With the winter holidays fully upon us, let us pay homage to the true reason for the season: Cookies. From brightly decorated sugar cookies in festive shapes, to classic chocolate chip, to the most decadent macarons, cookies are king. They dominate every office, every holiday party, every gift exchange, and rightfully so! With so many flavors, textures, and shapes, there’s a cookie for everyone. For many, it's their favorite time to turn their kitchens into cookie factories; some might even be trying this latest NYT recipe from Dorie Greenspan, but not all of us have the wherewithal to bake up as many types of cookies as we'd like to try, especially this year. Good thing we've got plenty of options from amazing bakeries already! It just so happens to be National Cookie Day on December 4th, to boot, so we’ve laid out a guide to some of our favorite cookies here at Provisions.
Lark Fine Foods
Touted as “cookies for grown-ups,” Lark Fine Foods is 100% woman owned and operated in Essex, Massachusetts, with several awards under their belt for their delicious cookies and biscuits. Lark makes cookies with imaginative ingredients like rosemary, burnt sugar, and fennel, and they always choose to source locally when available. Our favorite has to be the Salted Rosemary Shortbread, with a perfect salty-sweet balance set off by the herbaceous flavor of the rosemary—truly a grown-up cookie!
Unna Bakery
Unna means “indulge” in Swedish, and that’s exactly what these buttery cookies invite you to do! Founder Ulrika Pettersson launched Unna Bakery with the help of noted culinary incubator and nonprofit, Hot Bread Kitchen, basing her seven cookie varieties on her grandmother’s recipes, from which she takes her inspiration. Seven is considered the perfect number of cookies to serve in Sweden, neither stingy nor boastful, as Ulrika basically puts it. We’re particularly fond of the Vanilla Cookie, which is deceptively simple in its deliciousness; it’s possibly too easy to eat the whole bag.
The Good Batch
Our neighbors down the street in Clinton Hill, The Good Batch has been part of Provisions history since before we moved into our current space. What began as stroopwafels sold at the Brooklyn Flea has since evolved into one of Brooklyn’s best bakeries, with inventive flavors that still manage to appeal to everyone, from cakes to ice cream sandwiches to, of course, cookies. Our undisputed favorite is the Brown Butter Salty, which is described by some staff as “iconic.” The name makes it self explanatory, and yet you just can’t know how good this cookie is until you’ve taken a bite for yourself. Good thing they come two to a pack.
Brooklyn Brittle
The packaging might say “brittle,” but these are definitely cookies, and we can’t get enough of them! Brooklyn Brittle, a local woman-owned operation, makes these eggless cookies in small batches based on founder Joanne Lomanto’s Italian grandmother’s recipe. Her grandmother called it “cookie brittle” for its crumbly texture, and that same Italian heritage is behind flavors like rosemary parmesan and espresso chip. The Rosemary Parmesan Cookie Brittle is a surprise favorite, with the saltiness of the infused cheese and savory rosemary flavor setting off the buttery sweetness of the cookie itself.
Bread Alone
We’ve loved Bread Alone for their signature bread for a few years now, but this year we thought we’d give folks a treat and bring in their cookies. Bread Alone makes artisan, organic bread in wood-fired brick ovens in the Catskills, and that kind of attention to detail comes through in their cookies, too. The best comes down to the classic Chocolate Chunk Cookie, of course, made with organic wheat, and perfectly chewy.
Persephone Bakery
Animal crackers might feel like a weird addition to this list, but hear us out. These simply-made Wild West Animal Graham Crackers happen to be a cult classic in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Persephone Bakery makes rustic breads with old world fermentation techniques and a stone hearth. The ingredients list is short, and locally sourced when possible, but the flavor is nowhere near the bland animal crackers of yore, *and* the box is perfectly giftable, if we’re being honest.
King Street Baking Co
While all our cookies are carefully chosen for their delightful flavors and thoughtful craftsmanship, sometimes the best way to enjoy a cookie is straight from your own oven. Your standard weeknight doesn’t generally offer a lot of time or energy to whip up fresh cookie dough, not to mention how much better cookies taste after the dough’s rested in the fridge or freezer. A pint of King St Baking Co Cookie Dough solves both problems, easily scooped onto a baking sheet for a piping hot treat within minutes. The resulting cookies are chewy and delicious; sprinkle some of our Icelandic Flake Salt atop each scoop before baking for a real flavor boost!
