The Cjaps vote for #1 cookie in NY - Levain!

I realized recently that when I created this blog, I had already tried many of my favorite places, which meant that I never had the chance to blog about them. I also realized that I love contributing to this blog and educating people on the all the amazing desserts this city has to offer. So what does that mean? That I am probably going to have to revisit some of my favorites, and also that I have to get back to blogging once a week.
With that being said, let’s start at the beginning. What is the absolute best cookie in NYC. The leader of the cookie pack, that has people lining up to get a fresh out of the oven chocolate chip-laden doughy mound?

Hands down, I have to say Levain. Caryn gets credit as being the first one to have heard about Levain. One day, on a trip to the Upper West Side, Caryn wanted to go to this particular bakery to try a cookie made by triatheletes. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I never argue with getting to try a cookie. So off we went to W 74th street, and as we descended the stairs to the tiny shop there was a line of people waiting their turn for a piece of this giant mound of dough. The bakery itself is simple. There is a small counter, and the kitchen with their trays upon trays of cookies cooling down clearly visible. Levain opened in 2005, by Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes. The two women were training for an Iron Man in 1994, and needed to get their calories in, so instead of filling up on Gu Gels or Powerade, they decided to create a 6 ounce cookie with the finest ingredients.
My personal favorite is the dark chocolate chip cookie, but even with my sweet tooth I find it hard to finish this monstrosity of a dessert. The cookies always have a soft chocolate-filled center that makes you want to keep eating even though you were full 3 bites ago. They’re made with extra dark French cocoa and semisweet chocolate chips, and all I can say is that I’m glad they’re not obligated to post the calories on the menu because I wouldn’t want anything to take away from the experience of eating a cookie from Levain.
I also tried the dark chocolate peanut butter cookie, and even though I typically don’t like peanut butter unless it’s in the form of Reese’s Pieces, this was pretty damn amazing too. Levain has been written up for their sourdough brioche roll stuffed with Valerhona chocolate, but these tend to sell out early in the day and I’ve never been fortunate enough to have the chance to try one. If you’ve tried it, post your review here so I can be encouraged to get up there early enough to have my share!
Levain is located at 167 W 74th Street near Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side. They have 2 additional locations, one in Harlem on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and another in the Hamptons.

http://www.levainbakery.com/