The 14 best cookies in NYC (2024)

The 14 best cookies in NYC (1)

We followed the cookie crumbs to find a dozen of the most unique and delicious takes on the classic treat.

Written by

Victoria Marin
&
Time Out contributors

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Cookies and milk aren’t just for kids—and the best cookies in NYC are proof. Freshly baked at the city’s best coffee shops and bakeries, NYC’s most beloved cookiesinclude elegant crinkle wafers, old-school black-and-white roundsand homey, familiar chocolate chips. These aren’t just some of New York’s finest cookies—they are some of the very best desserts in NYC.

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The 14 best cookies in NYC (3)

Clinton St. Baking Company - Time Out Market
  • Restaurants
  • American
  • DUMBO

Order absolutely delicious chocolate chunk cookies from Clinton St. Baking Company.

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Best cookies in NYC

Photograph: Courtesy of Orwashers
1.Black and White at Orwashers
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Upper West Side
  • price 1 of 4

Is there a more iconic NYC cookie than the classic black-and-white? Orwashers’ take looks just like any other version–a perfectly round cookie-cake frosted with equal parts black and white icing–but the balance of rich frosting and citrusy-buttery cake here makes theirs stand head and shoulders above the rest.

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Photograph: Courtesy of The Good Batch
2.Brown Butter Salty at The Good Batch

If you don’t love chocolate but you do have an affinity for the rich and buttery dough that usually lives in between the chocolate chips, this sweet-and-salty offering from famed Brooklyn outpost The Good Batch will surely become a fast favorite.

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Photograph: Time Out/ Ali Garber
3.Dark Chocolate Explosion at Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery

Umber Ahmad’s treat is almost more of a brownie: It’s perfectly chewy and soft. Prepared with confectioners’ sugar, the crackling powder coat resembles fresh snow, and the whole thing is not overpoweringly sweet.

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The 14 best cookies in NYC (7)

Stuffed with pineapple jam and topped with shredded lime, this subtle-yet-commanding dessert is an ideal pairing with the Taiwanese teas that are the specialty of this intimate shop.

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The 14 best cookies in NYC (8)

This coffee shop’s chocolate-chip cookies, which are freshly baked throughout the day, are a case study: crisp outside and buttery inside, with just the right amount of chocolate.

Photograph: Time Out / Ali Garber
6.Nutty Chocolate Chip at Maman

Stuffed with macadamias, almonds, walnuts, French chocolate and sea salt, this cookie has the ideal ratio of crunchy to craggly, oozing bites. No wonder Oprah once named it one of her favorite things.

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7.Chocolate Chip at Saraghina Bakery
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Bedford-Stuyvesant
  • price 1 of 4

The long-standing debate amongst chocolate chip cookie connoisseurs boils down to a simple argument – chewy versus crispy. Brooklyn favorite Saraghina has figured out how to represent both sides and come out on top: the edges are crunchy and the middle is soft. Even better, the ratio of batter to chips is exquisitely balanced.

Photograph: Time Out/ Ali Garber
8.Chocolate Chip Walnut at Levain Bakery

Although most revered for their standard chocolate chip cookie, the real star at Levain is the version that includes walnuts. The original Upper West Side location still commands lines for its decadent, shareable confections that could almost be mistaken for scones—except the six-ounce cookies are fluffier and richer.

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Photograph: Time Out / Ali Garber
9.Morning Gloria at Ciao, Gloria

Despite its name, this cookie can be eaten at any time of day. It’s a play on morning-glory muffins, masquerading as an earthy dessert that’s topped with shredded carrots for some colorful pizzaz. Eat your veggies and delight your sweet tooth at the same time!

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Photograph: Courtesy Chip City
10.Red Velvet Hot Chocolate at Chip City
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • West Village

This specialis warm and gooey. Like all of Chip City’s selections, it’s also utterly decadent and big enough to share.

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Photograph: Time Out / Ali Garber
11.Salted Peanut Butter Cookie at Ovenly

Gluten- and dairy-free,this cookie isa perfect blend of cakey and creamy. Ovenly has also figured out the perfect volume of sea salt flakes to sprinkle on top.

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12.Quesito at Cindy Lou’s Cookies
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Midtown West

The competition is fierce within Cindy Lou’s cookie catalog – which includesadozen cheeky options like Cap’n Crunch and Funfetti – but the Quesito is a clear stand out in the crowd. Based on the classic combo of guava jam and cream cheese made famous in Miami, it’s unlike any other cookie found in NYC: it’s an incredibly decadent combo of sweet, tart, fruity, creamy, gooey and crunchy all at the same time

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Photograph: Time Out / Ali Garber
13.Tahini Chocolate Chunk at The Good Batch

This chocolate chip cookie has anutty and slightly salty undertone that’s impossible to get enough ofand there’s a surprising savory note from the tahini that will linger in your daydreams for days after your last bite.

