Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Cookie Heaven

So, I've never had much of a sweet tooth. I mean, I love cookies and desserts as much as the next person, but I don't get cravings for things of that nature as much as I get cravings for chicken marsala.

But this bakery...ohh this bakery. The Levain Bakery basically changed the way I think about cookies. I scoff when I see little puny cookies sold in other bakeries and on the shelves of the supermarkets. I mean, I still eat them, because hello, they're cookies, but I scoff while I eat them. As anyone can clearly tell, the size of the cookies alone is impressive (my mom first thought she was looking at muffins when I showed her this picture).



I think it's fitting that this be my first post of a place actually in NYC. It's a place that you would pass right by if you didn't know it was there, since you have to go down half a flight of stairs to access the entrance. It's a tiny place, and it doesn't claim to be anything other than a haven for cookie lovers. But these small, unassuming places that deliver the goods are exactly the kinds of places I want to frequent....the hidden gems of the city (not that this gem is so secret. Their website has a video of when they were featured on Oprah. But really, any publicity the Levain Bakery receives is completely justified).


I hope the picture above depicts the magnificent size and texture of this dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookie, so large that even splitting it with someone means eating the equivalent of two average size cookies. The peanut butter chips were gooey and punctuated every bite, and the inside was incredibly moist and rich. Conclusion: I would choose this cookie over chicken marsala, and for me that is really saying a lot.

Thanks for reading!
Julie