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. 

I think I've just found every baking enthusiast's (may it be people who like to bake or people who fantasize about concocting the perfect batch of chocolate chip cookies to come right out of their oven) new best friend and he/she (depending on whether you prefer a male or female companion to call your own) goes by the name Bake Buddy! 

As a 13 year old, I spent most of my time searching for recipes to try our during my free time or when I felt like I was in dire need to satisfy my hankering for a sweet treat. I saw hundreds of different recipes and wondered if there was a way to try all of these flavors without having to worry about throwing around every single minute used up to bake. I then chanced upon this site that sold cookie mixes in the U.S. They were layered ingredients of a cookie recipe and tucked nicely into a jar with the instructions tied to the lid. Women would give them as gifts to friends and I thought it was such a more subtle way of telling your friend, "I trust the contents of this jar more than your baking skills. Break in case of baking emergency." Kidding aside, the idea of having the ingredients pre-measured for your convenience was an innovation on its own. 

When I found out that such a thing existed here in the Philippines, I felt as though I could hear a multitude of beginner bakers let out a huge sigh of relief. Now, you can all rejoice and let Baking Buddy show you that you don't need to be a professional pastry chef to receive "ooohs" and "aaahhhs" from family and friends after they taste the cookies you make. 

I asked Aliya Ignacio, the lass behind Bake Buddy, about her decision to bring the idea of selling cookie mixes to fellow bakers here in the Philippines. 

1. Why did you decide to name your business "Bake Buddy"?

     I started with selling pre-measured ingredients for cookies (DIY cookie kits). I came up with the 

     name Bake Buddy because those mixes are supposed to be your baking buddies, helping you make 

     easy and yummy cookies. Plus I love having friends over while baking!

 

When my cookies arrived in the mail, I felt like Alice in Wonderland after the "Eat Me" cookies beckoned her to..well..eat them. The little box of cookies comes in 5's and costs P160. I don't drink coffee. Not in the form of a frappuccino, a hot drink, coffee infused pastries or mocha flavored cookies and cakes. Perhaps it's because I like my pastries plain and simple. But after I tried the Coffee Caramel Walnut Crunch cookies, I might have misjudged this cookie flavor a little too soon. I could smell the coffee after each bite I made and had just the right amount of caramel. I thought the sweetness of this cookie would be milder compared to the other flavors but this is definitely something to get those sweet teeth fired up. I always like to have that added crunch when there are nuts in cookies and the walnuts were able to pull off just that! 

Aliya Ignacio

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