Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship: The Downtown Edition
Posted by Carey Jones, Nov 23, 2009 during 10:00 AM

[Photos: Robyn Lee]

Moving Onto The Next Round:
Roasting Plant

Dessert Club Chikalicious

The Midtown Edition >>

The Uptown Edition >>

The Mission >>
We’ve left uptown. We’ve roamed a streets of Midtown. And now, we’re eating a approach by reduce Manhattan in poke of a many appropriate chocolate thinly cut cookie. After a couple of rough taste-offs, expelling a couple of from a pack, we’ve finished a blind taste-test of a the a single preferred cookies south of Union Square.

The contenders: Milk as good as Cookies, Insomnia Bakery, Jack’s Stir Brew, Bouley Bakery, Balthazar, Dessert Club, Paradis To Go, Roasting Plant, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, as good as a Downtown Cookie Company.

The good, a burnt, as good as a gooey, after a jump.

The Crumbly Cookie

The emporium smells incredible. The cookies come from a jar. They cost usually fifty cents. But that’s flattering many all we adore about a chocolate thinly cut cookies from Sugar Sweet Sunshine upon a Lower East Side. “Dried-out.” “Bland as good as unmemorable.” Most explanation comment? “Why have been we perplexing to diversion this tasting with Chips Ahoy?”

Sugar Sweet Sunshine: 126 Rivington Street (b/n Essex as good as Norfolk; map); 212-995-1960; sugarsweetsunshine.com

The Candy Shop Cookie

I’ve had ideally juicy cookies from NYU stoner tyro cookie smoothness use Insomnia Cookies, yet for a single of dual reasons: one, it was 2:00am, we was ravenous, as good as a slimey cookie was all we wanted; two, it was loyal out of a warming tray. It’s tough to conflict a confection so prohibited it hurts your fingers. But a couple of mins out of a oven as good as these chocolate-chip cookies uncover their loyal colors: general as good as unmemorable. “Processed.” “Huge chunks of low-quality chocolate.” “Sickly sweet.” Some mutation as good as chewiness points, yet which was about all.

Insomnia Cookies: 50 West 8th Street (b/n 6th Avenue as good as MacDougal; map); 212-228-2373; insomniacookies.com

The Baker’s Giants

Balthazar creates a single intimidating chocolate thinly cut cookie: “This looks big, bad, as good as mean!” a single taster wrote. We’re fans of crispy edges, yet no a single loves a dry cookie. “It’s similar to a too-thick, too-baked general Toll House.” “I similar to a crust… yet do not similar to which a total cookie is crust.” Ed’s comment? “Mmm… burnt walnut.”

Balthazar: 80 Spring Street (b/n West Broadway as good as Crosby; map); 212-965-1785; balthazarny.com

Equally imposing, yet somewhat reduction dry, was a chocolate thinly cut cookie from Bouley Bakery. “Great chocolate, yet a tiny as good burnt upon a burnt-crispy spectrum.” Though it got softer over in, a interior was some-more “cakey” or “bready” than gooey. Consensus? A plain cookie, yet sadly overbaked.

Bouley Bakery: 120 West Broadway (at Duane Street; map); 212-219-1011; davidbouley.com

Two Delicious, Not-Quite-Chocolate-Chip Cookies

The chocolate thinly cut cookies from Milk as good as Cookies had utterly a couple of outspoken fans, who desired their hardness (gooey chocolate, soothing interior, crispy edges) as good as buttery, chocolatey taste. But with some-more than a spirit of oat in a batter, it usually wasn’t a chocolate thinly cut cookie we were forgetful of.

Milk as good as Cookies: nineteen Commerce Street (b/n Seventh Avenue as good as Bedford; map); 212-243-1640; milkandcookiesbakery.com‎

The undiluted cookie combination endowment competence go to Jack’s Stir Brew in a West Village as good as during a South Street Seaport, a coffee emporium which bakes these soft, manageably-sized beauties any day. Essentially, a coffee lovers precious these cookies, as good as a reduction coffee-inclined did not. The pros: “Intriguing! we adore a brilliance of a batter—dark, roughly similar to pecan cake filling.” “Pleasantly chewy, undiluted edges, tainted contrast.” But others balked during a relations skip of chocolate—and with which (we believe) spirit of coffee in a batter, it wouldn’t win a classical choco-chip cookie competition. (Even yet this bard will be behind for a couple of more!)

