Best Chocolate Chip Cookies 🍪 Austin, Texas

    The one thing I am the most passionate about in life (sadly or sweetly?) is cookies…chocolate chip to be exact. It’s the one thing I am always in search for wherever I am living or traveling. They can be just as disappointing as rewarding, and there really is an art to them depending on the ratio of sugar to butter, amount of salt, type, and even cut of chocolate. Just to get things straight, while I do love ice cream equally, it’s much harder to find a promising cookie. If not for anything, at least CVS and Whole Foods carry Talenti ice cream when you are desperate, but you can’t always count on finding a cookie.

    I am always in search of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in Austin. One week, I did a taste test with 5 cookies side by side all in one day- actually all in one minute to find the best chocolate chip cookie available in this town (plate below).  I have since added a few more as more chef’s have rolled into town. Here is my checklist: I look for a little sweetness and richness in the dough followed by melted chocolate chips that are spread out enough so that chocolate is in every bite– but not the ONLY bite. I want  doughiness in the middle and sea salt on top. Plus maybe a little crisp around the edges. I fooled myself with my findings, and I bet you will, too!

    #1 Underrated Chocolate Chip Cookie: Ă©picerie

    It’s the biggest surprise to me, too! This is a restaurant and not even a dedicated cookie bakery. I can’t be the only cookie connoisseur in town, but I will say,  I haven’t heard anyone talk about these cookies and they looked perfect upon arrival. A doughy rise right in the center that is higher than the rest of the cookie and full of melted chips through out each bite. It tastes more gourmet than a homemade cookie, and it’s a mix of  little fluffy to a little crumbly ratio. Each pillowy bite is full of happiness and the only thing I could possibly alter would be to have the edges cooked one second longer. Other than that, I am sold on looks, taste, and performance! Another tip is to try their Sprinkle/ Funfetti looking sugar cookie. It’s the same consistency but without chocolate.

    Best Sea-Salt Cookie: Swedish Hill 

    Swedish Hill has some of the best Chocolate Chip Cookies in town, and there’s nothing splitting one with your lunch date after a yummy meal from their delicious menu. If you’re lucky and arrive when they are fresh, every bite is gooey with the perfect amount of chocolate topped with sea salt.

    Best Gooey Cookie: ThoroughBread

    I love this tiny local bakery tucked away in Zilker. I’ll never forget my first bite of these cookies. I tried the Peanut Butter & Jelly, Banana Nutella, and Chocolate Chip after a boxing class and was in heaven. The thickness of the cookie mixed with the melted chocolate inside is a combination we can only dream of when searching for the best cookie. Every person I give these to loves it and everyone has a different favorite. The Banana Nutella is fascinating, but of course, I’m a classic chocolate chip lover. These are pretty dense, but so good you’ll fool yourself into thinking you can’t eat the whole thing in one sitting. (Pictured above and below)

     

    Best Grab and Go: Henbit
    While Henbit’s brick-and-mortar closed, Whole Foods still sells their delicious and thick chocolate chip cookies!

    Best Gluten-Free Cookie: Teddy V. Patisserie

    I love how hard baker Elisia works and promotes her brand. She sells at the Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller every Sunday. Her cookies are also gigantic like Henbit and ThoroughBread yet she is the only one that offers a gluten-free option. I think her chocolate is different though and that is what stands out to me! She is doing delivery now

    Best Everyday Cookie: Tiny Boxwoods

    Tiny Boxwood is a place I discovered in my hometown Houston. While I wish I could give this spot to a  local only spot, this chocolate chip cookie is perfect for all ages and sizes. It’s the right amount of gooeyness to melted chocolate, and it makes for a nice everyday cookie- not too intense or large. It’s more buttery and sugary than Epicerie and tastes like it just came out of the oven. This cookie is addicting and falls apart in your hand. Think of it as more of an upscale Nestle Tollhouse version and intsy bit thicker. I do need to say that their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream is INSANE.

    Best Food Truck: The Bearded Baking Company

    This cookie is WILD! It’s located at a food truck at Still Austin Whiskey distillery in the St. Elmo neighborhood. It’s so random, and I love it so much. I first tried this when I was hanging out with a friend here and she ran into a group of 10 men who had every cookie at their table. I was so distracted why there were cookies at a whiskey place, and when he offered me one my heart sank. You bet I took this from a stranger. I loved this cookie which has a million chocolate chips in it as you can see, but it’s baked to the perfect texture.

