Dining in the Next Normal: Fill Up Your Cookie Jar with These Cookie Picks...

The holiday season is the perfect time to pause and reflect on what matter most. It's been a challenging year, and we all need to take stock of all the changes in this new normal while moving forward. It's also the time to replenish your cookie jars...

This Christmas, fill your cookie jar to the brim with these indulgent fresh-baked cookie finds conveniently delivered to your doorstep. And it's a great gift-giving idea too, if you can somehow restrain yourself from grabbing a bite. Here's five cookie picks that I enjoyed in this new normal...

New consumer habits emerged in the new normal, from dining at home to the rise of the food delivery culture and home-based food businesses that defined a challenging year for the food service sector. And we've seen some quite tasty options in the past few months as businesses evolve and adapt to changing consumer habits. The same can be said on the cookie front, with a number of new and indulgent options available to satisfy your cookie cravings. 

MailChip raises the bar for homemade cookies using 77% Dark Auro Chocolate, 42% Milk, Cacao Nibs and Maldon Sea Salt for their specialty chocolate chip cookies. And these premium ingredients combine for an elevated chocolate chip cookie experience. 

Not too sweet, each bite brings the deep and flavorful richness of premium chocolate to the palate highlighted by the bright notes of Maldon Sea Salt for that perfect finish. It's this play on textural contrasts and flavors that give these cookies an elegant character with its homemade goodness. 

One bite, and you'll want another. And before you know it, your batch of cookies from MailChip are gone, just like that (for more on MailChip, visit their Instagram account at @mailchip). Be sure to check their baking and delivery schedules on their IG feed, and wait for that "you've got mail" update from MailChip.

A young fourteen-year old home baker shares her own homespun recipes with Yana Banana's Goodies, from the classic Ensaymada filled with Cheese, Ube and Queso de Bola to Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies and Moist Dark Chocolate Cake. Her moist and chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are a refreshing spin to the usual chocolate chip, blended with oats for that unique texture and nutty notes. 

The pairing of chocolate chips with its deep and indulgent flavors and oats sets this apart from other cookies, adding that layer of texture and mouthfeel with each bite. And you can almost taste the youthful exuberance of the young home baker with her creations and bold, unrestrained notes (for more on Yana Banana's Goodies, see my post, Dining in the Next Normal: A Young Home Baker Joins the Blossoming Home-Based Food Business Trend with Yana Banana's Goodies).

Fet Boys Bakery goes all-out with their insanely huge cookie, the Giant Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie. Wider and thicker than most, Fet Boys Bakery believes that size matters when it comes to cookies. And they're not kidding. Place it on top of your favorite coffee mug and you'll immediately notice it's much wider than the rim, even when you just bit off a portion of the cookie.

But there's more to the Giant Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie than its size. One bite and the moist, chewy dough brings an indulgent sweetness to the palate followed by a decadent burst from the smooth and rich flavors of Dark Couverture Chips and premium California Walnuts. Wider, thicker and chunkier, size and scale are complemented with the use of the finest ingredients for a flavorful punch (for more on Fet Boys Bakery, see my previous post, Dining in the Next Normal: Go Big with The Giant Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie by Fet Boys Bakery). Get your batch and find out why size really matters when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. 

How about making your own cookies for a change? I did, and I still couldn't believe how easy it was with Quaker Oats for the Quaker Oats Cream Pie. Adding oats to your diet is a wise move too. Your health, after all, is your first line of defense in this new normal. 

And healthy oats can be as indulgent as your wish, like these Quaker Oats Cream Pies fresh off the oven. Who knew something this decadent can be good for you. If I can do it, you can too (for the full recipe on the Quaker Oats Cream Pie, see my earlier post, Dining in the Next Normal: A Healthy Diet is Your First Line of Defense in the New Normal with Quaker Oats and #QuakerStrongRecipes).

From Baguio to Manila, Chef Billy King brings his indulgent and nostalgic fresh-baked treats to your table, from the Banana Bread, Fruit Cake and Ube Bread to the Carrot Loaf, elegant homemade Chocolate Pralines, Jams and Marmalades to jars of Wild Honey and Cookies in all forms, shapes and flavors like these Chocolate Crinkles...

...and Assorted Cookies, each one guaranteed to bring some festive holiday cheer to your table. Check out their wide range of fresh baked offerings and delivery schedules from Baguio to Manila (for more on Le Chef at The Manor, see my post, Dining in the Next Normal: From Baguio to Manila, Le Chef at The Manor Comes to You with Their Fresh-Baked Bread, Cookies, Jams and Marmalades).

And there you have it. Five cookie picks in the new normal that's perfect for the season of giving. Or an indulgent treat to reward yourself for being good this year...

For more on MailChip, visit their Instagram account at @mailchip. 

For more on Yana Banana's Goodies, call 0917 822 2062 for orders. You can also visit their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/Yana-Bananas-Goodies and their Instagram at @yanabananas.goodies for more information and updates. 

For more on Fet Boys Bakery and their specialty Giant Too Much Chocolate Chip Cookie and other tempting creations, call 0917 665 7381 for orders and inquiries. You can also visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/FetBoys/ and their IG Feed at @fetboysph for more updates.

For more on Le Chef at The Manor, visit their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/Le-Chef-at-The-Manor-in-Manila for more information and updates or call 0917 507 0608 for orders.

For more information on Quaker Oats and the full list of #QuakerStrongRecipes, visit www.quakeroats.ph.

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