There are several different breeds of cookie lovers on this earth. First we have the people that like soft, gooey, borderline-raw cookies. Then we have the people that like thin, crispy, might-as-well-be-wood-chip cookies. And in between, lies the group of people who like soft, warm cookies, but prefer not to contract salmonella or chomp on dry crisps that immediately turn to crumbs. If you couldn't guess, I fall in this middle category. However, I still belong to the group known as "everyone" who cannot turn down cookie dough (which has become an entirely separate genre of its own, so we'll save that for later).
I've made a significant dent in the NYC cookie scene, so here's a list of all the spots I've hit ranked from best to worst (all a matter of opinion of course).
1. Chip NYC
As big of a pain as it is to trek all the way out to Astoria, Chip NYC makes it worth the trip. Like most NYC bakeries and cookie shops, this place is TINY, but don't let that fool you, because the cookies are top notch.
Pictured as the featured photo of this article is their s'mores cookie, which is gooey and very satisfying for chocolate lovers and marshmallow lovers alike. But surprisingly, this wasn't my favorite cookie that I tried. Instead, it was the oatmeal apple pie cookie (pictured left) followed by the blueberry cheesecake cookie (pictured below).
The oatmeal apple pie totally does justice to its name with the perfect balance of oatmeal and cinnamon apple flavor. And I was actually surprised by how much I loved the blueberry cheesecake and the tang that came from the cheesecake filling.
As you can probably guess, what makes these cookies a standout is the fillings that the majority of them have. It really adds to the experience, especially when eating them warm.
Chip has been consistently swamped with customers since they opened at the beginning of the summer, but they're actually doing a great job attempting to keep up with their overwhelming demand. Their rotating menu of cookies can be a little upsetting if you go in and don't find your favorite cookie that day, but they now make sure to post their flavors for any given day on Instagram, which is super helpful if you're like me and prefer not to be surprised.
2. Schmackary's
Schmackary's holds a special place in my heart for being the first cookie spot I ever went to in the city. I loved it so much that I've been back three times. With that being said, I wish I could say I've tasted every cookie on the menu or something impressive like that, but I've actually gotten the same cookie (usually at least 2 at a time) at each visit: the funfetti frosted cookie.
I don't know what it is about this cookie that's so addicti----oh wait, there's frosting on it. The surprise here is that it's actually cream cheese frosting. But the cream cheese is so subtle that you don't even notice it. It controls the sweetness just enough that you can have 2, or even 3 of these massive cookies without feeling sick from the sugar. And as you can see below, 2 or 3 of these cookies is a lot to handle....
Now unfortunately I've never been able to get one of their cookies warm in store, but I did take them home once to heat them up before eating, and WOW did that make a difference. If you have a way to eat these heated, that's the way to go. I also have a secret source (my best friend) who says both the dumpster (mix of oreo, funfetti, and other ingredients that I forget) and chocolate peppermint frosted cookies are also delicious.
3. BESFREN
White chocolate chip cookies are my #1 weakness. That's why although BESFREN only sells three types of cookies, they still come in at number 3 on my list. These three cookies are oatmeal raisin, triple chocolate chunk, and the aforementioned white chocolate macadamia, and they are all monster sized.
White chocolate chip cookies are way too hard to come by these days, so I'll probably have to riot if BESFREN ever stops selling theirs. It's crispy on the edges, and soft on the inside, exactly how a cookie should be. But the most important thing here, and the thing that puts BESFREN above so many other places is that they can heat them up for you. HALLELUJAH.
Don't believe me? Take a look at the toasted macadamia nuts on this cookie and then get back to me once you stop drooling.
4. Ben's Cookies
Make way New Yorkers, the Queen has arrived. Okay not really, but Ben's Cookies did originate in England, making their cookies something a little different from what we're used to seeing.
Ben's uses chunks instead of chips, and as fantastic as that sounds, some of their cookies end up having just one or two of these chocolate/peanut butter/whatever flavor globs that just don't do it for me. If only there were more of them, then I would be totally satisfied because the cookies themselves are soft and really tasty. I will say, however, that the peanut butter cookie was fantastic and I would've had ten of them if I could.
It's also notable the prices here are super reasonable and the staff is awesome. The guy working when I went threw in some extra cookies for us, so that's always a bonus.
5. Levain Bakery
Person: "Who has the best cookie in NYC?"
Everyone: "LEVAIN BAKERY. OH MY GOD!!!!!!!"
Me: "Absolutely not.
So here's the deal, I gave Levain two chances: one to blow me away like everyone said it should, and one to redeem itself after that didn't happen. And to my misfortune, and I mean that quite literally because these cookies are expensive, it failed both times.
The first time I went, was for the infamous chocolate chip walnut cookie that everyone goes bezerk over. I will give them props for making these cookies worth the price (IF you like them) because they are heavy as hell.
So I buy three of these cookies expecting them to be life-changing, rush to the nearest park, get my phone out to record my friend breaking the first one open, and I am greeted by a glob of mush (see above). I understand these cookies are supposed to be gooey, but these were way past the point of gooey. Aside from being a complete mess, they were just not enjoyable at all because of how much effort it took to eat them and because all I could taste was the chocolate. No cookie.
Despite how disappointed I was with these cookies, I gave Levain another chance. This time I went for the oatmeal raisin and was let down yet again. I don't know how they can call this an oatmeal cookie, because the oatmeal flavor was almost nonexistent. It wasn't a bad cookie per say, but I was really annoyed with the lack of oatmeal and that I just spent another $3.75 on one of these massive cookies that aren't enjoyable.
6. Milk and Cookies Bakery
What is the only thing worse than cookies that are complete mush? Cookies that are hard as a rock.
I was super amped to go to Milk and Cookies Bakery for one of their massive cookie ice cream sandwich that I had heard so much about. I went with mocha chip ice cream between two sugar cookies and my friend went with mint chocolate chip ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies.
The sugar cookies were extremely firm, so it was impossible to eat this the way you'd traditionally eat an ice cream sandwich by biting into it. I had to kinda go back and forth between breaking off pieces of the cookie and eating the ice cream, which was also extremely hard and not very good, with a spoon. No one wants a cookie that crumbles to pieces when you try to bite into it, but that's what this was.
I will say that my friend's chocolate chip cookies were definitely less crumbly than mine, so that's a positive. I also want to point out that I went here back in 2015, and they seem to have done a lot of product revamping since then, so I'm definitely willing to give Milk and Cookies another shot.
