There are not many things better than a cookie to cheer up your day. I love cookies. Cookies of all kinds. I would not call myself a cookie connoisseur, but more of a simple cookie lover.

What is the best cookie in New York City?

I found myself searching for the answer for this question one weekend while planning a day in the city. However, I could not find a clear answer. Some online sources list cookies that their employees liked or that they had tried one time a birthday party in the park. They made a list of good cookies, but never stated the best. Even “Yelp” could not help me with my request. So I decided to take it upon my self to statistically analyze as many cookies as I possible could, that that we could all know, what is truly the best cookie in New York City.

Disclaimer: Of course these cookies are biased by Luca and I’s own preferred tastes, but we tried to reduce the bias as much as possible by eating the cookies in the same manner and analyzing them via the same categories each time.

Methods

We rated the cookies in 7 different categories which were then made into a weighted average for the final weighted score. Each category was given a score of 1-5, with 1 being the worst/least and 5 being the best/optimal. Luca and I each rated the cookies and then we averaged our scores for each category and subsequently made the weighted average for the cookie’s total score. As you can imagine, not all of our categories are created equal and therefore we weighted each category as well.

The 7 categories

Physical Quality

We defined physical quality of how the cookie held up and the texture essentially. 1 was least ideal, while a score of 5 was perfect/ideal physical quality. For example, was it too hard or soft, was it burnt or perfectly crispy, was it soft or gooey?    

-Weight in final score: 10%

Ease of Eating  

We defined ease of eating as how easy it was to eat. A score of 1 was extremely messy while a score of 5 was not messy at all and easy to eat. For example, was it really messy or crumbly? Was it sticky and we got covered in sugar? Was it easy to eat without a fuss?  

-Weight in final score: 5%

Overall Taste  

We defined overall taste as, well, how it tasted. A score of 1 was not good, while a score of 5 was like “amazing and couldn’t be better.”       

-Weight in final score: 50%

Adequate Sweetness  

We defined adequate sweetness as, was it sweet enough or too sweet, or just perfect? A score of one indicated it was very improperly sweetened, either way too much or not enough, while a score of 5 indicated that it was the perfect amount of sweetness.  

-Weight in final score: 5%

Aftertaste   

We defined aftertaste as how did it taste after you took a bite? For example, were we left wanting more, or did it taste weird after you swallowed. A score of 1 indicates that it didn’t taste good after swallowing, while a score of 5 indicates that it still tasted delicious and begged for me to take another bite.       

-Weight in final score: 10%

Visual Appeal

We defined visual appeal as to how much the appearance made me want to try it. A score of 1 was a very ugly, unappetizing cookie, while a score of 5 was the most beautiful cookie you could imagine.          

-Weight in final score: 10%

Uniqueness  

We defined uniqueness as to how much this cookie stood out and went out of the stereotypical cookie box you could say. A score of 1 was not unique while a score of 5 was super-duper amazingly unique.    

-Weight in final score: 10%  

The cookies we chose to review were chosen from the cookie articles I found online regarding “the best cookies.” I used cookie articles from Timeout, Gotham NY, and SecretNYC. Of course we were unable to eat every single possible cookie in the city, but we were truly trying to find the best of the best here. Not just a good cookie, but THE BEST. Important to keep in mind that all of these cookies are the best of the best.

In total, we rated 9 cookies, but can hopefully review more in the future.

And now what you have been waiting for….. the cookie rankings!

Best Cookie in New York City

1. Maman’s S’more Cookie!

Weighted Rating: 4.6/5

Purchased from: Maman Soho

Price: $4

Location experience: I have always been a fan of Maman’s design and vibe (especially the new upper east side location!), but this was my first time to Maman Soho and I was not disappointed. Maman Soho has a variety of options from dine in, street dining, or takeout. We dined in and were led to a beautiful covered patio with beautiful thick wooden tables, flowers arranged everywhere, and their signature blue China. They do not leave a single detail out and leave you feeling very luxurious and cozy at the same time.

Flavors and Notes: Gooey toasted marshmallow, melty chocolate, and graham cracker

Unique feature: the flavors, especially with the toasted marshmallow on top, bring me back to my favorite summer nights

Other Notes: I believe this cookie is a seasonal flavor that is usually only available in the summertime.

