Yup that is one ugly*** cookie, but I can’t wait to try this one and Laroolou’s coconut cream and ube pie.
Thanks @rlw for putting Laroolou on the radar. Bookmarked for my trips to FE Plaza when I visit PRD, Amboy and Lasa.
Laroolou
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Porto’s Bakery & Cafe (Glendale)…
Porto’s’ CCCs are really nice… Nice crunch on the outer rim. Good chocolate-to-dough ratio. No distinct salt notes on the bite, but they’re not saccharine sweet either. The only complaint is the center portion bites a tad thick and doughy when the cookie is fresh. BUT I inadvertently corrected this by trying what I thought was a leftover cookie 1 day later, and it tasted even better at that time. I’d recommend aging this cookie 1-2 days before enjoying.
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Only an FTCer would suggest aging cookies. I love it!
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Laroolou’s autumn apple pie is Dee-to-the- licious!
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Okay, I had the Bristol Farms Chocolate Chip Cookie
…and I didn’t love it. It wasn’t chewy. It wasn’t crispy. It wasn’t salty and the chocolate chips (mini-chunks) were too sweet. It kinda reminded me of an elevated Pepperidge Farm Soft Batch Cookie. Of course, these weren’t freshly baked, so I heated one up in the toaster oven. Who doesn’t love a warm choco chip cookie? 
Much improved, but still not a fave, and now I could taste the undercooked center which explained the not chewy… hmmm.
Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookie
Much better - crispy, chewy, less of those too sweet choco chips, but it’s really sweet and could use more salty.
Death Match.
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Uh oh, I hate to break it to you but I think you got the wrong cookie 
The one to get at Bristol Farms isn’t the prepackaged multi-pack, but “The Cookie” served from behind the bakery counter (picture not my own):
The first time I went I was fooled because they didn’t have the station open, but the second time I came back they did. It’s served as a single piping hot cookie they place in a bag for you. I imagine the multipack you got is your average replacement level supermarket chocolate chip cookie.
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hey @TheCookie, you should use @rlw’s picture for your profile pic
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Yeah, I went to the bakery counter and asked if they had any chocolate chip cookies left and the lady said yes and pointed me to a bakery display nearby. Thanks, lady.
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How do ya’ like me now?
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It’s not just like…I love @TheCookie.
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Nice. It looks good on you!
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@Bookwich did my other logo… she won’t notice. 
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TheCookie: new profile pic, who dis?
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@rlw I didn’t see this mentioned on the thread so wanted to add to your list.
https://www.instagram.com/largwa/
This was on an Eater list of top 22 places to eat.
The underground Instagram food scene is awash in baked goods right now, but that does not mean that everyone is created equal. There are chocolate chip cookies and then there is Largwa, the upstart online bakery run by Laura Hoang out of her small apartment in City Terrace, east of Downtown LA. Expect a rotating collection of baked goods from the longtime pastry professional (who was running the sweets side of Buddy’s in Downtown and Kensho in Hollywood, at least before things went south), including a melty chocolate chip cookie that may restore your faith in the world. Not for weeks on end mind you — there’s still a pandemic on after all — but at least for a few glorious bites. Sign up if you can, because Largwa sells out fast.
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Batch Five
Huckleberry
Knowing they’re in the same family, I was wondering if Huckleberry’s chocolate chip cookie would be different from Milo and Olive’s and I’m happy to report it is in the best possible ways. There’s only a light crispness to the edges and it’s not overpacked with chocolate, but the vanilla-y dough flavor is wonderful. Getting to the center, it’s basically uncooked (ie. perfectly cooked) in the center. It’s also giant. I don’t get out to the west side much, but this just might be the best cookie on this side of town. If Proof is/was the champ, Huckleberry is the challenger to that throne. Or if I’m being more accommodating, Proof is the best on the East Side and Huckleberry is the best on the West.
Milk Bar
East Coast transplant Milk Bar landed in LA with a good amount of fanfare in 2018 and can spark some debate among the sweet toothed. I’ve always enjoyed the manic energy coming from Chef Tosi’s baked goods—particularly her cakes—but never really paid much attention to the cookies. Since they’re here though, Milk Bar’s cookies closest to traditional chocolate chip needed to be thrown into the death match.
Compost Cookie
The Milk Bar Compost Cookie might be their best known for it’s fuck-it-we’re-putting-potato-chips-in-a-cookie attitude (lol remember that?) and I’ll admit it’s not a bad cookie. In fact, it’s quite fun with it’s split personality notes of graham cracker, coffee, and pretzels turning it into a textural adventure amongst the traditional chocolate chips. While it is definitely more soft baked, all those crunchy ingredients do lend a faux-crispness that rescues it a bit from being strictly chewy. The big “but” you’ve all been waiting for is that this cookie is SUPER sweet—almost to an overwhelming amount. The flavor is intense and between that and the sugar content, I couldn’t finish the whole thing at once. This cookie is the kind of friend that you’ll go to Vegas with because she knows exactly how to do it to the max, but when it’s over your energy is completely drained.
Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow
The Milk Bar Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow cookie steps back from the ledge a bit and has a bit more of a traditional flavor by staying away from all the extra ingredients. It’s still soft, but the addition of marshmallow makes it even more more chewy to the point of being sticky. It’s got some rice crispy treat vibes, which is interesting, but again this cookie walks right up to the line of being too sweet. This one is the Compost Cookie’s slightly older sister that still can still party hard but also knows to pack Pedialyte.
Last Crumb
I first came across Last Crumb via Instagram influencers and I immediately fell for the hype. Since they were so new to the cookie game and still in what seemed to be a soft launch phase, it was a bit tough to get my hands on a box. Around Thanksgiving they rolled out their online store and I was able to schedule a pick up, taking me all the way up Laurel Canyon into to the Hollywood hills. Upon pick up, it’s immediately apparent that these cookies were designed (and expertly branded) for the Instagram “celebrity” set.
