Must Try Cookie Spots in NYC

Hi all – and welcome to Must Try Cookie Spots in NYC! For everyone who doesn’t already know, I have a huge sweet tooth. I really live for sweets and dessert. Cookies are one of my absolute favorite desserts, and New York City offers some of the best cookie shops imaginable. I’ve found, what are in my opinion, some of the *best* cookie shops in NYC, and I’m here to share them all with you!

These cookie shops are scattered across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. So no matter where you live (or where you’re visiting) you’re sure to be close(ish) to one of these amazing locations! Although I still haven’t tried every single cookie shop in the city, and I’m sure that there are many more delicious spots, I am super confident that you will enjoy these recommendations!

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Schmackary’s

Schmackary’s cookies are absolutely delicious. I’ve been obsessed with this shop since the first time I happened to stumble upon it in Hell’s Kitchen last year. They have a huge variety of flavors and I’ve loved each and every one that I’ve tried. Schmackary’s offers around ten different flavors a day, and they are always featuring new, delicious, creative flavors on their menu. In total, they offer over 75 flavors and you can check out this calendar to see which days which flavors are available in store. I highly recommend the Lucky Charmed cookie as well as the Cookies & Cream. Both are frosted and so, so delicious.

The cookies are huge and resonably priced at around $3.25 each. They are crispy on the outside but perfectly soft on the inside, making for the perfect bite. Schmackary’s often has a line, and also doesn’t have any inside seating, but the line is worth the wait! If you can’t visit the store in person they also deliver with platforms such as Postmates or Grubhub. In my opinion, Schmackary’s may have the best cookies in NYC.

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Chip

The first Chip location opened in Astoria in 2017 and has now expanded to three locations across Queens. They are also opening a location in the West Village soon! Although I have only tried the Long Island City location, the cookie shop is always very clean and welcoming. They do offer in-shop seating, but it is most common to take the cookies to go.

Chip features a large variety of rotating flavors, as well as special-edition flavors that are only available on select days. In order to monitor the flavors of the day check out Chip’s Facebook page. These cookies are big, warm and gooey, and they are certainly the ideal cookie for anyone who enjoys thick cookies. If you’re a Tates (thin and crispy) kind of person then these cookies might not be for you. But give them a try, you may like them! My favorite flavors are Funfetti, Cookies & Cream and Oatmeal Apple Pie. However, I am always checking in to see which new (and delicious) flavors they are offering on their menu.

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Ben’s Cookies

I first discovered Ben’s Cookies when I was living in London, and they were so good I kept going back for more. The cookies are thick and perfectly melty and delicious. Unfortunately, Ben’s Cookies only has one location in the U.S., but luckily for me it’s conveniently located near NYU. The cookies are pretty reasonably priced at $3 each (but they also have deals like 7 for $15 or 15 for $30).

Ben’s Cookies also has tons of flavors to choose from! My personal favorite is the Oatmeal Raisin, but I also highly recommend the Orange & Milk Chocolate Chunk as well as the Cranberry and White Chocolate Chunk. Ben’s Cookies remind me of the perfect, traditional cookie – basically everything that you’ve ever wanted your grandma’s cookies to be. You can check out the Ben’s Cookies website here!

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Ovenly

Ovenly is a quaint cookie shop/bakery with locations in both Brooklyn and Midtown. My aunt recommended this bakery to me and I am so happy that I visited! I visited the Greenpoint location, and I loved the adorable decor of the small shop.

At Ovenly, I tried the Salted Chocolate Chip cookie (vegan), the Hot Chocolate cookie (gluten free), the Pistachio Agave cookie (gluten free and dairy free), as well as the Salted Caramel Peanut Butter cookie (gluten free and dairy free). When I chose these cookies, I was not aware that were all created to fit a variety of dietary restrictions. If I had not closely read their menu upon leaving the shop I never would have known! The cookies do not taste like they are gluten free/dairy free or vegan. They taste like delicious, super high quality, “normal” cookies! Not everything in the shop is gluten free/dairy free or vegan, but the cookies are a fantastic option if you have dietary restrictions – or even if you don’t! The cookies were all delicious. I enjoyed every single one and highly recommend that you try them all, especially the Pistachio Agave.

The only downside to these cookies is their price tag. Each cookie is $3.50 and the Pistachio Agave and Salted Caramel Peanut Butter are both very small. The Salted Chocolate Chip cookie and Hot Chocolate cookies are both larger, and therefore the $3.50 price seems more reasonable. Although the cookies are a bit more expensive, it is important to note that the quality of the cookies is very high. These truly feel like *designer* cookies, and it is clear that a lot of work was put into them. If you want to try Ovenly’s cookies, but also want a cheaper option, head into the shop around closing time. I visited at 6pm on a Sunday (they close at 7pm) and all of the bakery items were buy one get one free!

