Ah, the chocolate chip cookie. It’s one of the easiest cookies to bake, but one of the hardest to get perfect. Then there are the preferences — milk or dark chocolate? chewy or cakey? soft or crunchy?
New York City is home to hundreds of bakeries. New York City cookies are famous. But today, on this most blessed of days — National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day — we only care about one aspect: how good is their chocolate chip cookie?
To satisfy your craving and celebrate this baking time hero, here are some of NYC’s top chocolate chip cookie shops and where to find them:
Perhaps the most well-known cookie joint among New Yorkers is the massive Levain OG; the Chocolate Chip Walnut. A legacy status symbol, these scone-shaped cookies are no joke and have spawned dozens of copycat recipes.
The size of a planet, yet baked to perfection. Levain’s melt in your mouth masterpieces really must be consumed to be believed. They really could be the best cookie in New York City…maybe even the world?
Note: there are 6 NYC locations to curb your sweet tooth, including the original on 74th street — but Boston, D.C. and Chicago are just a few of their other spots!
For a more traditional chocolate chip, find a Culture Espresso and grab coffee and a cookie. Midtown Manhattan lays claim to two spots where you can find these award-winning chocolate chip cookies. They’re soft, thin, and super chocolate-y.
Christina Tosi’s confections veer a bit off the beaten path, but we’re still counting the Compost Cookie. It’s a vanilla-based cookie with chocolate chips, but it’s also chock-full of pretzels, potato chips, graham crackers, coffee, oats, and butterscotch. It’s as if a chocolate chip cookie got into a scuffle with the entire snack aisle — a sweet and salty paradise.
The flagship’s on Broadway, but there are 7 NYC locations, plus a few in other major cities.
Get your late night fix! The Insomnia Chocolate Chunk comes with ooey-gooey milk chocolate in a thin, classic-looking cookie. Open until 3am, Insomnia Cookies is the choice for groups of friends or visitors to NYC. They offer vegan and gluten-free options for chocolate lovers.
With 200+ locations in the US, you’re sure to stumble upon one just where and when you need it.
With a name like that, you can be sure you’re in for a treat. GOTI prides themselves on their ooey-gooey textures. Chef Kafi’s quest for a flawless chocolate chip cookie results in a golden brown delight with rich dark chips, milk chocolate chips, and chunks of dark chocolate.
Humongous, thin, and crackled like the top of a brownie, these are decadent. Made with 60% Belgian Dark Chocolate baking discs, this is less of a cookie and more of a vehicle for chocolate. No complaints from us.
Get ‘em at the original DUMBO location or pick them at Grand Central Station for the train ride home.
This bakery is known for its range of flavors (75+), but there’s a reason The Classic will never leave the menu. Gourmet chocolate chunks and a hint of coarse sea salt round out this supremely balanced sweet treat.
