Raving Glad: Levain Bakery's Double Chocolate Chip

 

LEVAIN BAKERY

167 West 74th St New York, NY 10023 

T: 212-874-6080 • F: 212-874-6413 

Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-7pm 

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Everyone knows that a woman without her daily allowance of chocolate could be dangerous -- and so I do my best to be a good girl and force this little nutritional supplement into my diet daily.  Last evening, I had the pleasure of interviewing our first Man About Town subject (I'm swooning!), and as it goes he too recognizes the daily benefits of chocolate and as such had dropped the hint that he loved Levain Bakery's Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.  And so of course I thought it would be ideal to go and get some of them to break the ice for our interview.

The interview went splendidly, going on even longer than planned. I got home sort of late, and pretty much went to bed  'all talked out'  and ready for a full evenings rest.  I didn't eat a proper dinner, because I was feeling sort of full after our chocolate indulgence.  But I didn't think much about that.    So I went to bed last night -- 'all talked out' -- tired and feeling rather great about our interview... ready for a full evenings rest.  I didn't eat a proper dinner, because I was feeling sort of full after our chocolate indulgence.  But I didn't think much about that.    THEN however, I woke up this morning and do you know what the first thing on my mind was? THAT COOKIE!

I know that Levain Bakery is known as one of the best cookie bakeries in the city!   Correction:  IT IS THE BEST COOKIE BAKERY IN THE CITY!  Tucked into the basement corner of 74th Street & Columbus, it is right by the dance studio where I take classes, so for me it is really easy to indulge.  They make 4 basic kinds of cookies -- Chocolate Chip Walnut, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip & Oatmeal.  I myself drop in there about once per month to get the Chocolate Chip Walnut, and well that can last me 2 days! I have never ventured to try the double chocolate chip because well, I just assumed it would be TOO SWEET or TOO SOMETHING -- and considering that I get hot cocoa all the time, I figured why bother to have yet one more temptation to avoid? I sort of took a stand with myself -- "you don't need it" I would say to myself -- "it's just a dangerous step in the wrong direction!"

And I was doing well --some years of going to dance classes there and I had just been a very good chocolate walnut girl -- instead of being a very naughty double chocolate gal!  But now, well NOW -- after reluctantly sharing this most divine chocolate gooey mess with my Man About Towner, I am ADDICTED!  These cookies are so good you just feel like you have entered some sort of dream state where chocolate goo is the air you breathe! Completely balanced, these cookies are a chocolate lovers dream and yet somehow they are not one tad over sweet -- not at all toothy! How do they do that? I mean I can make some good cookies -- but everytime I try adding more chocolate it gets too sweet --  or won't stay together in the oven!  Hmph.

At any rate this Cookie Dinner totally distracted me from my purpose of giving a purely professional interview.  I was trying to hide my most blissful state and was trying even harder to stay on topic -- and well we also had one of the best hot chocolate's ever to go with (Jacques Torres Classic!) but could I at all focus on the hot chocolate? NO! All I could focus on was the fact that this cookie was absorbing my attention and I was somehow supposed to make some sort of sense -- and not take up the entire evening with my incessant babbling!  Officially: These Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies are a Drug.  A Very Happy Drug!

If I didn't know better, I'd think this Gent did this on purpose as a sort of joke -- a sort of way to distract his audience -- like it was some sort of performance stunt he had planned all along to leave me in a gushing, chocolate puddle!

Well it worked.  My head is still spinning from last evening and this morning I haven't had one thing to eat because well, what could possibly be more satisfying -- a normal boiled egg breakfast, or dreaming , I mean uh, writing, about these cookies? Ok. Fine,  I'm obsessed!

Cookie Monsters Unite,

Madame B.