Whenever I fly back to New York, there is always one stop we absolutely must make before flying home. And that place is…Levain Bakery. Created in 1995, by Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald, these cookies are the best I have ever had. The first time I tried one of their chocolate walnut cookies, I seriously wondered what kind of sorcery I was experiencing! They are massive cookies, as in they weigh 6 ounces. They are 4 inches in diameter. Firm on the outside and incredibly dense and gooey on the inside. They have four original flavors, and they are all delish: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip and Oatmeal Raisin.
When we lived back home, my husband and I would often stop at Levain and get their cookies, breads and other pastries. I will warn you, though – this place is dangerous! If you are counting carbs, while you walk by one of the stores, just keep walking!
We haven’t traveled back home because of COVID-19, so we had been missing our annual trip there, and of course Levain. Now they do sell their cookies online. They bake them for you the same day they ship them out and they arrive quickly. And you can easily freeze what you don’t eat from your order and they will hold up just fine. If you want to check them out, you can find them here.
But recently I made an incredible discovery. While perusing our local market here, in the frozen section I found a familiar blue box of frozen Levain cookies! Can I just say that made my day? I know they are only cookies, but for me they have become somewhat nostalgic and just tradition for us! And after all the covid worries and restrictions, these were a perfect “comfort” treat being miles away from home. They come in all four original flavors, but the BEST part of it all, is they are smaller cookies! They are all 2 ounces versus the traditional 6-ounce size, so if you are trying to watch what you eat, they are the perfect indulgence!
Today I am indulging my favorite flavor, dark chocolate peanut butter chip. To enjoy these cookies, you can leave them out for an hour or so and let them thaw, or you can heat them in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes.
