The beauty of a cookie – other than its taste – is that it’s often the perfect size to satisfy a craving for sweets at the end of a meal or in the middle of the day. Yes, some are dinner plate or hand grenade size, but we thought we’d pick some cookies and cookie places around the metro where you can get a perfect bite or three, including two at the end that aren’t technically cookies, but we’re not purists.
Café Contemporary. Kristen Steinmer makes a variety of cookies every day at the café, and all are delicious. She has a knack for snickerdoodles, shortbread, and thumbprint cookies, but the Earl Grey-apricot and ricotta cookies are two of the best.
Elemental Coffee. Salted chocolate chip. Pretty sure this would be in the Cookie Super Bowl if there were such an event (there needs to be). No idea how it’s so perfect, but it is. The case is usually filled with delicious shortbread, and if you’re very lucky, Anna Bui’s matcha shortbread will be available.
La Baguette. The Norman bakery has been churning out delicious treats for decades, and the half-chocolate-dipped cookies are among the best bites around. Just enough sweetness to scratch the itch, and small enough you don’t feel guilty.
Kamp’s 1910. Their snickerdoodle could have come straight from an old-school church bake sale. That’s how they’re supposed to taste.
Café 7. They make a variety of cookies from scratch every day, but the chocolate chip is the favorite. These aren’t the flat type, though. It’s a big lump of deliciousness.
The Hamilton. The lemon-blueberry cookie might be Chef Stephanie Miller’s greatest culinary accomplishment. It’s a butter and cream cheese base studded with fresh blueberries and lemon zest, and then drizzled with lemon glaze and served warm. She makes this one on rotation, so call ahead to see if it’s available. The others are delicious, as well, but this one is special.
Café 501. It’s so hard to pick a favorite at Café 501. We asked Chef Joel Wingate for his choice, and he said the salted caramel chocolate. There simply isn’t a wrong answer at either location.
Quincy Bake Shop. We’re pretty sure Trisha O’Donoghue could broker peace accords with her babkas and cardamom buns, but don’t sleep on the chocolate chip cookie. She somehow makes it taste buttery and creamy without leaving the telltale grease on your finger that says “too much butter.” It manages to be light and rich, and it’s large enough to split.
Ganache Patisserie. Macarons. The training shows in these masterpieces. Technically a confection, it’s shaped like a cookie, and it’s the size of an average cookie, so we’re including it, because it’s something that every local should try in its best form.
Empire Slice House. No-bake cookies aren’t cookies, but they are delicious reminders of childhood, and when Rachel Cope said The Shonda was from her mom’s Pentecostal Holiness cookbook from the ‘60s or ‘70s, we knew it had to make the list. Also, it’s a fantastic example of how utterly satisfying a no-bake cookie can be.
