I marched my way through blustering winds in NYC to try the legendary cookies at Levain Bakery. Indeed, these colossal cookies were epic in nature. Really, they weren't cookies so much as giant, chocolate chip truffles, each featuring a thin, crispy cookie shell encasing a soft, chewy center of hot doughy goodness. A Levain cookie feels much like a weighty pita-pocket in your hand. While this delightful play on size and texture titillated me, I can't say that the flavors entirely inspired me.
The chocolate chip was great, but lacked a little of that salty butter, brown sugar taste. The chocolate cookie reminded of the ones I made here using a low-fat recipe.. which is clearly preferable, and the oatmeal raisin was disappointingly bland.
On my way back, I encountered Jacque Torres Chocolate shop and decided that I should buy one of his chocolate chip cookies for a good ol' compare and contrast. The differences in these cookies were striking. Jacque's cookie was thin and flat with a rubbery texture that resembled chewing old gum. That said, the flavors were delicious with a slightly salty edge that always enhances a cookie experience.
Ultimately these were both fine cookies with distinct hits and misses. However, Levain's chocolate chip cookies just nearly edge out the competition with their unique texture and composition. 4.5 Cherries for Levain and 4 cherries for Jacque Torres!
Jacques Torres and Levain Bakery Cookies
For more info on Levain Bakery, click here.
For more info on Jacques Torres Chocolate, click here.
did you miss Magnolia?
Posted by: mish | 12/10/2010 at 01:14 PM
Please excuse my question above. typing without thinking. :)
Posted by: mish | 12/14/2010 at 11:06 PM