I love cookies. As a tubby kid, I would overindulge in anything sweet - from cold treats like ice cream to chocolates of all sorts and the occasional gummy bear fix. Despite the countless sugary treats that were out in the market, I always had my heart set on cookies - chocolate chip cookies to be exact. What with its sometimes slightly crooked round shape and chocolate chips (or chunks) folded into the butter-sugar-flour-egg mixture, it has easily become an old-fashioned favorite among both adults and children. Plus, it goes wonderfully with milk, thanks to Oreo's Twist.Lick.Dunk catchphrase and of course, Santa Claus. 

                    These days, however, chocolate chip cookies have figuratively (and perhaps literally) gone under the knife and can now be enjoyed in different sizes and flavors. Wait. Chocolate chip cookies in VARIOUS SIZES AND FLAVORS, you say? How could a harmless treat metamorphose into something even better? Preposterous! Well, that's not what Ivorie Acosta of Cookie Bar thinks. She happens to make cookie cups. You read it right, cookies in the form of cups. I'd like to virtually take off my hat to Ivorie for coming up with a clever and up-to-date way of revamping this timeless treat. When I asked what prompted her to develop such an innovative creation, she had this to say, "Cupcakes have been creating a big storm in the dessert world because of the smalle serving, cute presentation and yummy taste. I see it in bakeries, coffee shops, Sunday markets and food bazaars. But how about everyone's favorite comfort dessert, the cookie? It has been hiding in the shadows of the cupcake and other desserts out there because one, it's not very colorful and two, it's easy to make and reproduce. I love cookies so much that I want to give the cookie a new look and taste so everyone can have a better perception of this delicious dessert." 

         Now, you might be wondering, what exactly is a cookie cup? It's basically chocolate chip cookie dough baked in cupcake tins. I'm starting to think that this is a cross between a cookie and a cupcake as the texture is akin to that of a cake, except that it's softer and chew-tastic! The fun doesn't stop there. Ivorie tops her cookie cups with all sorts of wonderful things such as marshamallows, caramel, chocolate fudge, peanut butter, white chocolate, Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate, Twix, Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup pieces and of course, chocolate chips. 

          The photo above shows an assortment of 10 different cookie cup flavors and believe me, it was tough to choose which to taste first. I'm pretty big on caramel flavored desserts, especially when coupled with chocolate. So you can guess what I chose to gobble up first. The caramel was thin and silky,  almost as if velvet curtains were running down my throat. The next variant I stuffed my face with was the cookie cup with chocolate chip toppings. It was like eating the traditional chocolate chip cookie, only with an incredibly fudgy and smooth consistency. Since I tried the mini cups, I knew that each one would merely be seen as bite-sized pieces. Translation: I had more than one of these. Okay, maybe two. ...or four.

            My younger cousins fancied the Premium Flavored Cookie Cups, which were topped with pieces of Twix, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snicker's and Milky Way. I watched one after the other just disappear from the hands of my "little big cousins" (they're only 16 and 17 years of age and are towering at 5'7, hence the label) into thin air. If you want something gooey to go with the chocolate chip cookie base, go for the marshmallow and chocolate fudge variant. Red Velvet lovers will be pleased to know that Ivorie also offers a cookie cup version of the well-received tinted flavor. To make it even more alluring, each Red Velvet Cookie Cup has cream cheese frosting (with sour cream) piped on top. Hey, if cupcakes can do it, cookies can too! 

           Let's not forget that Ivorie also makes a mean Cookie Cake, which is a supersized version of a regular chocolate chip cookie and baked using a cake tin. She describes it as "a thin layer of chocolate fudge in the middle and semi-sweet morsels spread throughout the cake." If you wanna go the extra mile,  add P70 for toasted marshmallows which covers every inch of the cake. When Ivorie handed me this cake, she advised that it is best enjoyed when you pop it into the microwave oven for about 10 seconds. I'm pretty stubborn when it comes to food and I like my cookies (especially 9 inches of it) warm, chewy and fudgy. So I let it sit in the oven for more than 10 seconds and as soon as I sliced through the center of the cake and lifted the knife, it was covered in chocolate. I could tell the chocolate morsels had already softened, or should I say, melted, which is exactly how I prefer to enjoy my cookie cake.

            I asked Ivorie how Cookie Bar came about and began delighting dessert lovers everywhere, "Cookie Bar started as a sideline business since I work as a pre-school teacher during the day. Baking is a relaxing activity for me and I decided to specialize in cookies since it is my favorite type of snack/dessert. I started by experimenting on different recipes and came up with the cookie cup recipe after a lot of trial and error." I suppose Ivorie's playful and high-spirited side translates evidently so in the cookies that she makes, which awakens the inner child in all of us. She also has impressive credentials to boot, "I decided to take baking classes at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York during the summer of 2011. This helped me improve my baking skills and widen my knowledge about the art of baking cookies, cakes and breads."

   Since I wanted to make sure all the positive feedback wouldn't just be streaming down my chocolate-covered face, I asked some of my batchmates from the De La Salle Health & Sciences Insitute to be a part of my taste test team. I know the lighting in the photos are terrible, it was really dark inside our classroom, but I think I was able to capture the satisfied expressions on their faces. Oh and try not to be distracted by the room's state-of-the-art interior. I too am still amazed by it every time I go to school everyday. 

The Cookie Cake sliced and diced for everyone to enjoy!

         I think Ivorie just boosted the reputation of chocolate chip cookies and have shown in a ludic manner that these old favorites are indeed here to stay! Check out Cookie Bar on Facebook and their official website to check out other edible items on their line-up! You can fill-up an order form on their website or get in touch with Ivorie through her mobile number: 0917-555-1228.