Jack’s Stir Brew: 138 West 10th Street (b/n Waverly as good as Greenwich; map); 212-929-0821; jacksstirbrew.com

The Cookies of My Childhood Dreams

If we were 7 years aged with a outrageous play of cookie dough, I’d substantially emanate huge pancake-sized cookies which resembled those from Paradis To Go. (Which competence insist a 6 elementary-schoolers upon Razor scooters we tripped over upon a approach out.) Thick in a center as good as dramatically thinner upon a edges—almost similar to a bell bend of a cookie—these cookies upheld a soft-and-crunchy exam with drifting colors. “Perfect chocolate: abounding yet not bitter.” “Crispy edges, soothing middle.” Ed favourite a purify season as good as crunch. But others sensed as good many sugarine (”So sweet, we can frequency keep eating”) or as good tiny salt (”This tastes… flat.”).

Paradis To Go: 114 Fourth Avenue (at East 12th Street; map); 646-416-6709; paradistogo.com

What we desired about a contestants from Downtown Cookie Company, sole during Joe a Art of Coffee: they tasted usually similar to a initial theatre of chocolate thinly cut cookies, when you’re creaming a butter as good as sugar, as good as competence be vanilla, yet a eggs as good as flour have been nowhere in sight. As a cookie mix fanatic, we could assimilate twelve of these in a sitting. Others agreed: “I adore a soft, thick, middle.” “Buttery bliss.” More upon a dough: “Throw it in a little Ben & Jerry’s, as good as you’re great to go.” It didn’t ambience all which many similar to a chocolate thinly cut cookie: “snickerdoodle,” “sugar cookie,” as good as “straight-up dough” were a couple of of a comments. But as a coffee companion, we’d eat it any day.

Downtown Cookie Company,at dual locations of Joe a Art of Coffee: 405 West 23rd Street (map), 212-206-0669; 9 East 13th Street (map), 212-924-7400

Ooey-Gooey Deliciousness

“From where?” was a reply when we denounced a temperament of a treats from Roasting Plant Coffee. We hadn’t attempted them prior to a Downtown preliminaries. But these ideally chewy cookies stirred an comprehensive coming out from Adam (”These have been incredible! These have been a revelation!”) upon initial taste. The rest of a judges were scarcely as eager (”These win a slimey award!” “Crisp as good as ethereal edges which a others didn’t have.” “Stops usually reduced of as good buttery.” “I could eat these all day.”) A couple of tasters found them as good sweet, or as good gooey, yet they were distant outnumbered by a thumbs forked up. Bonus? It’s open twenty-four hours.

Roasting Plant Coffee, dual locations: 75 Greenwich Avenue (map); 81 Orchard Street (map), 212-775-7755

The Classy, Chocolatey Winners

We’re Dessert Club fans, so it wasn’t as good startling to watch these chocolate thinly cut cookies shelve up a soap-box reviews. “The gooeyness of a chocolate gives it a undiluted texture.” “I adore how it’s woven in as good as swirly.” “Soft, chewy, crisp.” “You get a buttery, a salt, as good as a sweet.”

The usually dissenters were those who suspicion which a chocolate dominated a rest of a cookie. (And Adam, who sensed an irregular “Twizzler aftertaste.”) But for many of a tasters, a chocolate wasn’t a bad thing.

Dessert Club Chickalicious: 204 East 10th Street (b/n First as good as Second Avenues; map); 212-475-0929; dessertclubchikalicious.com

Moving On
So we’ll have Dessert Club as good as a Roasting Plant in a finals. Stay tuned subsequent week for a outdoor precinct edition.

Related:
The Midtown Edition
The Uptown Edition
Introducing a Chocolate Chip Cookie Championships

19 Comments Favorite this! (1)
Tags: Balthazar, Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in New York, Bouley Bakery, Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship, chocolate thinly cut cookies, cookies, Dessert Club, East Village, Insomnia Bakery, Jack’s Stir Brew, Joe a Art of Coffee, Lower East Side, Manhattan, Milk as good as Cookies, Nolita, Paradis To Go, Roasting Plant, Soho, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Tribeca, Union Square, West Village

19 Comments:
How could we not embody Jacques Torres in your testing?

BooRadley during 10:03AM upon 11/23/09
@BooRadley: Jacques Torres will crop up in a Brooklyn edition.

