Michel et Augustin Milk chocolate and melt caramel shortbread cookie squares: About the size of a candy bar, this snack consists of four 1.5" square-shaped shortbread cookies, each with a generous milk chocolate well and a thin layer of stretchy salted caramel sandwiched underneath. Definitely one of the best store-bought cookies I've ever purchased. The shortbread have a perfect snap, and the balance of sweet and savory is ideal. Even though the caramel is thin, it has a rich, buttery flavor and flakes of salt that add texture. The cookies are made in France and ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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Lava Cookies Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie: These massive cookies (about 4" in diameter and 3/4" thick) are available at pastrami shop Harry and Ida's in the East Village. Each cookie costs a little under $6 each and are large enough to be easily shared. I'm not one to purchase a cookie in a bake shop, as I generally prefer other pastries and breads, but I can easily say this is one of the top cookies I've had in my life. On the interior is a molten chocolate filling whose consistency just holds together, while the cookie itself is... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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Mah Ze Dahr Gingersnap cookie: Overall, this cookie would have been just fine had it not been for the sugar coating, which made it too sweet. While the texture was certainly better than storebought, it had the same underlying flavor of decent ginger snaps, which is not to say it was bad, but not particularly interesting beyond what you would expect. 3.0/5.0
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Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria Hazelnut Cookie with Chocolate-Orange Ganache: Partnering with non-profit Cookies 4 Kids, Leonelli in NYC has created their own set of shortbread sandwich cookies, with 100% of the proceeds going towards raising funds for pediatric cancer research. The michelin-shaped cookies are made by hopeful pastry chef Lindsey Bittner, and they are perfectly executed, with the most excellent shortbread I have had anywhere. The cookie yields almost immediately, with a rich, buttery texture that you have to taste to fully appreciate. Inside, the Va... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Mandy’s Zesty Lemon Cookie Thins: Similar in diameter to Ritz crackers but just a few millimeters thick, like Anna’s Swedish Cookies, these lemon cookies from Mandy’s have a good balance of sweet and tart. The have a prominent citrus flavor than most lemon cookies I’ve had from a grocery store. Packaged in a well-designed tin. Not sure why it has exactly 42 cookies - the owners must be nerds. 3.5/5.0
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Gjusta Miso date cookie: Gjusta, the sister bakery of Gjelina in Venice, LA, is apparently popular enough to not need any signage. It’s unlabeled storefront conceals a narrow counter and dining area, where patrons wait for a variety of pastries (cakes, cookies, croissants) and hot and cold prepared items (pizza, salads, pâtés). Luckily, their express line was relatively short, which meant purchasing this miso date cookie took just a few minutes. The sizable cookie contains a single date at its center. Its texture is... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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