ice cream. Enjoy!

All hail pudge ✌🏻