I took one for the team and sacrificed $16 and at least 1,000 calories (let's be real, probably more) to help you choose which Levain cookie is the one for you. If you are like me and struggle with decision making, especially when it comes to ordering food, I have created the ultimate guide to the Levain Bakery cookies.
The bakery carries four different types of cookies each priced at $4: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Oatmeal Raisin, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip.
Four may not seem like a lot, but I still wasn't able to pick just one... so I impulsively ordered one of each. Here are my rankings!
4th Place: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Sadly, as much as I like oatmeal and raisins, this cookie was my least favorite. It lacked the gooeyness that Levain cookies are famous for. It wasn't chewy either, it was kind of just there, being an ordinary cookie that my tastebuds could not justify paying $4 for. I found the raisins too soft and sweet, almost like the ones you find in your cereal box. I would maybe save this cookie for your grandma or your least favorite sibling that you still love a lot.
3rd Place: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip
I love peanut butter as much as the next person, so I was really excited for this cookie. However, after my initial bite I found myself searching for the peanut butter. Levain Bakery was not cheap with their peanut butter chips, but I guess since the chocolate batter base of the cookie was so rich and chocolaty, the peanut butter flavor was sadly lost. It was a sad moment, but nonetheless, still a delicious cookie and it had it's rare, beautiful moments where the peanut butter taste was prevalent.
2nd Place: Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip
This is probably the best chocolate cookie I have ever had and I honestly can't imagine a better one. The outside has a slight crunch with the most amazing gooey, rich inside with a ton of chocolate chips that are melted to perfection. If you love your cookies not fully baked through with the middle still raw, but warm and smooth, this is it. I should warn you though, that this cookie can get overly sweet and heavy, as it's probably the biggest, richest, heartiest cookie ever. I could eat half of this for lunch and be full. Definitely worth $4.
1st Place: Chocolate Chip Walnut
This is Levain Bakery's most popular cookie. With an abundance of chocolate chips that create a perfectly melted consistency, this cookie has gone instafamous for it's drool worthy good looks. Have you ever seen a cookie look so soft, warm, and oddly somewhat hypnotizing? This cookie is worth the $4 and the subway, taxi, Uber, or private jet ride away. I don't think I'll ever have a better cookie experience in my life and I don't know if I am happy or sad about that. Either way, I feel blessed to have tried such a delicious cookie and hope you guys can too! The woman in front of me on line ordered 10 of these to take on her plane ride back home. That's when you know how good these cookies are.
They are currently available for purchase at their three locations in the Upper West side, Harlem, and the Hamptons. And in case you can't make it to one of these, they're also available online. Enjoy, fellow cookie monsters.