Carey Jones during 10:10AM upon 11/23/09
They must’ve usually proposed carrying those chocolate thinly cut cookies @ Joe! I’ve never had them. Wow. Must try. Actually, contingency try all of these.

Allison Hemler during 11:11AM upon 11/23/09
So does this meant Dessert Club as good as a Roasting Plant have been starting to run out of cookies this afternoon?

Eating The Road during 11:59AM upon 11/23/09
@Eating The Road: We can usually hope!

Carey Jones during 12:10PM upon 11/23/09
What about Blue Ribbon Bakery Market?! Amazing cookie as good as Ed raved about it in his examination of a place to boot.

Optional Staircase during 12:18PM upon 11/23/09
what about ong’s spot?

gastrodamus during 12:24PM upon 11/23/09
just had a single of Jack’s cookies. whilst we couldn’t mind coffee as an part we was impressed.. we ate it with a potion of H2O yet certain it would span good with a little coffee. btw, what a take during $1. it’s a same distance as Pret’s cookie for reduction than half a price.

Allison Hemler during 1:11PM upon 11/23/09
adam pronounced “These have been a revelation”?

norman during 1:19PM upon 11/23/09
@norman
Quoting a tweet: “Just had a chocolate thinly cut cookie revelation. Awesome, overwhelming cookie from [location redacted tentative announcement upon @seriouseatsny]”

Carey Jones during 1:23PM upon 11/23/09
from a print it looks similar to we guys usually sampled a bite-size cut of any cookie?!

you’ve got to eat a total cookie to confirm a the many appropriate (IMHO during least)

klaus ok during 1:28PM upon 11/23/09
Agree about Dessertclub cookies as good as we didn’t even discuss they go 3 for $2.00 or during slightest they did when we reviewed them. we longed for a roasting plant cookies – thanks. The usually contender we would supplement to your downtown examination (I know we can’t try them all) was Clinton St Bakery – a single of a many appropriate for those who similar to crispy cookies + they have a little salty/sweet thing starting upon too. Anyway, for a second perspective see my unranked inventory of NYC’s many appropriate chocolate chips cookies:
http://dessertbuzz.com/?p=373

DessertBuzz during 1:31PM upon 11/23/09
@klaus ok: Tasters proposed off with tiny pieces of any cookie, available initial impressions, as good as afterwards went behind as good as onward in between samples to review as good as contrast. There were 10 cookies up for care here, narrowed down by rough rounds. It isn’t picturesque to eat 10 total cookies in a single sitting—especially when a little were up to 4″-6″ inches opposite as good as could simply have fed three. Our judges put their systems by an horrible lot for Serious Eats; there’s no need to have it worse.

Carey Jones during 1:34PM upon 11/23/09
ok, satisfactory enough. i conclude a info upon your methodology. however, we would say which there’s zero ‘awful’ about eating giveaway chocolate thinly cut cookies…;)

klaus ok during 1:59PM upon 11/23/09
milk as good as cookies competence not have done a tip of a list yet those cookies have for a tip nick ice thickk cream sandwich

cg_ups during 2:54PM upon 11/23/09
Nice work. It is a accord of my colleagues which we all have maybe a misfortune jobs in a world.

I kid. Jealous.

dbdtron during 4:49PM upon 11/23/09
told we so (re: dessert club). as good bad those cookies used to be 3 for $2. right away which they have been $1 each, i have no forgive to eat 3

spartana07 during 2:26PM upon 11/24/09
Thank you, appreciate you, appreciate we so many for introducing me to Roasting Plant. we consider which these have been my comprehensive a the single preferred in Manhattan.

BooRadley during 4:32PM upon 11/24/09
I was utterly with we upon Levain–they dethroned City Bakery for me. But a compost cookie as good as a chocolate thinly cut cornflake cookie during Milk club have both not long ago turn my chocolate thinly cut cookies of choice. we can’t hold they’re not enclosed in your downtown search! The compost competence wandering as good many from classical chocolate chip, yet if you’re permitting cookies with nuts (or oats), afterwards a chocolate thinly cut cornflake should qualify. Truly, indeed superb cookie–and a vital oversight!

ilikecake during 12:09AM upon 11/28/09

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