Rating Comments: To me this is the overall best cookie. It has the perfect consistency, sweetness, and aftertaste. No matter how full I was, I just kept wanting more. And that’s saying a lot considering this was one of the last cookies we tasted. The only thing that I would maybe change is to add a little more crunchiness, but really don’t think it’s necessary. Just know you will be a sticky mess when eating this cookie, but it is totally worth it.

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2. Two Chip Chocolate Chip Cookie

Weighted Rating: 4.35/5

Purchased From: Levain Bakery

Price:  $4.50

Location experience: Levain Bakery is located in several places around the city. Each Levain I have been to has always left me feeling happy. The workers are nice and everything in there is so efficient. The line is usually long, but goes so quick. One thing out of all the cookies that we purchased that Levain did differently is that they wrap up the cookie in an extra piece of wax paper which allows you to eat the cookie without getting your hands all messy. Also, there is usually free ice water you can grab on your way out.

Flavors and Notes: Very chocolatey, gooey chocolate happiness

Unique Feature: Lots of chocolate

Other Notes: This is just a dang good cookie and truly a bang for your buck.

Rating Comments: This cookie is truly a classic, but even better than a classic. It is crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. It tastes truly fantastic and leaves you wanting more. There is not much I would change about this cookie; it’s quite perfect the way it is. It tastes just right.

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3. Almond Matcha Wonder Cookie

Weighted Rating: 4.25/5

Purchased From: City Cakes

Price: $6.50

Location experience: This place is cool. They do many life-like cakes and also have other baked goods besides cookies. Yet, my favorite part of this place was when they packaged our cookie in the back kitchen and gave our cookie to us via a super awesome cookie conveyor belt. It was the most fancy cookie experience I’ve had.

Flavors and Notes: Mostly almond, some matcha, and a little sesame. Also, a very sweet sugar glaze that complimented the cookie well.

Unique Feature: EDIBLE GREEN GLITTER. The flavor combination was also unlike anything I’d ever had in a cookie, but I still can’t get over the cookie glitter.

Other Notes: Though it seems that this cookie is expensive, it is MASSIVE and worth the price. It was over twice the size of any other cookie we tried. This cookie is also gluten-free!

Rating Comments: Now this one surprised me. I wasn’t sure what we were going to get, but we were pleasantly surprised. It’s easy to eat and is the ideal cookie consistency. It is definitely unique and beautiful.

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4. Pineapple Linzer

Weighted Rating: 4.15/5

Purchased From: Té Company

Price: $4

Location experience: We didn’t have too much of an experience here since they are still closed for dining in due to the pandemic. However, it seems like when they open again, you should be able to have a lovely time with imported hot teas and pastries. It would definitely be worth checking out when they are more open!

Flavors and Notes: Butter cookie, salt grains, tangy pineapple

Unique Feature: The flavor combination is unique, especially with the salt flakes on top.

Other Notes: This cookie is pricey for the size, but satisfying nonetheless. This is a delicate and gentle cookie, the type of cookie you in enjoy slowly over a period of time.

Rating Comments: I was honestly skeptical of this one before trying. Luca and I held very different opinions of this cookie. It’s not very pretty and quite tiny. For me it was a little difficult to eat and it kind of crumbled everywhere with every bite you take. However, the taste has so much depth. When you take a bite, the flavor changes so much in your mouth. It is very developed and sophisticated with a wide variety of flavors.

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5. Lemon White Chocolate Cookie

Weighted Rating: 4.0/5

Purchased From: Maman Soho

Price: $4

Location experience: See “Maman S’mores cookie” above

Flavors and Notes: Lemon with added texture from the rind

Unique Feature: The flavor combination is unique and the pieces of sugared rind add more depth to the taste.

Other Notes: This cookie is a seasonal selection from Maman.

Rating Comments: This cookie was good, but it could be a little crunchier. It is a little sticky when eating. Nothing really stands out when looking at the cookie; it is truly the taste that makes this cookie good.

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6. Chocolate Explosion

Weighted Rating: 3.925/5

Purchased From: Mah Ze Dahr

Price: $2 (such a great deal for NYC!!)

Location experience: This bakery was super cute and had many delicious-looking options. I had to restrain myself from adding an extra few cinnamon rolls and croissants to our order.

