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Who doesn't love the ooey-gooey, chocolatey goodness of a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven? Not even the healthiest of health freaks could resist the temptation. But which is the best in the city? We've got our picks ...
Levain Bakery
167 W. 74th St.
Upper West Side
These cookies are more than just cookies — they are mountains of chocolate, sugar and butter. These massive creations are the Zeus of the cookie world. With each cookie weighing in at 6 ounces, the three variations of chocolate chip cookies here are best when fresh. Due to their thickness, the insides are a bit uncooked, giving a hint of cookie dough flavor to the crisp outer crust.
Insomnia Cookies
50 W. Eighth St.
West Village
Let's face it, you love these cookies just because you don't actually have to go get them — they come to you. For those who don't know, Insomnia delivers fresh cookies and milk from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The chocolate chip cookie is by far the best cookie offered on their menu of $1 cookies.What makes this cookie better than the gourmet ones at famous bakeries is that the fresh melted chips can be enjoyed anytime you like and you don't have to wait until the next morning to have one if you have a late-night craving.
Whole Foods Market
4 Union Square East
Union Square
Whole Foods may not be as well-known for their version of the chocolate chip cookie as other places, but that doesn't mean the cookies don't taste good. I'm a personal fan of the vegan chocolate chip cookie. It's an acquired taste, but oh, is it delicious. To enjoy it you probably need to love vegan desserts already (as I do), or actually be a vegan. But then again, with its close proximity to NYU, you have no reason not to try something new. Pop it in a microwave for a few seconds and voilá! You have your very own, bakery-fresh vegan chocolate chip cookie.
Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
350 Hudson St.
SoHo
Being known for chocolate more than cookies isn't necessarily a bad thing when looking for a superb chocolate chip cookie. The secret to the success of this particular cookie is in the chip, or more so the disc. The chocolatier uses his own special recipe for chocolate in the cookies, making the entire cookie fresh from the store. The dark chocolate used gives the cookies a richer, more sophisticated vibe. They seem more gourmet than the usual milk chocolate commonly found in other cookies.
The City Bakery
3 W. 18th St.
Flatiron District
They claim to have the most popular cookies in the city. The chocolate chip cookies are always freshly baked, as are their other cookies, and are made in smaller batches every 30 minutes to ensure freshness. The outside of the cookie is a perfect crisp accompanied by a soft, chewy center — the kind of combination you get only from an experienced baker. Lines are long, but they are definitely worth the wait in this famed New York bakery.
