Ever since I’ve joined John Jay’s Student Government, life’s been too hectic to try to write my food blog unless I make a time for it. Fortunately, today’s Thursday and it’s usually my time to catch up with anything I’ve missed or work that needed to be done that I have procrastinated. So, on to the food; technically, sweets!
The last thing I’ve recorded on my food journal (yes, I have a food journal, not for dietary reasons; it’s more like my memories of what, when, where, and how that food tasted like than calorie/fat count) that I haven’t published yet was my cookie tastings. The first place I’ve went to was Bouchon Bakery in Columbus Circle. Just 3 blocks from school.
So, as you can see I really splurged the money and calories that day. The total tab was
As you can see they look pretty darn good…they’re not cheap either
. All the cookies cost $2.75 a piece. So, yeah it was a stressful day and I needed the caffeine (from the large coffee), chocolate, sugar kick. The chocolate chunk cookie was sublime! It was crisp on the edges, soft, buttery but not greasy, and the bittersweet Valhrona chocolate just shines through…one of the best ccc in New York City.
The TKO cookie is a refined version of the Oreo cookie; without all those artificial flavors and preservatives…yuck. Anyways, this cookie is made of a chocolate shortbread sandwich with a rich white chocolate ganache. Once again, the chocolate is from Valhrona and a lot of butter. It’s really rich and yummy but not my personal fave.
My real favorite from this place is their Nutter Butter cookie (I didn’t eat it that day, I had it a few times for the past few months). My god that cookie blew my mind! I had peanut butter cookies before, but this one really is nostagic and really delicious. If you love peanut butter cookies; you never had one ’til you tried this!
Ok, back to the topic. The next place is Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Haven in SoHo, on Hudson & King St. I went there a week later, Monday, 9/18. Those of you who are familiar with this place that’s great, but I think you tried his ccc, the brownie, or the most recent addition from the summer: the cookie sandwich$10. Yep, the ccc and brownie was $2.50 each and the ice cream sandwich was $5. Even though the ice cream sandwich labeled espresso, there were other flavors like raspberry and banana. The fruit flavors aren’t calling my name. I love the flavors of coffee/espresso with chocolate; something about the bitterness of coffee/espresso complements the chocolate.
So, the first thing I tried was the ice cream sandwich. Holy cow! This is the BEST ice cream sanswich I have ever tasted my entire life! Or what Ed Levine (NY Times food critic) said on his blog, “I have found the ice cream sandwich 
of my dreams.” Soo true. The chocolate chip cookies are crisp, and chocolatey; not chewy or soggy that you would expect from an ice cream sandwich from your grocery store or what typically happens when it’s made in advance. The espresso ice cream has the robust flavor of espresso but the texture of the ice cream is not that creamy. The texture’s actually in between the creaminess of an ice cream and a sorbet. A tiny flaw but it can be overlooked. I really love this ics, but I was starting to get really full though. This thing is huge; 4 inches in diameter, 2 inches high.
The next thing I ate was the chocolate chunk cookie. It was extremely chocolatey, crisp on the edges, pliant, soft and chewy on the middle, and buttery.
The final thing, the brownie. This would be a chocoholic’s dream. Dense, chocolatey brownie with a chocolate ganache on top. The walnut’s crunchy bitterness was a nice contrast to the sweet, soft, chewiness of the brownie. My complaint is that the brownie is not fudgy enough. It’s a little too cakey for me and probably a little too sweet. It’s good but not my “perfect” brownie and I’m still searching for one.
After eating all of those 3 things, I needed a huge glass of water and a couple of miles to walk it off. Thankfully, Manhattan is a walkable city.
I should note that Jacques Torres also sell cupcakes. I haven’t tried it but it looks adorable and it cost $2.50. In the city where cupcakes are all the rage for the past few years, my favorite so far (after trying so many for that duration of time) is from Sugar Sweet Sunshine in the Lower East Side on Rivington St. But that’s a whole ‘nother topic.
You should try cocoa jones brownies. i only see them at certain stores but they are also among the best around.
thank you, brother