Cookies
Final idea + Recipe:

The final cookie idea I went with was my Banana Split Cookie. I felt it was creative because it’s putting a spin on something many people love and I’ve never come across anything remotely close to a banana split in cookie form. It’s also a way to eat a fun treat whenever you want, without fear of it melting.
The end recipe I used for it proceeds as follows: 1 cup margarine, I cup white sugar, 2 eggs and mix those all together. Next add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 cups white flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt and mix everything together. Then add mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries (I used cranberries instead of cherries because I could not find dried cherries in the store so I improvised with cranberries) mini marshmallows,1 finely cut up banana and do the final mix of all those added ingredients together. Finally with the oven at 375 degrees fahrenheit cook the cookie for 10–12 minutes, placed in little spaced out balls on a tray.
Idea Generation:

My idea generating process involved asking my family what unique ideas we could come up with for cookies, along with shutting down a lot of ideas because I felt they were too mainstream/not creative. Many of the ideas I came up with were from foods I enjoy eating and then turning them into a cookie or foods I found interesting but don’t cook with a lot (ex, sherry wine). Ultimately I decided to test my Fall Cookie and Banana Split Cookie because I felt they were both unique and festive. I came up with the idea for the Banana Split Cookie because I really like ice cream so I was trying to figure out some ice cream I could put a unique twist on and enjoy whenever I go. With the Fall Cookie, its idea was generated from brainstorming with my family for some cookie that embodied fall and its festive spirit.
Idea Test 1:


The Fall Cookie turned out very interesting. The overall flavor of the oatmeal base cookie was delicious and having the two different pie type toppings added that extra flavor that gave the cookie its special effect. The entire cookie tasted good and had the fall taste/feel that I was going for. The one part that turned out poorly in my opinion was the appearance of the cookie. It looked monotoned, bland, and a bit mushy. My take away from this cookie is if I reattempt it in the future I’ll need to come up with an alternative end look, which would most likely require changing the recipes of the pie toppings in some way and even shaping the oatmeal cookie part differently, possibly making it stiffer to be easier for molding.
Idea Test 2:

The Banana Split Cookie turned out a lot better than I planned. Each flavor was able to be tasted individually and combined together to give a good sweet and fruity all around flavor. The vanilla cookie acted as the perfect base (like vanilla ice cream in a real banana split sundae) allowing the other flavors to be on display. The look of it is fun and simple, enabling the added inclusions to be seen, which would draw the interest of a consumer wanting to see all that the cookie contained. The only part of the cookie that didn’t work was the banana chips. They had little flavor but added a crunch factor. I wanted the banana to be a main flavor since it’s a banana split. Overall the cookie worked very well and is intriguing to try, but what I thing I would change is the banana chip aspect in order to the give the cookie a stronger banana flavor.
Iteration:

My decision to go with the Banana Split Cookie meant I needed to change the one aspect that previously failed, the banana flavor. I contemplated which ways would be best to boost the banana flavor while also adding texture. The two alternatives I came up with were either adding banana extract or using an actual banana in the dough. I decided to add an actual banana for its real, not artificial, flavor and the gooey texture, thus allowing the banana to have multiple purposes. I was worried the banana could melt in the oven, but it maintained its soft texture and sweet banana flavor. Adding the banana also didn’t make the banana flavor overwhelming like I feared it would using banana extract. The alteration I made was a perfect change, it was simple but it made a big difference. This change finally allowed all four main aspects of a banana split sundae to be tasted: banana, chocolate, marshmallow, and cranberry (replacing the sweet fruity cherry flavor).
Timeline: Tuesday- 9/4 begin generating ideas for possible cookie recipes and bounce ideas off people
Wednesday- 9/5 make blog post and narrow down general cookie flavor I would like to bake.
Thursday- 9/6 decide on a final cookie idea and make a recipe.
Saturday- 9/8 have all ingredients for trial 1 and bake trial 1.
Sunday- 9/9 bake another trial if needed.
Monday- 9/10 have final cookie recipe settled and no more trials. Begin typing final blog post.
Tuesday- 9/11 continue to work on blog post.
Wednesday- 9/12 submit blog post and bake fresh batch of cookies.
Thursday- 9/13 present cookies to the class.
Friday- 9/14 peer review due.