    Most Creative: Kellie’s Baking Co.

    Kellie’s is for the person that loves crispy edges and bars. The signature Suffed Cookie is soft inside with explosions of your choice of peanut butter chocolate, s’mores with melted chocolate chunks and marshmallow, or Twix. It’s heartier than a cookie and offers all kinds of textures. If you like the ends of things, or a cookie that is a little gooey but also chewy this is for you. They also have a Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip that is sticky, crunchy, and yum!

    Best Trail Mix Cookie: June’s All Day

    While not a traditional bakery, June’s All Day is a neighborhood cafe and bar that has an incredible bakeshop counter with items such as bialys, coffee cake, crueller doughnuts, and my little gem–the Monster Cookie. Loaded with M&M’s, pretzels, peanuts, and chocolate chips, I love this cookie as much as a traditional chocolate chip for a day when you want to mix it up. The soft M&M’s matched with the crunchy pretzels give those who aren’t dying for a sugar bomb a smile.

     

    Not a Chocolate Chip Cookie: Capital City Bakery

    This was the first bakery I tried when I moved back to Austin from New York at a friend’s birthday party with their incredible banana carrot cake that happens to be gluten free which blew my mind. The Rainbow Sprinkle Cookie Sandwich is the most outrageous and beautiful looking treat that anyone would want to get their hands on. The cookie is soft with a medium thickness, and the frosting layer is the right amount of thickness and sweetness. They are open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

     

    Best Restaurant Cookies: Elementary

    Elementary on South Lamar serves a variety of global cuisines with a nostalgic twist. Obviously I think the best way to end a delightful dinner is a plate of cookies and these are made with brown butter miso and a warm glass of milk for those who love a good dunk. They sink easily right into your teeth, topped with sea salt, and are really chocolatey made with Valrhona which is my chocolate chip of choice.

    Best Grocery Store Cookie: Royal Blue Grocery

    Royal Blue Grocery has plenty of locations all over town that make it easy to run in and grab a sparking water, chocolate bar, or in my case a fresh homemade cookie that I was at first skeptical about but it looked my style, so I went for it. I ventured in one night after dinner at Fukumoto to find a sweet treat. I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious their Chocolate Chip Cookie was! It’s soft, perfectly sea-salty, and almost seemed to be made with browned butter. I think it’s now in my top 5 “everyday” cookie list next time I need a doughy fix.

    Best Food Truck Cookie: Bésame 

    Parked at Meanwhile Brewing, Bésame is a family owned Ice Cream truck, and they have one cookie on the menu, too! The Bésame Mucho has everything and more than you could imagine inside a cookie—chocolate chips, butterscotch, pecans, potato chips (you heard that right), coffee, marshmallows, and oats! The sweet and salty combo really seals the deal. They also have some of the yummiest ice cream in town by the scoop or the pint. 

    Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cooke: Celeste’s Best

    I first had Celeste’s Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie at Bouldin Creek Cafe. I originally discovered it exploring the aisles of Tiny Grocer (they sell the edible cookie dough), so I had to try the baked version! This cookie somehow tastes buttery (but no butter), and is the midweek treat I’m looking for when I don’t want to overindulge.

    Best Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich: The Baked Bear

    The Baked Bear is my go-to for ice cream cookie sandwiches. It’s a fam-friendly spot in Seaholm Plaza. They have a blue Cookie Monster ice cream that kids go crazy for, a yummy mint ice cream and sea salt caramel that I am wild about, and solid cookies to make it an ice cream sandwich.

    Best Local Cookie Delivery: Scull House Sweets 

    I love this little cottage bakery because the founder, Ryn, started during the pandemic and makes such incredible desserts. While you might think the salted chocolate chip would be my favorite, the Norma Jean is my fave—it’s filled with coconut and corn flakes. She also makes cookie cakes which is a game-changer, perfect for a birthday party.  (P.S. Her cookies are the ones on my website homepage). You can find her treats at Texas Farmer’s Market at Mueller on Sunday’s and she also offers custom orders.

    The OG Austin Cookie: Tiff’s Treats
    A note about our on demand local delivery cookie shop! I over indulged on these almost everyday in college. I used to love their M&M and Snickerdoodle, but I do have the say, the best thing they make are their Chocolate Chip Brownies!