Better Than Sex
I was so ready for these cookies to be bad. Say what you will about the borderline obnoxious branding, but this cookie is legit amazing to the point that I actually shouted JFC. It’s not very crisp, but walks up perfectly to the line of still raw in the middle. It’s also wonderfully chewy, and while it doesn’t break into uncharted flavor territory, the fact that it nailed every aspect on top of deliciousness (from the dynamic contrast between chocolate and dough and massive salt flakes) puts it right up there with some of the other great chocolate chip cookies in the death match. Free hint: it’s even better when briefly nuked in the microwave.
Bonus: Donkey Kong
As I dug into the five other cookies that came with the set, some trends started to emerge. The first being that these cookies are all expertly cooked (again, that being just slightly underdone). The Donkey Kong is their take on banana cream pie. The white chocolate chips lend a creaminess that accents light notes of banana, and while that banana flavor isn’t as strong as I would have liked, it’s still a damn fine cookie.
Bonus: What the Fuck Velvet
Red velvet can be gimmicky and this certainly was, but the dough itself is as good a version that I’ve had and perhaps preferable to a cupcake. This cookie’s novelty is its cream cheese frosting core that amps the cookie to another level. The second trend I’ve noticed is that these Last Crumb cookies are nearly all dialed to 11. They’re not just incredibly well executed, but also have an unparalleled intensity.
Bonus: The Floor is Lava
At first bite, this comes off like a superb chocolate crinkle cookie—it’s not too sweet or too bitter and again perfectly balanced with salt. The secret here is the cookie is designed to be microwaved. The “lava” chocolate core is an absolute killer. (I jammed it back together after the cross section which obviously wasn’t ideal but trust me)
Bonus: S’mores Sans Campfire
Again, Last Crumb nails it with a perfectly cooked butterscotch flavored cookie that’s nice and chewy. The marshmallow adds even more stickiness, and while this cookie doesn’t reach the heights of some of the more manic flavors, the chocolate drizzle and aggressive amount of sugar show the dedication to overdoing everything.
Bonus: The Madonna
On a recent episode of the Sporkful, Dan Pashman, Hrishi, and Samin theorized that you don’t see many peanut-dough cookies with chocolate chips in it because peanut cookies are often more like shortbread. This cookie then is the apex peanut butter chocolate chip cookie because it’s really pure peanut butter mixed with sugar and some spices, and texturally like eating creamy peanut butter with just a bit of cookie crumb. If the dough alone wasn’t intense enough, then you’ll have a bite with chocolate chips and a cookie that already started out at 11 is turned up to 17. And you say wait, I thought the scale only went from 1-10 and I’ll say you’re wrong it’s actually 1-5 and this cookie is that insane.
Bread Lounge
Chocolate chip cookies are bakery staples, and this very soft cookie is one that won’t steer you wrong. It does show some willingness to branch out a bit with a slight warmth from cinnamon and with toothsome oats that give it a light crumbliness.
Republique
Chef Manzke is well known for her incredible pastries at Republique, which means that the humble chocolate chip cookie could go overlooked when putting your order in. But just because there’s so much other great stuff in the case doesn’t mean this cookie isn’t one of the best in the city. It’s got a great crisp on the edges and chewiness in the center, with layers of chocolate discs and is perfectly undercooked in the center. Like at Mozza, Republique’s chocolate chip cookie is a bonafide sleeper.
La Brea Bakery
Just a short walk from Republique, La Brea Baker’s chocolate chip cookie is very different. It’s crisp to the point that it sort of shatters on bite and is a bit hard throughout. It’s got a pretty standard flavor and the chocolate is on the sweater side. Honestly I ate this right after the Republique cookie and it’s tough to recommend with that one less than a block away. Maybe if Republique is sold out of absolutely everything else.
All Time
Neighborhood spot All Time brings it with their freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. It’s another example of a cookie that’s going to deliver expertly crafted comfort, with crisp edges, an undercooked center (look closely between the cracked surface), and layers on layers of chocolate. It’s also fantastically chewy and basically like your grown up Toll House that went to college, got a law degree, graduated at the top of her class and could be making a fortune at a top firm but chose to grind it out at a non-profit instead.
Majordomo
Majordomo gets thrown into the death match because why the hell not. Even though it uses white chocolate chips, it still has a great flavor with a je ne sais quois coming from the miso. I normally hate white chocolate, but with crisp edges and a chewy center the extra sweet chips actually feel like they kind of balanced out the umami packed salty dough. For what it’s worth, Majordomo doesn’t offer any other desserts for takeout, so if you’re looking for a sweet end to your meal this is obvious to recommend.
Still grinding.
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I’ve followed her on Instagram! I saw she was doing a cookies on a couple random Tuesdays with Chef Ai Kennedy in Echo Park and I was trying to do a pick up but missed out in the rush before the holidays. She’s definitely on my list!
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I’m not sure if you ever make it down to OC but this popped up on my IG. Looks good. This place is also close to Blackmarket Bakery which is my wife’s favorite chocolate chip cookie.
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Well I’m always looking for an excuse to go to Sushi ii… but those look great! I really appreciate it when bakeries do multiple versions, and they all look worthy.
Warning: bad half-eaten cookie photo incoming.
BUT had a fantastic chocolate chip cookie from Hail Mary the other day, and wasn’t thinking about this thread until halfway through. Salted, relatively thin but a great balance of chewy with crisp edges, big chunks of chocolate.
It actually looks like a lot of the other cookies in this thread. I don’t consider myself a dessert person (and certainly not a cookie person) so I don’t know how it measures up to the others, but I was super impressed. Love their pizza and breads, too.
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