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Insomnia Cookies

I first had Insomnia Cookie on a trip to NYC a few years ago, and I instantly became obsessed. Luckily for me, they also have locations in DC so I could enjoy Insomnia while I was studying at GU. This is definitely a no-frills cookie shop, but it will hit the spot whenever you’re in the mood for a delicious cookie – or three. Insomnia Cookies has locations all over Manhattan, and they also deliver until 3AM! Each location offers the same twelve cookie flavors every day, and occasionally they will also have special, featured flavors for a few weeks at a time. My absolute favorite cookies are the S’mores and the M&M, but they are honestly all delicious and I recommend that you try them all. At $1.95 for regular size cookies, and $3.50(ish) for monster size cookies they’re an awesome deal!

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Baked in Color

Baked in Color is a small stand inside of the Columbus Circle Turnstyle Underground Market. The shop does not have a full store front, but instead sells their colorful cookies in a pop-up, bake sale style.

I was super intrigued by Baked in Color’s cookies, as they are so beautiful and brightly colored. I decided to try both their traditional rainbow chocolate chip cookie, we well as their Brookie Square (a brownie, chocolate chip cookie, Oreo combination.) Both were really good, and I love that the chocolate chip cookies were thin but not crunchy. A four pack of chocolate chip cookies is $5 (a pretty good deal), and one brookie square is $5 – which I found to be pretty expensive. You can also buy jars of bite size and regular size cookies – which make great gifts!

One thing that I don’t love about Baked in Color is the packaging. While it does look very nice, there is a lot of plastic waste as each treat is packaged in a plastic bag. I understand that these cookies are meant to be gifts, but I do wish they were packaged more sustainably – or at least in a recyclable bag.

Definitely give these cookies a try! If you don’t live in NYC, you can also order online by clicking here!

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HONORABLE MENTION

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Levain Bakery

It seems as though most people think that Levain Bakery has the best cookies in the city, due to the thousands and thousands of 5 star Yelp reviews. I really wanted to love Levain Bakery. Before trying the cookies I expected that they would be my favorite as they look thick, gooey and delicious. Although I did enjoy the cookies, and they are thick and gooey, I don’t think that they are the best cookies in NYC, not by far.

There was no line when I arrived at the Upper West Side location at 4pm on a Friday, which was nice, but I was surprised that there were only five cookie flavors to choose from, and three contained nuts. I tried the Dark Chocolate Chip and the Oatmeal Raisin, and they were both good, but not great. The flavors were okay, but they were not the most flavorful cookies I’ve tried. To me, they tasted much more like a scone than a cookie. Although I didn’t love these cookies, I still recommend that you give them a try, as they are super popular and regarded by many as the best cookies ever.

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Besfren

Located in Koreatown, this cute cafe serves delicious baked goods, ice cream and drinks. I absolutely love the cookies at Besfren – firstly because they are huge! They’re also the perfect mix of crunchy and soft. The cafe offers three flavors of cookies, Triple Chocolate Chunk, oatmeal Raisin and White Chocolate Macadamia.

I also love that there are tons of chocolate chunks, in the Triple Chocolate Chunk cookie, making it extra delightful. At $3.00 each these cookies are a great deal. They’re big enough to share, but you won’t want to!

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By The Way Bakery

By The Way Bakery on the Upper West Side is gluten and dairy free as well as completely kosher! The bakery offers a wide variety of baked goods that all looked delicious. They also have a bunch of freshly-baked birthday cakes that you can stop in and pick up without pre-ordering!

I tried both the Ginger cookie and the Fudge Brownie cookie. Personally, I would not have guessed that they were both dairy and gluten free. The Ginger cookie, especially, tasted exactly like a delicious *regular* cookie. This is impressive, as it is not always easy to make gluten free cookies taste like the originals. If you’re a chocolate lover, then I also recommend the Fudge Brownie cookie. It is super chocolatey and jam-packed with tons of chocolate chips. These cookies are also priced at only $2 each, which is another added bonus. If you aren’t gluten free, dairy free, or keeping kosher then I definitely think that there are better options in the city, but this place for sure has yummy baked goods. There is no seating in the shop so take into account that you will need to take your treats to go!

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Thanks for reading our Must Try Cookie Spots in NYC post! I hope you enjoy your cookies from my must try cookie spots! If you enjoy our NYC food posts, click here for our Best Donuts in NYC post, and here for the Best Coffee Shops in Long Island City.

♡Kate