Who doesn't love a perfect cookie that's slightly crispy on the outside and perfectly soft and chewy in the middle? And whether it's classic chocolate chip or something more adventurous like lavender shortbread, the USA is filled with the most incredible sweet creations. We've narrowed down the best cookie to try in every US state. Due to COVID-19, be sure to check local travel restrictions, including state travel advisories and individual websites for dine-in, takeout and delivery options, before you visit.
With a perfect Yelp score, Cookie Fix is every cookie lover's dream. Fresh batches of soft, chewy and gooey cookies are baked daily, with over 60 flavors on offer on their rotating menu. The only cookie available every day of the week though is the unbeatable chocolate chip. Customers consistently dub it their favorite and say it's one of the best chocolate chip cookies they've ever had.
Purveyors of all manner of baked goods, Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop's three locations offer up everything from bread and scones to croissants, cakes and, of course, cookies. Highly praised by customers, the peanut butter cookie tops the charts. Baked fresh every day, it's irresistibly chewy and has that unmistakable sweet but salty flavor. Customers also love the decadent sandwich version with two peanut butter cookies and a layer of peanut butter cream in the middle (pictured bottom left).
A James Beard Awards semi-finalist, Super Chunk is hailed for its mesquite chocolate chip cookie, which has been named the unofficial cookie of Arizona by the Phoenix New Times. Customers agree with the hype and the delicious secret apparently lies in the high-grade mesquite flour that's used. The flour (a red flour made by grinding the seeds of a mesquite plant) imparts a heady mix of flavors and aromas, including cocoa, molasses and hazelnut, making this sweet treat especially addictive.
You might think you've tasted a perfect chocolate chip cookie before – but wait until you've tried The Root Cafe's offering. Customers wax lyrical about it, saying it's equally crispy and chewy with a perfect crunchy edge. The café is also known for its excellent farm-to-table lunches and dinners, so coming here for a full meal is a real treat too.
Not only are the cookies from Milk Jar aesthetically pleasing, they taste phenomenal. They're always baked fresh from scratch and customers love the homemade feel that gives them too. A particular favorite is the white chocolate raspberry, which combines a classic, delicately sweet cookie with white chocolate chunks and tart fresh raspberries. Customers say the flavors are perfectly balanced and there's just the right amount of white chocolate.
With lip-smacking cookies like snickerdoodle and ginger molasses on the menu you might think picking one cookie at Paradise Bakery is impossible – but customers disagree. Although all cookies are delicious, it's the chocolate chip that's loved the most. Customers say it's perfectly soft with a perfect flavor balance. The gluten-free version of the chocolate chip also gets top marks.
If you love peanut butter, then you'll be a huge fan of Sift Bake Shop's peanut butter sandwich cookie. It's an irresistible creation that sees a layer of peanut butter cream squashed between two crunchy yet soft peanut butter cookies. Customers love its sheer decadence and how well-balanced the flavors are too. Top tip: always buy more than one – you're guaranteed to want another later.
Made with just four ingredients – peanut butter, sugar, egg whites and chocolate – these peanut butter cookies are not only incredibly tasty but are also gluten-free. They've won many a customer's heart thanks to the soft, chewy texture and the incredible flavor. An Italian deli at heart, Frank & Louie's also sells other incredible baked goods, including traditional Italian sweets and a variety of top-notch sandwiches.
According to customers, the pistachio toffee chocolate cookie at Gideon's Bakehouse is not just a cookie – it's an experience. A combination of sweet and salty flavors, the cookie mix incorporates chocolate chips, crunchy toffee bites and lightly salted pistachios. All cookies here come with a pretty serious price tag, but customers say it's worth it – after all the cookies sell out almost every day.
Delicate and beautifully flavored, the lavender shortbread cookies at Back in the Day Bakery are loved thanks to their subtle floral flavoring and the soft and crumbly texture that melts in your mouth. Customers will also find a selection of bread and sandwiches, as well as brownies, cupcakes and biscuits at the bakery.
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The name of this dessert shop in Honolulu hints at its unique appeal. Customers are invited to enjoy edible cookie dough that's safe to consume and if you can't finish it, the leftovers are baked into actual cookies. One standout combination is the Matcha Oreo that combines the distinct matcha flavor with chocolatey Oreo cookie crumb (pictured bottom right). Customers adore how large, soft and gooey these cookies are too.
With a constantly rotating menu of monthly specials, Chip offers one cookie that never loses its popularity – the aptly named OG. A traditional chocolate chip at heart, it's a huge cookie with a crispy outside and gooey inside, made with Guittard chocolate chips. The cookie can also be ordered for nationwide or local delivery and the latter usually arrives still warm from the oven, according to customers.
All the sweet treats from Sweet Mandy B's are amazing, but their iced sugar cookie is a real standout. A long-standing customer favorite, the cookie is soft and buttery with just the right amount of chewiness. It's topped with frosting in a variety of colors and finished with a touch of confetti sprinkles. Get it from one of two locations in Chicago.
This is not a chocolate chip cookie as you know it: Amelia's version is soft in the middle, crunchy along the outside and is the perfect combination of sweet and salty as it's finished with a delicate sprinkling of sea salt. What's more, it's made with browned butter, which adds another layer of flavor and a beautiful dark color. The bakery's excellent bread selection is also popular.
If you're ever in Des Moines, stop by this modern bakery for their big chocolate chip cookies. Customers describe them as divine, saying they have a lovely crisp on the outside, while the melted chocolate chips make the inside all soft and gooey. The bakery also has a small menu of sandwiches and salads so you're all set for a tasty meal.
