Whenever something starts becoming “trendy,” I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Call me a contrarian, or just someone who doesn’t like trends, but a bunch of people doing the same thing makes me very uncomfortable.

A few weeks ago, I started seeing EVERYONE on Instagram make these salted chocolate chip shortbread cookies. The recipe is from Alison Roman, a chef and cookbook author who has written for a bunch of food publications including Bon Appétit. I’m a fan of her Instagram page, and all her recipes look delicious. But the cult forming around these cookies scared me.

People raved about them and said they’d never tasted a better cookie. Famous food bloggers who aren’t prone to exaggeration said that the cookies were the best they’d ever made. “Yeah, yeah, okay,” I thought to myself. I held out for a couple weeks.

Then, on Sunday, I saw a picture on Instagram and I couldn’t take it any longer. I bought a pack of salted butter and a bar of bittersweet chocolate and got down to business. I’m going to put this cookie to the test, I thought. Let’s see how it stacks up with everyone’s reviews.

Verdict: These are the best cookies I’ve ever made. I’m not exaggerating. I’m usually a fan of gooey chocolate chip cookies, the kind that practically melt in your fingers. These are not that. They’re crumbly and firm like a shortbread cookie, BUT they still manage to melt in your mouth. The flecks of chocolate are gooey inside and the edges are slightly crunchy with sugar. They’re not cookies to like; they’re cookies to love.

The best part is, the cookies get BETTER as the days go on. I know this sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. The cookies fresh out of the oven were great, but on day two they had a chance to firm up a little. The balance of salt, sugar, and chocolate really sang. They were buttery and light. I’m tearing up a little just thinking about it.

I brought the cookies into work and people lost their shit. Colleagues started coming by my office and asked me for the recipe. I pointed them in the direction of Roman’s recipe on Bon Appétit‘s website.

So I guess the moral of the story is, jump on the bandwagon in the name of good cookies. Sometimes something becomes trendy for a reason. These cookies deserve their time in the limelight. They’re everything you’d want in a dessert and more.