The Best Chocolate-Chip Cookies Ever. Welcome To The R29 Bake-Off!

It started with banana-bread smack talk. Jessica Teves, our managing editor, was pondering making a loaf one weekend, and I pointed her toward last year's post on The Best Banana Bread Ever, featuring my own carefully crafted recipe. Teves took one look at my bread and scoffed. And, by that, I mean she opened her mouth, threw back her head, and scoffed at my time-tested, perfectly honed, ass-kicking banana bread. It was on. BAKE-OFF, PEOPLE.

In the next 30 seconds, Jess and I created, pitched, and got our latest series approved. Welcome to R29 Bake-Off, featuring our team's most hard-core bakers (myself and that loser, Jess) going head-to-head on classic baked goods to see who can produce the best recipe. Every month, Jess and I hit the kitchen, tackling a beloved baked good, and bring our best batches into the office. A panel of judges is selected and then subjected to a blind taste test. After each sample, they'll rate the baked good from one to five stars. The stars are then added up to reveal the winner. First up: chocolate-chip cookies.

Both of these recipes got raves, and, as you'll see, they're very different. A lot depends on whether you're a chewy or a crunchy fan, prefer dark or milk chocolate, and if you're a good person like me or a total cheater like Jess. Read on for this epic cookie battle, and see who emerged the victor — however unjustified.