Levain Bakery

There are many places in NYC that are on the "best of" lists and have a lot of hype surrounding them, and too often they don't live up to high expectations.  Levain, however, is one of the places that will without a doubt not meet, but exceed even the highest expectations.

The bakery is nestled on the Upper West Side in a busy area that consists of Jacques Torres, Alice's Tea Cup, and Magnolia Bakery, to name a few, so there are many options to choose from.  But, anybody in their right mind would rush past all the other options without even looking back and head straight for Levain.  They sell a lot of freshly baked bread items, but are most known for their monstrous cookies.  The owners created these cookies when they were training for the Ironman and needed a calorie/energy bomb to counteract the grueling workouts, and they hit the jackpot with these cookies.

When you first see them in the display case, you are in disbelief at the size of the cookie.  They look like huge scones, but way better.  You have four options to choose from: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip and Oatmeal Raisin.  Each one of the cookies is about a pound in weight (I have read that they are 6oz, but they feel like a pound to me) so they are not for the faint of heart.  I have tried all flavors besides the Oatmeal Raisin, because even though I hear that the oatmeal raisin is amazing, I can't imagine making the trip there and not getting something with chocolate.  My favorite flavor, and the one I always order, is the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, which is a chocolate lovers dream.  No matter what time of day you get there, the cookie is always served to you warm and fresh with the chips oozing.

After craving these cookies for weeks and dreaming about them, I finally made my trip to the bakery today and ordered the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip.  Once it was handed to me, I split the cookie opened and was immediately overcome with the strong scent of chocolatey, buttery goodness.  Then, I looked down at the cookie and saw the oozing chocolate chips and the almost raw (in a good way) cookie center.

I took my first bite, and was in heaven.  The outside of the cookie has a nice crisp shell which works well with the soft gooey center and the melted chips.  I don't know how they get the chips to stay melted for so long, but it is just part of the magic of these cookies that can not be replicated anywhere else (in fact, I got my cookie about 5 hours ago and some of the chips are STILL melted).  You get a mouthful of chips in every bite, and the dark chocolate flavor is outstanding.  It is hard to put into words how amazing this cookie is (though I am clearly trying), but all I can say is that it is life changing.  While some could argue that it is more like a cross between a brownie and a cookie, I would take this over any other cookie any day.  While I had to limit myself to only eating half because I can't really rationalize eating an 8oz cookie, no matter how hard I worked out this morning, it was worth every last bite and calorie. 

 This isn't my first visit here, so I have gotten the chance to try their other flavors as well.  The chocolate chip walnut is also amazing and is more of the traditional chocolate chip cookie.  Even though they do get some grief occasionally for having walnuts instead of a traditional chocolate chip cookie, trust me you barely even taste them and it is SO worth it.  The dark chocolate peanut butter chip is also out of this world, and is a must for any peanut butter lover.  That being said, I will always stay true to my dark chocolate chip cookie and have to order that one every time I go.  

Lucky for me (health wise) I have to go out of my way to go to Levain, so I don't frequent here too often, which makes my occasional visits that much more special.  But, if you are in NYC visiting (even if just for a day) you MUST make the trip to Levain, even if it is out of your way.  Trust me, it will be worth it.  And, they also ship their cookies so you can get them no matter where you live!  Even though they won't be warm or oozing when they get to you, they will still be just as delicious.   

Molly's Cupcakes

I have been taking a finance course over the summer (yuck!) to fulfill a requirement for school and to get it out of the way, and today was the final.  After a long weekend of studying and spending hours creating the world's most intense study sheet, I knew that I wanted to find some way to celebrate finishing the class.  Of course, I immediately thought, "what special food/dessert item should I treat myself to?"  Since I haven't had a cupcake in a while and have been craving one, I settled on that.  The next step was deciding where to get it from, because there are tons of places in the city that you can supposedly find the "best cupcake."  I have been to Magnolias, Butter Lane, Sprinkles, Georgetown Cupcake, and Two Little Red Hens, among others, so I have definitely gotten around to sampling some of NYCs best offerings.  Instead of going back to one of these places, I remembered Molly's Cupcakes- a place I have been meaning to try for a while.

I first looked them up on yelp and saw they have 4 1/2 stars, which is a very good sign.  Then, when I looked on their website and saw their menu, I knew I had to come here.  The first specialty cupcake listed on the menu is the Ron Bennington, which is a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter filling, chocolate ganache frosting, and a crushed butterscotch topping.  Needless to say, I was immediately sold.  I continued looking at the menu just to see what the other offerings were, and I couldn't believe I had never been here before!  Some of the other cupcakes that sounded awesome to me were the Cake Batter (vanilla confetti cake filled with raw cake batter, topped with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles), the Cookie Monster (vanilla chocolate chip cake, raw cookie dough center, buttercream, and a mini chocolate chip cookie on top), the Salted Caramel Butterscotch (vanilla cake filled with butterscotch caramel pudding, topped with salted vanilla buttercream and caramel drizzle), Peanut Butter Nutella (peanut butter cake filled with nutella, topped with nutella buttercream), and Flourless Molten Chocolate (flourless chocolate cake, dulce de leche ganache filling, french vanilla buttercream, and chocolate drizzle), to name just a few.  They also have a bunch of fruity cupcakes (mixed berry, lemon meringue, peach cobbler, blueberry cheesecake, etc.) but none of those particularly appealed to me.  Even though all of their offerings sounded delicious, I knew I had to get the Ron Bennington.

