Bockolate Chip

'Tis the season to develop bad eating habits and lose touch with your current fitness level.

So I thought the best thing to do in order to celebrate this momentous time of year would be to drink beer, and make cookies...with beer in them.  Oh yes.  Alcohol always makes the holidays more enjoyable (see:  tolerable).  But wait, what place do cookies have on a beer blog?  Well, first of all, they contain beer, so they are naturally eligible for Beer Cruise treatment.  Secondly, this is my blog...and here, I am god.  Deal with it.  Dot jpg.

How does one go about reviewing a batch of cookies in a manner similar to that of a beer at any rate?  Well, exactly the same, to be frank.  Let's discuss, shall we?  The cookies in question were birthed from a recipe posted on Vancouver Island Brewery's Facebook page.

...I think you can see where this is going.

Yes, these are indeed Hermannator cookies.  Delicious chocolaty treats infused with ice bock containing 9.5% alcohol?  Sign me up.  Seeing as how I am less than incompetent in the kitchen, and able to (usually) cook or bake without setting fire to myself or others, they turned out quite well.  Perhaps not perfect, but I will review them as such at any rate.

First thing's first (as if it could be second); these are not the easiest cookies to make.  The actual beer portion involves simmering 2 bottles of Hermmanator and brown sugar until it becomes a very thick syrup.  This is something of a long, smelly and messy process.  You also have to have the utmost care in not burning the syrup once it thickens, which is very easy to do.  Even once you've mixed it all together, the batter is not entirely like other cookie batters; it's extremely thick and crumbly, which might cause you to question your culinary methods. Worry not, however, because it ultimately works out in the end if you've made it this far.

But I digress, I'm not here to give instructions on baking; I'm here to give my opinion on beer infused cookies.  In short?  They're pretty darn good.  Perhaps not with an overwhelming beer flavour that you may expect or hope for, but that molasses-like maltiness is certainly there.  It's very much like a regular chocolate chip cookie, only with a special party piece.

In terms of aroma, it's a bit of a mixed bag.  On one hand, that smell of molasses mixed with chocolate can be quite nice, while on the other hand, even the slightest whiff of burned sections is less than pleasant.  And you will get burned segments, if only small bits, unless you're Gordon Ramsey.

All-in-all, however, these cookies are fairly delicious.  I'm not entirely convinced they're worth all the fuss, mess and effort involved, but perhaps with some refinement (or more experienced baking prowess), the process could be made more efficient.  It's a fun little endeavour to attempt, one way or the other.

Taste:  Chocolate, malt, molasses...need I go on?  If you dislike any of these things, may I first suggest you are on the wrong bloody blog, and may I next suggest you remove your tongue from your mouth for it has betrayed you.

Aroma:  As previously stated, it's a bit of a toss-up.  You've got some lovely chocolate and malt aromatics going on, but even small bits of burned syrup smell sort of awful.

Aftertaste:  There's little to report in terms of complexity.  The chocolate ends up overpowering the malt in the end, but it's still a slightly unusual flavour for a cookie that, in the end, does linger quite nicely.

Recommended?:  If someone offers you one?  Yes, absolutely.  If you're thinking of baking a batch, just be warned that they're a bit of a pain in the arse.

Verdict:  Get Hermannated all over again this holiday season.  I think this would be a great idea for group beer tastings, or even as a form of baked good gifting to fellow beer connoisseurs.  Hell, you don't even have to enjoy beer to like these nuggets of goodness.  Frankly, I'm not entirely sure if they're entirely worth the effort beyond making a single batch for kicks, but let's be serious here; these are chocolate chip cookies with beer in them.  What the hell do you think I think of them?

Score:  8 bites out of 10.