How Chip Picks New Flavours: The Instagram Vote Behind Episode 7
Christmas in July wasn't dreamed up in a test kitchen alone — three of its flavours came straight from what our community voted for.
Most of our episodes start the same way: a theme, a blank page, and a shortlist we argue over internally until it is short enough to bake. Episode 7 — Christmas in July — started differently. So much of this box came straight from our community, from the flavours you voted for when we asked on Instagram. It is the first time we have handed a real piece of the flavour-development process to the people who actually eat the cookies.
How does the Chip Instagram flavour vote actually work?
It is deliberately low-tech: a Story poll or a grid post with a handful of flavour directions, and a comments section where people can pitch their own. We are not running a formal survey with a marketing agency behind it — it is closer to asking a room full of regulars what they want to see next, except the room is the @chip.bakehouse following. The options that get the most engagement (votes, comments, and DMs asking "please make this one") make the shortlist for the next development cycle. From there it goes through the same testing process every Chip flavour goes through before it earns a spot in an episode.
Which Episode 7 flavours came from the vote?
The clearest example is Bueno v2. The original Bueno was one of our most-loved cookies, and once it left the lineup we kept getting asked to bring it back — specifically as a brown butter version, which is not how we originally built it. That repeated, specific request is exactly what the vote is designed to surface: not just "bring back Bueno" but a genuine steer on how to bring it back. S'mores and Salted Caramel Ca Phe both grew out of the same Instagram conversation about what a cosy, winter-appropriate brown butter cookie should taste like — toasted marshmallow for comfort, Vietnamese coffee and caramel for something with a bit more bite.
Why let customers help choose the flavours instead of deciding internally?
Because we do not have a monopoly on good ideas, and the people asking us for a brown butter Bueno had a better read on what they actually wanted than we did. Running a monthly episode model already means we are not locked into a static menu — every drop is a chance to try something new without committing to it forever. Opening part of that process to a public vote is a natural extension of that: it lowers the risk of building a flavour nobody was asking for, and it means the people who voted for something have a real stake in the drop when it finally lands.
Does the vote decide everything, or just narrow the shortlist?
Just the shortlist and the direction — not the final recipe. Once a flavour idea has clear community demand behind it, it still goes through the same development process as anything else: dough tests, filling ratios, bake trials, the works. The brown butter base underneath S'mores, Salted Caramel Ca Phe and Bueno v2 took its own round of testing to get right before any of the three flavours were ready to ship — you can read more about what a brown butter cookie actually is and why we built Episode 7 around it. The vote tells us what to try. It does not skip the part where we make sure it is actually good.
Will Chip keep doing flavour votes for future episodes?
Yes — Episode 7 worked well enough that it is now a standing part of how we plan a drop, not a one-off experiment. If you want the full picture of how an episode goes from a blank page to boxes on doorsteps, our behind-the-scenes piece on building an episode covers the rest of the process. In the meantime, the current lineup is live on the build a box page — including the three cookies the community asked for.
Frequently asked questions
How does Chip Bakehouse choose new cookie flavours?
Most flavours start as an internal shortlist tied to an episode theme, but for Episode 7 we opened part of that process to an Instagram vote — asking followers what they wanted to see and reading the comments for specific requests. The flavours with the most demand move into development, where they still go through full dough and filling testing before they make the final lineup.
Which Episode 7 flavours were chosen by the Chip community?
Bueno v2, S'mores and Salted Caramel Ca Phe all grew out of an Instagram conversation with followers, most directly Bueno v2 — a brown butter version of the original Bueno that people had been requesting by name since it left the lineup.
Can I suggest a cookie flavour to Chip Bakehouse?
Yes. Flavour polls and open call-outs go up on @chip.bakehouse on Instagram, usually a few weeks before a new episode launches, and the comments genuinely feed into what gets tested next. DMs with flavour requests are also read, even outside of an active poll.
Does an Instagram vote replace Chip’s recipe testing process?
No. The vote decides which flavour ideas are worth pursuing and roughly which direction to take them in — it does not skip development. Every flavour, voted-for or not, still goes through dough tests, filling trials and bake trials before it is good enough to ship in an episode.
Why did Bueno come back as "Bueno v2" instead of the original recipe?
Because that is specifically what the community asked for. The original Bueno was already a fan favourite, but repeated requests were for a brown butter version rather than a repeat of the original — so Bueno v2 rebuilds the cookie on the same nutty brown butter base as Episode 7's other new flavours, finished with the same Kinder Bueno spread and chocolate that made the original work.
Will Chip run another flavour vote for the next episode?
Yes — after how well it worked for Episode 7, an Instagram vote is now a standing part of how future episodes get planned, not a one-off. Follow @chip.bakehouse to catch the next one before it closes.
What happens to flavour ideas that get votes but do not make the cut?
They do not disappear — ideas that get real engagement but do not fit the current episode's theme are kept in mind for a future drop. The episode model means there is always a next blank page to develop a good idea properly rather than forcing it into a lineup it does not fit.
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