Cookies
Final idea + Recipe:
My final idea was a blueberry waffle cookie with blueberry cream cheese icing. It may look like a waffle, but don’t let it deceive you because it tastes like a cookie. Right as I bit into my test cookie, I knew this was the flavors I had to choose for my final iteration. I turned my favorite every day food into a cookie that is now my favorite every day cookie. I feel as if my idea is creative because I was able to take a concept and food that I think is delicious but most people wouldn't think to try and turn it into a food/dessert that everybody will love. I also didn’t limit myself to what I perceived as a cookie whether it was shape wise, appearance wise, or baking process wise. And, it tastes great!

Idea Generation:
My first thought was to recreate a pair of foods that go together. Chicken and waffles didn’t seem like too good of a cookie, so I went to my favorite food combination of all time: eggos and cream cheese. My thought categories, besides food combinations, for other cookie options were my favorite desserts (that weren't yet cookies) and my favorite fictional foods. I picked one from each category- a banana creme brûlée cookie with caramel sauce and an everlasting gobstopper cookie. I additionally talked about different ideas/flavors with friends throughout the day to get creative juices flowing.



Idea 1 Test:
Blueberry waffle cookie with cream cheese icing. This cookie was so delectably good. Although it looked like a waffle, when you bit into it it had the flavor of almost a shortbread cookie. Once cool, it also had the texture of a cookie. The cream cheese icing seemed to overpower the cookie and the taste of blueberry didn’t come through the best, so I decided to add blueberry to the icing to calm down the cream cheese flavor and make the icing a little less thick. Once tasting this cookie, I knew the other cookies weren’t worth the time but this one was.




Idea 2 Test:
I originally thought this would be my favorite cookie because who doesn’t love banana creme brûlée with caramel icing? When baking, 2 bananas didn't taste like it was too much in the batter, but once baked, the banana was too strong. I didn’t form specific balls with the first tray in the oven, but quickly learned after to form them into balls then to flatten them for the perfect shape. The color doesn't brown in the oven so it was a guessing game of when it was fully finished. The texture of the cookie was too thick and almost spongy. I was thinking about adding vanilla wafers as well, but it seemed then like the creme brûlée part was getting forgotten. I was additionally going to blow torch them, but I knew this cookie wasn’t the best so I didn’t. It tasted good, but nothing special and it didn’t fully fit the creme brûlée feel. I was also going to make the gobstopper cookie, but unfortunately I left some of the needed supplies at the store.



Iteration:
The actual baking recipe for my blueberry waffle cookies stayed the same. The only difference was the icing. Luckily, I had leftover icing from test 1 and could use that for the final batch. In a Nutribullet I blended a small box of blueberries with a little sugar. Once blended I added in half of the batch of cream cheese icing. This created a smoother icing, and one that could get confused for looking like yogurt. It was the perfect combination of fresh and sweet which mixed beautifully with the somewhat slightly salty cookie. My roommates and friends loved the cookie so much that all extras were gone and they asked me to continuously make this as my signature cookie for the rest of my life.










Timeline:
