If you’ve been following Chekmark Eats for the last three years or keep up with my Instagram, you know that Chocolate Chip Cookies are my main priority. A little memory here for ya: when I moved to New York, I spent my lunch break searching for the newest cookie to pick up or immediately wandered around on my way home looking for that huge dessert bomb that New York has managed to make the size of a small child’s head. The thing about New York is if you are ever desperate for a cookie, every deli or corner shop has one that can spare you, but the problem is finding the best ones that meet your (or my high) expectations. Over the last couple weeks, I’ve decided to re-research the best cookies in New York and in no particular order here is what we are working with now people.
- Levain Bakery (UWS): Chocolate Chip Walnut has always been my favorite here and in New York, but recently I was a bit disappointed by the overwhelming amount of nuts to chocolate ratio. The Chocolate Peanut Butter still cracks a smile though.
- Maman (SoHo): One of the newest chocolate chip cookies to the game is downtown at a cute coffee shop and bakery that you can sit down at. The cookies are the same price as Levain ($4), have that same chocolate chunk and soft texture but just a tad less gooey. The chocolate is melted though which is a plus.
- Jacques Torres (Multiple Locations): This is definitely my wild card on the list. I’ve never been a big fan, but I recently had one for dinner and then a second for breakfast because I couldn’t stay away. The cookie is paper thin but has a big enough layer to offer a doughy texture. The chocolate pieces are the biggest of the list.
- Molly’s Cupcakes (West Village): The chocolate chip is good here, but it’s the peanut butter cookie that wins. It’s soft with crunchy edges and you’ll have no problem polishing this off.
- Maison Kayser (Flatiron and Uptown):The chocolate chocolate chunk is amazing. It tastes like a giant brownie and the chips are soft.
- Toby’s Coffee Shop (Flatiron and West Village): The treats at this coffee shop range from cookies to doughnuts. The peanut butter cookie fits in the palm of your hand is a go-to mid-afternoon work snack for me.
- Little Cupcake Bakeshop (Nolita): Their banana chocolate chip vegan cookie is soft like pie and lighter flavor.
- Eleni’s (Chelsea Market): The cookies here are not my usual doughy go-to’s, but their butterscotch chip crunchy cookie can’t be found anywhere else in the city. This is also a nut free bakery for those with allergies.
- Hu Kitchen (Union Square): While their crack bar is my favorite dessert here filled with coconut, their mini paleo chocolate chip cookies can get the job done if you have diet restrictions.
- Breads Bakery (Union Square): Bread’s might offer the best quality of chocolate in their chocolate chip cookies because they have milk and dark chocolate. It’s a great standard cookie, but nothing beats their babka.
- Davey’s Ice Cream (East Village): While their cookies ’n cream ice cream is my favorite flavor, you can also buy chocolate chip cookies or even make it a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich.
- Insomnia Cookies (Multiple Locations): This is as close to a standard cookie as you can get, sort of like Nestle Tollhouse. Sometimes you just need something simple. I like their M&M or their jumbo chocolate chip with peanut butter. However, the best thing their is their brownie which is extremely soft, chocolatey and almost like a giant piece of cake.
- Momofuku Milk Bar (Multiple Locations): While the compost cookie with pretzels, potato chips and coffee has always been a loved one, the funfetti birthday cake cookie and truffles cannot be missed.
- Schmackary’s (Hell’s Kitchen): This cute bakery near several of the Broadway Shows has an enormous amount of flavors to choose from with icing. Go for the corn cookie .
- Hay Rosie (Brooklyn): This ice cream shop is known for their creative and seasonal flavors like Lemon Bar, Brownie Brickle Crunch and Chocolate Cashew Pretzel Pudding. However, if you want something full of cookie flavor, they have the BarnBurner which is a massive cookie dough mound that encompasses and ice cream scoop of your choice and then all squeezed and heated up in a waffle maker. I was a little thrown off because I thought it was going to be cooked a little bit or crispy like a cookie, but it’s straight up cookie dough and something I’ve never seen before!
Bonus:
If you ever make it to my hometown Houston, Texas. Common Bond a new bakery in Montrose has amazing chocolate chip cookies and Tiny Boxwoods, a cute lunch spot has the best homemade tasting one that I think I’ve ever gotten from outside of my house.
Maman’s Chocolate Chip Cookie