After much anticipation and a sigh of relief after finishing my final, I finally made my way over to Molly's Cupcakes.  It is a very cute shop nestled in the heart of the West Village, and is worth making the trip.  All of the cupcakes in the display case looked perfect, and even better than I had imagined.  While I could have easily bought a half dozen, I just got the famed Ron Bennington for myself, and the Cake Batter for my sister.  I took them to go, but if you are coming here with someone else they have tables to sit at where you can play board games while devouring your treat.  I made it back to my apartment at around 3pm, and opened the box to see the beautiful cupcakes staring at me.

Since it was only 3pm and I was trying to wait to have the cupcake for dessert, I had to immediately close the box.  The next three hours were torture, as I sat there on the couch thinking about this cupcake.  Finally, I finished dinner and it was cupcake time!  

Just when I thought I could not get more excited, I cut into this and saw the creamy peanut butter filling!  I finally took my first bite, and was in heaven.  You will happily know that it is even better than it looks in the picture, and that says a lot. Every aspect of this cupcake is delicious, and it is safe to say that this was the best cupcake I have ever had.  Yes, that means better than Magnolia's, Sprinkles, and all of the aforementioned cupcake establishments that I have been to.  The chocolate cake is so moist and chocolatey, and while I usually am disappointed by the base of a cupcake, this one was great.  The chocolate ganache frosting, however, was by far my favorite part.  It is so fudgy, rich, decadent, and chocolatey.  A lot of cupcakes with chocolate frosting are too sweet which overpowers the chocolate flavor, but these have the perfect balance.  Then, after a few bites of pure bliss, just when you are thinking that it couldn't possibly get any better, you reach the peanut butter center.  It balances out perfectly with the chocolate, and is a peanut butter lovers dream.  The crushed butterscotch on top also added a nice dimension to the cupcake.

If you are in NYC, don't buy into the hype surrounding the better known establishments like Magnolia's, and instead go to Molly's.  Their cupcakes are so unique and creative, and you will not be disappointed.  I HIGHLY recommend the Ron Bennington, and am already looking forward to the next time I will be able to return and enjoy my new favorite cupcake.  

(Just as a side note--this is the inside of the Cake Batter cupcake.  I tried a bite, and while the Ron Bennington is still my favorite by far, this one was very good too!)

Donna Bell's Bake Shop

One of my favorite bakeries in NYC is Donna Bell's Bake Shop.  It is pretty new to the bakery scene in NYC, but it is up there with the best.  I actually interned there in the Fall of 2011 to help with PR and Marketing, which is how I was first introduced to their amazing baked goods.

They are a quintessential neighborhood bakery that you would expect to find in a small town, but they happen to be right near one of the busiest areas in the city, Times Square!  They specialize in southern style baked goods, drinks, and food items.  Some of their most popular items include their Lemon Bars, Drop Biscuits, Sweet Tea, Chicken and Dumplings, and their Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Since I worked there twice a week, I got a chance to try most of their items and can vouch for all of them!  My favorites were their cake slices (you get a huge slice and it is some of the best cake that I have ever had), brownies, lemon bars, biscuits (I seriously have never had biscuits as good as theirs), chicken & dumplings soup, mac and cheese, corn bread, cinnamon scones (tastes like a cross between a scone and a cinnamon roll), and their muffins.  Oh, and even their coffee is amazing!  I know the list is pretty long, but it is because everything is just that good.  I have never had anything there that I didn't like.

But, unfortunately for me, the location of the bakery is pretty much out of the way of anywhere that I go in the city, so I hadn't been back in over a year.  This morning, however, I decided to go back and pay them a visit.  I was immediately greeted with a beautiful display case of about 5 different muffin varieties, 3 different scones, warm biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, and hot coffee.  It was so difficult to choose one thing because there were so many baked goods that I wanted, but I had to limit myself to one item as to not completely sabotage my efforts to eat healthier.  So, I ultimately decided on my favorite muffin there- the Coconut Almond Muffin.  Not only is it my favorite of their muffins, but it is the best muffin that I have ever had, and that says a lot because I have had A LOT of muffins.

When I took my first bite, it was just as delicious as I remembered.  The top has an amazing crunch to it, and the inside is very fluffy and soft.  The almond flavor really comes through in every bite, and there is tons of coconut and almond slices in the actual muffin which makes it even more delicious.  Most muffins that I have had don't have the crunchiness on the top that you look for, but all of the muffins at Donna Bells have it.  I have tried their chocolate chip, banana pecan, peach, and blueberry bran varieties and they are all just as good.  I also got a cranberry muffin for my sister and she had the same reaction as me--she said the best part was the top because it is crunchy on the outside but so soft on the inside.  You can really tell that they are baked fresh and they care about what they are making (just as a side note, my sister was planning on saving it, but she finished it on the subway ride before she even made it to work, which is a testament to how good it was!)

Basically, if you are in the city you MUST go to Donna Bells!  It is on the corner of 49th Street and 8th Avenue, which is just walking distance from Central Park and Times Square!  It has a nice homey, neighborhood feel to it, and you will be able to find something for everyone.  A lot of the more famous bakeries in NYC have lost their edge and are just tourist attractions, but Donna Bells is the real deal.  

They have their menu posted online and it updates with their daily specials, so you should definitely check it out (www.donnabellsbakeshop.com).  They also have such an amazing story...it is owned by three best friends, one of whom is Pauley Perrette from NCIS.  The bakery is named after Pauley's mother, Donna Bell, and most of the original recipes were hers.

Oh, and if you are planning to visit (which you should be), I recommend going on the early side because the best things tend to sell out quickly!