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  • Taryn Varricchio: No dessert is more classic

  • than a deliciously gooey chocolate chip cookie.

  • And that's why people love Bang Cookies in New Jersey.

  • Customer: The best way to describe it is, like,

  • those cookies that you used to have in the cafeteria

  • that are really ooey and gooey,

  • but, like, it's cooked more.

  • They're better than those.

  • Taryn: Three years ago, Bang Cookies was selling

  • a few hundred cookies a day at farmers markets.

  • George Kuan: We sold out in the first hour,

  • and we didn't expect that.

  • Ever since then, we've sold out first day,

  • and then we kept on selling out

  • every single day at the farmers market.

  • Taryn: Now, George's team bakes more than

  • 20,000 cookies a month

  • with a recipe he spent 15 years fine-tuning.

  • George and his team source ingredients

  • from all over the world.

  • Whether it's grass-fed butter from New Zealand,

  • chocolate chunks from Europe,

  • or macadamia nuts from Hawaii,

  • each one affects the way these cookies bake and taste.

  • The shop's best seller is its most classic rendition:

  • the sea salt chocolate chunk cookie.

  • This recipe uses a mix of white and brown sugar,

  • locally milled organic flour,

  • grass-fed butter,

  • and both milk and semisweet dark chocolate.

  • George: Different chocolates gives it different

  • nuance of flavors.

  • So it gives it more complexity.

  • So, it kind of counterbalances the difference between

  • the sweetness of the actual milk chocolate

  • versus the semi-bitterness of semisweet chocolate chunk.

  • Taryn: Each cookie is topped with a sprinkle

  • of sea salt, because...

  • George: When it hits your mouth, it hits it in a way

  • that you're biting into the cookie,

  • and then you're tasting the sweetness

  • and the saltiness in combination.

  • Taryn: Another popular pick off the menu...

  • Customer: We love the s'mores.

  • Customer: The s'mores, I really love that one.

  • Customer: I know they do a s'mores cookie really well.

  • It's, like, nice and gooey but with a crunchy outside.

  • Taryn: This one's notably more time consuming

  • to make than the rest.

  • George: Every single s'mores cookie that we do

  • has to be pieced together with broken graham crackers

  • that we break by hand and then manually put it in.

  • Taryn: Finally, each cookie is individually

  • packaged in plastic so customers can see

  • exactly what's put on the inside.

  • It also keeps them fresh and soft.

  • Customer: I feel like it's gooey, it's big.

  • I can taste that it's organic.

  • It's, like, good ingredients.

  • Taryn: Bang Cookies didn't initially attract customers

  • for cookies, but rather the name of the shop itself.

  • George: We wanted a name that would be able

  • to draw attention because we didn't have,

  • like, the marketing funds at all.

  • And we wanted something that's outlandish,

  • 'cause we're the new players in the farmers market.

  • So we started to call ourselves Bang Me Bakery

  • in the very beginning.

  • A lot of customers would look over like,

  • is that a real name?

  • Like, yeah, it is. Just try the cookies now.

  • And they did.

  • Taryn: The name changed to be a bit more kid-friendly,

  • but the customers kept coming.

  • Customer: 4:10! [laughs]

  • 'Cause Jessica at the pizza shop

  • said we have to try them,

  • that they are so awesome.

  • And plus to please get her a T-shirt.

  • Taryn: And with so much demand,

  • Bang Cookies has already opened

  • two locations in Jersey City.

  • And they've got plans for more to come.

  • That means more cookies for customers across the country,

  • who've already had them shipped to states

  • like California, Alaska, and Hawaii.

  • That is heavenly.

  • That chocolate is so melty.

  • It's so deliciously melted.

  • You're not getting hit over the head with sweetness,

  • because you kind of have those two chocolates

  • that balance each other out.

  • And then you have the savory-sweet component

  • in every bite, which is great.

  • That's why I think the sea salt chocolate chunk

  • is probably one of their best-selling cookies.

  • It has great texture.

  • Like, the outer edges are just so lightly nicely crisped.

  • And that, like, chewy, gooey inside,

  • that still holds up.

  • Like, it's not falling apart in my hand.

  • Sometimes you get these giant, massive cookies

  • and they could have that, like, dip in the middle

  • where you know it's been undercooked,

  • but this is not like that.

  • Customer: I have a cheat day once a week,

  • and every Tuesday I have to have Bang Cookies.

  • We always have it in the freezer. They're amazing.

  • They're so good. They're one of my favorites.

  • Customer: I would say at least, like, once every month

  • we make it a thing to, like,

  • we definitely need to get it.

  • Taryn: That was such a good cookie.

  • Dude.

Taryn Varricchio: No dessert is more classic

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