I don't understand why underbaked borderline raw cookies are such a popular trend.

Three things happen during baking that change the flavor of a cookie.
Maillard reaction, caramelization, and the melting of fats. There are more, but those are the three we're going to talk about.
The maillard reaction takes raw flour and turns it brown. It absorbs some of the sugar in the process, and creates a more complex, nutty flavor. Caramelization also browns some of the sugar, giving it a smoky, bitter flavor. They also give the cookie a firm or crispy texture.
You also melt any fats, like butter, that are in the dough. Melted butter separates and spreads throughout the cookie.
There's also often an egg that helps build structure for the baked dough, and sometimes baking soda for fluffiness.
This means uncooked dough is sweeter than a baked cookie. It has a soft, dense, and moist texture that disappears when fully baked. It's butter and sugar held together with flour and egg, and it's delicious.
- I often prefer slightly undercooked baked goods.
  
  I like my cookies medium rare
  
  Same, its like a cookie dough flavored cookie
- Yay, food science!
- flour and grease smear
  
  Salty, sweet, greasy flour and egg mush. Mmmmm

Same reason people love raw cookie dough. They just like the taste.
- I will never understand this.
- It’s a ridiculous business model.
  
  I mean, it clearly works if a lot of businesses do it.
  
  You're a ridiculous business model.
  
  Based on what measure?
  
  Millions of dollars in yearly profit by the food industry that makes and sell raw cookie flavors disagree with your business acumen.
  
  Except for the fact that it makes a bunch of money you mean?
  
  We’ve been baking some cakes and cookies like that in the Netherlands for decades.
  
  Not if you make it yourself. Saves baking time, cost of purchasing store-bought cookie dough, and cost of electricity.
  Plus, it tastes better, because it doesn't have to have weird shelf stabilizers.

If you ordered a cookie and didn't get what you want, that sucks and is indeed frustrating.
However I don't know what that has to do with anyone else. If someone wants to eat an almost raw cookie, or a too soft cookie or whatever, I don't think that should bother you.
- I think what bothers him is that he had something that he liked and can no longer find. It may not be the case here, but companies (in the US) are en masse changing their recipes to be cheaper to manufacture and it's affecting the end product.
  In the case of something like a cookie which can be made 1000 different ways by 1000 different companies, finding what you like took time, luck, or both. When they change the recipe on you, it's not a simple, "just buy a different cookie, dummy." It's a major undertaking. Sometimes you get lucky and this was the push that allowed you to discover a new, even better, favorite. More often than not though, it's just another part of your day that got a little bit shittier than it was yesterday.
  It's annoying and I totally get it.
  
  I understand your take and mostly agree with you. I just want to emphasize I'm not trying to call anyone a dummy or anything, just that it's OK to like what you like.
  If companies aren't going to cater to you, yeah that's annoying in most scenarios.

Salmonella brings people together.
- Salmonella is eliminated at 165F. Cookies get to around 190-205F when fully baked. So there's at least 25 degrees Fahrenheit between completely safe from salmonella and fully baked cookies.
- You can get eggs from Salmonella vaccinated chickens, it's just not the norm in north America.
  
  It’s in the flour not the eggs. Eating raw flour is riskier than eating raw eggs.

You have your preference, I have mine. An underdone cookie is gooey and melty but still brown around the edges, best of both worlds.

Because they are yummy?

I hate crumble cookies as well. Weak unsatisfying texture, and way too sweet before they even add all that syrup shit. Also they're too big, I take like one bite and the sweetness is already unbearable.
- Thank you. That’s the most insulting part. It’s a mediocre cookie at best.
  I don’t order these and I can’t talk shit about them at home cuz I trying to be a better partner, so I do what normal people do and go vent on the internets.
  I apologize to those who I have upset.
  
  Personally I think the most insulting part is the price.
  They make them big to try to justify it, but its still a bullshit high profit margin food.
  I think people just like them because they are very fresh. Most places just sell you some cookie in a box made a couple weeks ago in a factory somewhere by robots so it is marginally better than that in theory.
- Not to mention the fact that a single cookie is nearly half your daily caloric needs
  
  That's basically every cookie
- Agreed, I will take my mom's homemade plain oatmeal cookies over these any day
- I'm of the opinion that Crumble is only successful due to marketing and viral advertising from insta models. Just to double down on what you stated already: Their cookies are shitty, crumby, over sweet garbage that tastes like something out of the bargain bin at Dollar General. Actually, no. I've had delicious cookies from Dollar General. Bargain bin at Walmart bakery.
  
  I've had delicious cookies from Dollar General. Bargain bin at Walmart bakery.
  At least you pointed out your tastes at the end 😂

I love these cookies personally. Soft cookies are so much better than hard crunchy ones.
- Ya but you can make soft cookies that are actually cooked
- Soft cookies can be make by changing the recipe slightly and not risk salmonella poisoning or other infections.