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Have a chocolate craving?

Photograph: Courtesy Jacqueline Clair
Check out the best chocolate shops in NYC
  • Restaurants

From bonbons to truffles and ganaches, find the best chocolate shop in NYC to indulge your sweet tooth

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    The 14 best cookies in NYC (2024)

    FAQs

    What cookie is NYC known for? ›

    The Story Behind The Cookie That Became A New York Institution. Baking hobbyists Pam Weekes & Connie McDonald started Levain to sell fresh-baked breads. In 1995, they whipped up a batch of big chocolate chip walnut cookies, and their neighborhood shop became so much more.

    How to get the La Mercerie cookie? ›

    You can order the La Mercerie cookie (if they're not sold out) as a post-meal dessert at the restaurant—or, if you're anything like me, just get there when they open and snag some cookie takeout.

    What is the number one cookie in the world? ›

    Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

    How many Levain locations are there? ›

    Levain was founded in 1995 by friends Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald, who began baking chocolate chip cookies to fuel their triathlon training. Over the years, the company has expanded to twelve (and counting!)

    What is the 1 cookie in the US? ›

    America's favorite cookie and the one dubbed “the American cookie” is the Chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate chip cookie is simply tantalizing both in flavor and in texture. The chips of both milk and dark chocolate provide you with a rich and strong flavor while the butter makes the cookies velvety.

    What cake is New York famous for? ›

    Besides Cheesecake, many other sweet treats were invented in New York City, such as Jell-O, Blackout Cake, Chocolate Fondue, and even Key Lime Pie!

    How much is a mercerie cookie? ›

    It's only $6 so a total steal 💖 We talked to La Mercerie, the French restaurant in Soho, and they said they used to only make 24 cookies per day. After someone shared about it on TikTok it exploded. Now they're making 66 per day, since that's all their mixer can hold 😂

    How do you get a chewy cookie? ›

    Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

    What is the biggest selling cookie brand? ›

    First introduced in the U.S. in 1912, Oreo has become the world's top selling cookie and is enjoyed in more than 100 countries. In markets around the world, Oreo comes in surprising local flavors, like blueberry and green tea ice cream, and fun shapes and forms.

    What's the healthiest cookie to eat? ›

    10+ Healthy Cookies That You Can Eat Every Day
    1. No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies. ...
    2. Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies. ...
    3. Flourless Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies. ...
    4. Flourless Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. ...
    5. Healthy No Sugar Banana Cookies. ...
    6. Flourless Oatmeal Cookies With Chocolate Chunks. ...
    7. 10-Minute Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies.
    Nov 2, 2021

    Who is the best cookie baker? ›

    Dorie Greenspan is quite possibly the world's best cookie maker. She has been baking ― with a serious interest in cookies ― for over 30 years.

    Should I refrigerate levain cookies? ›

    Fair warning: never store your cookies in the refrigerator or use a microwave to reheat them!

    What is New York's favorite cookie? ›

    Freshly baked at the city's best coffee shops and bakeries, NYC's most beloved cookies include elegant crinkle wafers, old-school black-and-white rounds and homey, familiar chocolate chips. These aren't just some of New York's finest cookies—they are some of the very best desserts in NYC.

    Where does Starbucks get their croissants from? ›

    And it wants to be made in small batches.” We were discussing the news that had electrified anyone who knows good pastry: last June, Starbucks paid $100 million for La Boulange, a San Francisco bakery with pastries and food that people definitely find respectable.

    Why are black-and-white cookies famous in NYC? ›

    The black-and-white cookie was among the original recipes used by Glaser's Bake Shop. By the post-war period, black-and-white cookies had become part of American Ashkenazi Jewish culinary repertoire, deeply rooted in the Jewish communities of New York City and elsewhere around the United States.

    What is the most popular Girl Scout cookie in New York? ›

    Top Girl Scout cookie in New York State: Thin Mints

    However, following close behind is the Samoa with 22 percent. The least popular cookie is Do-si-dos with 11 percent. When looking into each county in New York State, the differences are striking.

    Why are Levain cookies famous? ›

    Triathletes on the side, Pam & Connie whipped up a massive chocolate chip walnut cookie to keep energy levels high for training. A sample batch flew off the bakery shelves, and an icon was born. Our cozy shop became a neighborhood favorite and a destination for epicurious travelers from around the world.

    Which cookie was invented in Chelsea NYC? ›

    Chelsea Market was constructed in the 1890s and was originally the site of the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) factory complex where the Oreo cookie was invented and produced.

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