If you want to ruin my day, ask me if I’d like a cookie and then hand me an oatmeal raisin cookie. Okay, maybe that’s a bit harsh: I would appreciate any and all sweets that come my way. But seriously, there’s nothing more disappointing than sinking your teeth into a supposed chocolate chip cookie, only to be met with the grainy texture and oat-cinnamon flavor of an oatmeal raisin cookie.

   Although it’s understandably hard to compete with a perfect, classic chocolate chip cookie, specifically one with a crispy exterior speckled with browned butter bits and a gooey, chocolate-filled interior, an oatmeal-raisin cookie is mediocre even without considering its out of league competitor.

   To start, there’s no variation when it comes to oatmeal raisin cookies; you know what you’re getting every time you bite into one. Well, first of all, I’d argue that if you’re willingly biting into an oatmeal raisin cookie, you deserve to be disappointed, but anyways… it’s always that same chalky, grainy texture that’s hard to get down and that odd, not-quite-nutty flavor from the oatmeal, with those wrinkly raisins that just add to its overall mediocracy. Even junior Katherine Omole admits that “Oatmeal cookies are okay, but the raisins are the worst part; they completely ruin it.”

   Not to mention, when it comes to visual appeal, the oatmeal raisin cookie places last. The lumpy cookies are depressing to look at and, well, unappealing; the sprinkling of raisins throughout is a futile attempt at making them seem as warm and inviting as a chocolate chip cookie. Any other cookie pales in comparison to a chocolate chip cookie, with its golden brown texture and gooey pockets of chocolate completely nailing the visual appeal factor. 

   If you’re seriously telling me that an oatmeal raisin cookie can even come close to being as good as a chocolate chip cookie in any way, I’m just gonna assume you’re lying. The words “oatmeal” and “raisin” do not sound appetizing in any way. And put together? Don’t even get me started… Even the worst chocolate chip cookie would be infinitely better than a “good” (if that’s even possible…) oatmeal raisin cookie. 

   I know some people may think this is a simple argument: if you don’t like oatmeal raisin cookies, don’t eat them. Easy, right? But this goes farther than that. I don’t think anyone deserves to be stuck with a mediocre cookie. 

   Please, don’t feel the need to settle… If you’re craving a sweet treat, have a cookie, and a good one at that. Don’t risk messing up the classic cookie experience by betting on an oatmeal raisin cookie: you’re sure to be disappointed. As junior Saraie Andujar puts it, “Chocolate chip cookies are a classic. They’re always the safe, go-to choice.”