This is a trend? Then why all of the sudden can't I find any cookies in my local grocery stores that aren't hard as tits? This has been my cookie preference for my whole life!!
- You’re fondling the wrong tits
  
  There are no wrong tits, my friend.
- These look like Crumbl cookies which are sold in their own stores for ridiculous prices. One cookie can legitimately feed 4 people since they're so rich (and delicious)
- my man if the tits you've been running into are hard, there's something wrong
  
  They work at a mannequin warehouse
- You need some gingernuts.
  This isn't a tits pun.

Because the chocolate chip cookie recipe they put on the back of the chocolate chip bag is already the scientifically best possible recipe. It can no longer be improved. That's why cookie influencers have to resort to stupid shit like this. All the good ideas have already been figured out so the best they can do is play pretend with the stupid ideas.
- Reminds me of the idiots at a recent brewery that had an awful tasting Porter. When I complained, they mentioned using an IPA base. I literally laughed.

Give it to me raw

Because I will eat fistfuls of raw cookie dough. Raw eggs are safe where I'm at anyways.
- I think it's more the risk from the raw flour than eggs.
  
  It's both in the US, uncooked eggs can give salmonella. But most places that have "edible cookie dough" use non-raw flour and no eggs so you can actually eat the dough raw safely.
  
  It’s the flour.
- You can make safe edible cookie dough pretty easily . The eggs aren't the only issue, it's the flour itself. If you bake it at like 275F for 30 mins in a sheet pan it'll sterilize it. For edible cookie dough that won't be baked you don't even need eggs.
  Having said that, I too have eaten my share of regular cookie dough.
  
  Had no idea raw flour wasn't safe. The store bought safe cookie dough always tastes like cardboard to me

This is how I've loved cookies for my entire life. I'm just happy they are easier to find now.
Edit: I'm sincerely amused that someone downvoted me for expressing my opinion on the kinds of cookies I like. I didn't know this was a "ketchup on steak" level issue. 🤣

Mmmmmm... Borderline raw cookies.
- Mmmmmm… Borderline raw.

you can buy raw cookie dough thats meant to be eaten uncooked. and not some niche thing, its at all the big box grocery stores. its no stretch to imagine why a half-baked cookie might be a thing

When you say trend, is it only on TikTok?
- Crumbl cookies shops are popping up everywhere. Lines around the block.
  
  Ah, they’re not over here. That’s why I’ve never heard of it.
  I wonder if this trend will catch on to not cooking anything else properly?

One thing to consider is that delivery and takeout are significantly more popular than they were 4 years ago. Some of these chains either anticipate or encourage you to heat your cookies just before you eat them and halfway cooking them gives the best results. A place just down the road from me encourages 1 minute on high in the air fryer or 3 in a toaster oven before eating

Hypothesis: Want chewy cookies. Try cookie recipe, they come out crunchy. Bake for less time. Cookies chewy now!

First of all, that cookie looks absolutely baller. Secondly, damn you I'm going to get crumbl cookies now and fucking up my diet lol
- My work here is done!
- Fuck Crumbl https://www.today.com/food/news/crumbl-cookies-violated-child-labor-laws-6-states-rcna62980
  
  Child labor is bad and all, but like... Children making cookies is whimsical and fun. It's not like toiling in the mines (which they yearn for).

I don't think it's the raw part that's the trend so much as big cookies are, and big cookies tend to be less cooked in the center.
But then again, raw cookie dough is delicious. 🤤

The raw dough makes me slightly uncomfortable, so I’m entirely certain that I should violently impose my preferences on everyone who does not agree.
_/s

- This is specifically talking about stores like crumbl cookies I think (appears to be what the cookie in the picture is). Very fancy, quite overpriced, pretty tasty, but kinda doughy in the center IMO.

That looks so tasty

I suppose it's so you can take them home and cook them the way you like them.

When you say trends, is it among people not baking long enough? I love gooey cookies as well, but that looks raw.
Recently I used store made cookie dough (because “safe to eat raw”!) in a cast iron pan to make it more like a brownie, maybe like this. Surprise, it’s much thicker than a standard cookie so needs to be cooked longer than the directions say

Warm and soft cookies are the best cookies

Terrible except when peanut butter.

Brownies too, I am not a fan.

I've never heard of such chicanery I'm my life

Must be a local thing.

Yet when my sourdough comes out this way, everyone acts like i shit my pants

I had no idea this was a trend.

RAW? doesnt that have raw egg
- Raw egg is fine iirc it's the flour that is a concern
  
  You can pretreat flour to make it safe but obviously the question is, did the cookie maker bothered. And raw eggs can be a concern, apparently 1 in 20,000 eggs contains salmonella (inside, not on the shell).
  
  oh