The experience is inexplicable…a single bite yielding a slightly chewy base texture juxtaposed against a pocket of thin crunch; then flavor profiles of salt, sweet, chocolate, and maple syrup harmoniously bouncing off one another to create an edible nirvana that reasserts the age-old adage that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. The inexplicable experience that I reference is the Doublewide Cookie, first introduced to the world at the opening of Crystal Bridges in November of 2011.

We worked closely with Pastry Chef Tammy Varney, formerly of Meridienne, to design a singular cookie that would not only taste good and have curb appeal, but that would also allow us to poke fun at our newly coined “High South” style of cuisine. In essence, the Doublewide is a sugar cookie embellished with butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, chocolate puff cereal, Cap’n Crunch cereal, and Lay’s potato chips.

It quickly became a culinary phenomenon at the Museum, and it wasn’t long until it became of largest-selling item at lunch and at our coffee bar…in fact, we sold nearly 15, 000 Doublewide cookies the first year we were open. In 2013 we allowed this iconic cookie to take a hiatus, but with a little help from Briar Rose Bakery in Farmington, we’re re-introducing the Doublewide.

If you haven’t experienced the inexplicable power of the Doublewide cookie in a while, or perhaps never at all….do yourself and your loved ones a favor, and GO to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art—TODAY—and taste one for yourself.