Flavors and Notes: Decadent chocolate

Unique Feature: The outside was covered in powdered sugar which is not usually something you see with many cookies.

Other Notes: This cookie was smaller than the other cookies we tried, but that is reflected in the cheap price.

Rating Comments: This rating surprised me. It was good tasting cookie, but the weighted average brought this cookie down farther than I thought it would. The chocolate taste was great, but something different with this cookie compared to the others was the lake of variety. The first bite was good, and every following bite was exactly the same. Physical quality ranked high in this cookie with it being chewy on the inside with a light crunch on the outside. One of the lower rating categories was ease of eating due to the white powdered sugar covering the outside of the cookie. Overall, a good cookie I would eat again.

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7. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie

Weighted Rating: 3.625/5

Purchased From: Smile to Go

Price: $4

Location experience: This shop was super cute with lots of plants and a pretty blue color scheme. There was also plenty of comfortable seating, both indoor and outdoor.

Flavors and Notes: Peanut butter cookie with a hint of berry jam

Unique Feature: Unique flavor combination not usually found in a cookie

Other Notes: I didn’t know these flavors could be all in a cookie together! This is the cookie I didn’t know I needed. It is also vegan and gluten-free!

Rating Comments: This cookie’s rating were pretty similar throughout all categories. Visual appeal ranked the lowest, but it’s appearance is very misleading! It looks like a normal cookie, but is so much more. It was also a little hard to eat due to the stickiness and crumbling.

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8. Pina Colada Cookie

Weighted Rating: 3.125/5

Purchased From: Chip City

Price: $4

Location experience: Chip City has several different locations throughout the city. They have over 15 cookie flavors in addition to their seasonal flavors, however only 4 cookie flavors are available each day. It was cute inside the West Village location we visited.

Flavors and Notes: Pineapple and coconut

Unique Feature: The cookie was served warm and had a pudding-like center.

Other Notes: We originally to Chip City to try their s’more cookie, but unfortunately it was not the day of the week for their s’more cookie flavor. We decided to try the pina colada cookie as it was the most unique but would love to come back and try their other flavors as there is a lot of potential here. We also had a lavender lemonade here that was “on point.”

Rating Comments: We had varying opinions of this cookie, but overall concluded that it was really caky and difficult to eat. It was falling apart before we even took the first bite. It is a very unique concept to have filling in a cookie as it did. The tangy pineapple filling added a lot to the overall taste of the cookie.

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9. Compost Cookie

Weighted Rating: 2.4/5

Purchased From: Milk Bar

Price: $3

Location experience: We went to the Milk Bar Mini in Nolita, but have been to other Milk Bars before. The service was super quick. There was a small sitting area on the street.  

Flavors and Notes: Unclear. Pretzels, oats, cinnamon

Unique Feature: There is definitely a unique combination of ingredients in this cookie. Their website states that there are pretzels, potato chips, graham crackers, oats, coffee, and butterscotch in the cookie.

Other Notes: Unlike all of the other cookies we purchased, this cookie was prepackaged and handed to us from a box below the counter. It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting when we had seen it recommended by so many people online.

Rating Comments: Milk Bar is a city favorite, so I was a little disappointed with this cookie. It tasted very processed and almost fake-ish. The cookie was salty, which I didn’t mind, but Luca very much disliked. It wasn’t the cookie for us, but someone out there must like it.

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 Wow. So many cookies and glorious sugar 🙂  . Just to recap, here are our official best cookie in NYC ratings:

#1 best cookie in NYC: Maman’s S’more Cookie

#2 Levain’s Two Chip Chocolate Chip Cookie

#3 City Cakes’s Almond Matcha Wonder Cookie

#4 Té company’s Pineapple Linzer

#5 Maman’s Lemon White Chocolate Cookie

#6 Mah Ze Dahr’s Chocolate Explosion

#7 Smile to Go’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie

#8 Chip City’s Pina Colada Cookie

#9 Milk Bar’s Compost Cookie

 

Liz’s Favorite: Maman’s S’more’s Cookie

Luca’s Favorite: Levain’s Two Chip Chocolate Chip Cookie

 

I really hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful to you! Do you agree with these ratings? Any other cookie places you think we should try? Let me know down below in the comments and we will try them!

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