Lidong Xu displays a deep-fried chocolate chip cookie. Photo / Natalie Slade
Teenagers pitched a dream to Glenfield Fast Foods, and they got it - deep-fried chocolate chip cookies.
"Younger people like to try different foods," said owner Lidong Xu. "Maybe weird foods."
Cookie Bear Chocolate Chippies are dipped in flour, coated with batter, and thrown in the deep fryer.
The results are sold for 50c each.
The deep-fried cookies' popularity was "so-so", Ms Xu said.
"It's half and half. The cookie is for younger people - under 20. They gave me the idea, and I just made something a bit different."
Curious customers tried it out from time to time, but it was yet to gain any mainstream appeal, she said.
The Huffington Post recently reported on deep-fried culinary wonders: "10 deep-fried things that should never be deep fried".
Even deep-fried butter - shaped almost like chicken nuggets - could not top the list.
The Scottish tradition of deep-fried pizza was labelled as possibly "the healthiest option on this page".
Deep-fried macaroni and cheese came in at number two, beaten only by deep-fried cupcakes.
New Zealand's deep-fried Mars Bars failed to win a place.
Meanwhile, deep-fried cola debuted at the Texas state fair.
Coca-Cola flavoured batter was fried, drizzled with cola fountain syrup, and topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry.
Health website WebMD said that, from a nutritional standpoint, it was possibly the world's scariest food.
You can almost taste the guilt
Last weekend I saw deep-fried cookies at the local takeaway, and tweeted a picture. A chum replied with my thoughts exactly: "Not sure if I want to say 'yum' or 'yuck'."
After gentle pressure, I bought two so I could share my fate with my wife, Vicky, a talented baker.
"Basically, they turn back into cookie dough," she said as she polished hers off.
The batter is light and crispy, the cookies are thick and chewy.
They're sugary, salty, and packed with guilt. Calories too, I imagine, but the guilt is easier to quantify.
The friendly face behind the counter at Glenfield Fast Food told me the artery-threatening treats were selling well. I'm told local revellers buy theirs in handfuls of five or six on boozy nights out.
I'm sober, and I think I want to say "yum" - but only just.
- Troy Rawhiti-Forbes
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