twig

Ok, I tried the viral menu hack called Cookie McDouble hack. This was a proper culinary odyssey so I feel the need to report in depth. Look and Feel: o Surprisingly, the cookie blends pretty well with the rest of the burger. The dough color is close to the inside of the color of the bun, and the chocolate chips brings warm and depth colors not so different from the beef patties. For some it will feel a bit too much like a sea of sameness, but others will like its consistent look. If you look at it fast enough, it’s easy to miss the cookie in there. You may want to push it forward towards you, so you get more of it first bite. o The build is pretty balanced, so it stays in place quite easily. The fact you must order it plain also helps with keeping everything together vs having the ketchup/mustard/onion making everything slide. It does not require holding the burger any different way you would do for a Double or Triple Cheeseburger, but I did inadvertently press the top bun a bit too strong when I assembled it. Assembly: o Extremely easy to do if you put the cookie between the bottom bun and the first beef patty, or right below the top bun. In that regard, it’s pretty smart because ease of assembly matters so that it does not become too much of a barrier to try. There’s an alternate option putting the cookie between the two patties and this is where things get messy as you need to separate the two patties and they’re full of melted cheese. I am actually not sure I would recommend this, as you want the chocolate to be closer to the source of beef taste and to the source of warmth, so the chocolate can slightly melt. o I really, really recommend removing mustard, ketchup, onions. Regarding pickles, I tried but keeping them was not for me (it's the second burger in the back of the picture). I preferred without. But I am not necessarily the biggest fan of pickles anyway so I would not take that comment in consideration if you’re a pickle fanatic. Overall taste: o It definitely feels like unknown territory when you get your first bite. There’s an additional gentle and quiet crunch mid-bite that feels different from the 100% softness you usually get from the juicy patty and melted cheese in the Double Cheeseburger. o I did not enjoy so much the “peripheral” bites or edge bites (I am sorry, I am not a native English speaker and I can’t find a better way to explain it). I guess it’s due to the fact these edge bites get more dough than chocolate. So, when and if you try it, I highly encourage pushing at least to the second bite to form your final opinion on the beast. o The second bite is bringing more chocolate notes forward. As it gets in contact with the warmth of the beef patty, it gets melty and deliciously soft, like if the cookie came straight from the oven. This is for me where the “magic” started to happen. But let me be clear: I would not say I was surprised by how much I liked it. I was definitely surprised by how much I liked it versus what I expected (I am going to be honest I thought I would hate it). I did some quick research and I see there’s actually a lot of expert literature around why chocolate and meat can be a powerful culinary match, which I ignored until today. o What was most interesting for me was probably not the taste itself (which is surely an “acquired taste”), but the feeling that I had never tasted anything quite like it before. Most hacks merge expected taste and texture together but this felt more like an entirely new creation. Uncharted territory, particularly for a French like me who grew up with more classical and expected combinations of taste and food. Verdict: Am I glad I tried it? Absolutely. Particularly because it was created by fans. Would I have it again? Unsure, but that's a personal preference. I was confused at first but now I get why people would/could like it. On my side, I believe the only thing that can beat the original taste of a double cheeseburger is a triple cheeseburger. And there are just other hacks I have more appetite for, like the Crunchy Double (4 McNuggets with barbeque sauce under the patties of a Double Cheese), the hashbrown inside the Egg McMuffin and the other hack that I can’t say the name of. That’s it. It was awesome to try. Sorry this was a long read. Don’t hesitate to send me your McDonald’s menu hacks, always happy to try.