Presidential cookie bake-off: Michelle Obama v. Ann Romney

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Obama versus Romney. Democrat versus Republican. Chocolate chip versus M&Ms?

Michelle Obama and Ann Romney are going head-to-head, or perhaps oven mitt-to-oven Mitt, in the election year Family Circle presidential cookie bake-off.

We at UPI decided to get in on the challenge: polling unsuspecting volunteers in a blind taste-test to find out who should win this year's competition (and if history is an example, the White House itself).

It all started with Hillary Clinton.

Out on the campaign trail in 1992, she made waves when she stood up for choosing to have an active career.

“I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was fulfill my profession, which I entered before my husband was in public life," Clinton said.

Thus, the first ladies' bake-off was born.

In a competition hosted by Family Circle magazine, Hillary offered up an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, defeating Barbara Bush's classic chocolate chip recipe--and Bill defeated H.W. in the election that fall.

Ahead of every election since, the spouses of candidates have put their best recipe forward, including one from Bill Clinton in the 2008 campaign. And in every election year, the victor in the bake-off ended up in the White House, with one exception: Cindy McCain's oatmeal butterscotch cookies defeated both Michelle Obama's shortbread recipe and Bill Clinton's oatmeal cookies.

The 2012 election: Obama v. Romney
Round One: Ann Romney's Oatmeal M&M cookies

For this year's contest, both ladies offered quality submissions. Here's the breakdown, beginning with the challenger: Ann Romney's peanut butter oatmeal M&M cookies.

"Mitt and I love spending time with our children and grandchildren," Romney says. "Whenever we get together you can be sure that we’ll mix up a batch of our family favorite M&M’s Cookies. They smell delicious coming out of the oven—our grandkids can’t resist them!"

The ingredients in Romney's cookies cost $31.60, and made three dozen large cookies.

(We went shopping at a standard Washington grocery store, purchasing inexpensive, mostly store-brand ingredients to try to determine the most economical way to make each recipe.)

The batter was sticky and fell apart a bit on the baking sheet, but the finished product have a toasty, tasty and satisfying crunch.

The 2012 election: Obama v. Romney
Round Two: Michelle Obama's White and Dark Chocolate Chip cookies

"Every evening, Barack, the girls and I sit down for a family dinner with good conversation and healthy food," Michelle says. "If we want to splurge, these White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies, created by the girls’ godmother, are the perfect special treat."

The ingredients in Obama's cookies cost $34.38, and made four dozen cookies.

Obama's recipe, our volunteer tasters agreed, were the more decadent of the two. They were chewy, sweet but light--and people were surprised by the mint.

Many of the tasters who preferred Romney's cookies over Obama's did so because of one of Obama's ingredients--mint, or walnut, or white chocolate--each of which can be somewhat polarizing. Several said they might have chosen hers over Romney's if not for the one ingredient.

Final tally: OBAMA--42, ROMNEY--22

So congratulations, Michelle, on your victory in UPI's Very Scientific Cookie Poll.

Best of luck to both ladies in the Family Circle contest--and in November.