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Big, slightly crumbly and fluffy in the middle, the chocolate chip cookies at Mud Pie Vegan Bakery & Coffee have been a hit with the customers for quite some time. A regular staple, the vegan cookie often gets limited-time upgrades too, like a rainbow buttercream swirl sandwich for Pride Month. The bakery has another location across the state border in Kansas City and offers a range of sweet and savory baked goods.
This trendy Southern-style bakery promises the best chocolate chip cookies in Louisville and, according to customers, they deliver. If you like your cookies slightly crisp around the edges and super soft on the inside, you'll love them too. Some reviewers even suggest you arm yourself with napkins to wipe the gooey chocolate from your fingers and face. Please & Thank You also has an excellent selection of hot drinks that pair incredibly well with the cookies.
The chocolate chip cookie experience is taken to a whole other level at New Orleans' Willa Jean restaurant. Warm cookies are served as part of a dessert with a glass of vanilla milk and a hand mixer blade full of unbaked cookie dough. Customers all agree that this sweet plate was the best part of their meal and they especially love the homemade feel the sea-salt-dusted cookies have.
Made with organic, locally grown ingredients (including flour), the chocolate chip cookies at Standard Baking Co. are simply unforgettable, according to customers. The family-owned bakery dishes out fresh batches every day and the cookies are at once crispy and gooey, and sweet and salty.
With over a dozen original ice cream and cookie flavors, it might be difficult to choose the components of your perfect ice cream sandwich at The Baked Bear. Take customers' advice and go for the red velvet cookie (pictured top left). Available to buy on its own or in an ice cream sandwich (that can also be rolled through fruity pebbles, Oreo crumble and more), the cookie is perfectly chewy, channeling the flavors of the classic cake. Their cookies of the month are also worth a try.
A hip Boston café with a good lunch offering, Blunch is best for incredible, classic chocolate chip cookies. The thick cookies are loaded with massive chocolate chunks – perfect for those with a serious sweet tooth. Customers recommend warming them up slightly if you're enjoying one at home.
Founded more than 20 years ago, Avalon International Breads is known for its perfect loaves made from 100% organic flour – but it's the sea salt chocolate chip cookies that keep customers coming back. Punters praise the brilliantly balanced sweet and salty flavors and all agree it's baked to perfection.
You might find it a touch unusual that the best cookies in Minnesota come from a pizzeria – but one taste of Pizzeria Lola's delicious treat and any doubter will be convinced otherwise. According to customers, Lola's dessert featuring three tasty cookies and a shot of milk is the perfect ending to any meal here.
Everyone in the local area knows Abe's Grill and Abe himself (pictured left). They also know he's been serving first-class food – including superb chocolate chip cookies – on Highway 72 since 1974. The bakes are served hot straight from the pan, meaning the cookie is still all gooey inside. Some rate these chocolate chip cookies as the best they've ever had.
We promise you won't regret indulging in the exquisite chocolate chip cookie from The Russell. It's loved for its superb texture and incredible flavor: the secret lies in the fact it's made with olive oil instead of butter, imparting an especially rich and nutty flavor, while the dark chocolate chips add a certain bitterness that balances out the sweetness of the dough.
A small, family-run café, MineShaft Pasty's primary focus is delicious pasties, but you'll also find myriad sweet treats. Best of all are the chocolate chip cookies: customers say they're heavenly, and commend how they're equal parts chewy and crunchy. Get more than one because you're bound to want seconds.
Although there are several really delicious cookies on offer at Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop, from classic chocolate chip to peanut butter and lemon, nothing beats this malted milk version of a chocolate Oreo cookie. Customers are big fans of this creative combination and love how deep and rich the flavors are. The cookies are also very big, which means perfectly crisp edges and a soft, chewy center.
Boasting a perfect Yelp score, Zenaida's Cafe is one of Las Vegas' top spots for a tasty breakfast or brunch – but the best part of the meal comes right at the end. The melt-in-your-mouth cookies are complimentary and customers say they always hit the table warm and deliciously gooey. Served with cinnamon and a light drizzle of white chocolate sauce across the top, they're a fantastic way to finish a meal.
A cute bakery in the heart of Portsmouth, Elephantine dishes up breakfast and lunch plates and a whole host of baked goods. The chocolate chip cookie is a customer favorite. The big, palm-sized cookies are perfectly crispy around the edges and soft and crumbly in the middle. Some reviewers say they taste even better than homemade.
There are many things that brunch spot The Corner does exceptionally well: tasty avocado toast, pancakes and top-notch coffee. But the chocolate chip cookie is in a league of its own. It's something of a local legend and it's been known to sell out incredibly early in the morning, leaving many empty-handed. These days, the cookies are available for on-demand ordering throughout the day and raw dough that customers can bake themselves is also available to buy.
This fantastic cookie shop has plenty of tasty treats on offer, and it also runs classes and a Cookies for a Cause donation scheme. If you find it difficult to pick your poison, just go for the dozen assorted cookies, which features everything from chocolate chip to snickerdoodle. To try the customer favorite though, order the peanut butter cookie (pictured third from the top). Crumbly, nutty and delicious, it'll satisfy any sweet cravings.
Chances are, you've heard of Levain Bakery or at least seen its incredible cookie creations on social media. Famous for underbaking its massive cookies, it's the chocolate chip and walnut that is the customer favorite. The cookie combines the sweet flavors from the chocolate with the nuttiness of the walnut perfectly.
An unusual spot in the heart of Raleigh, Bittersweet is a dessert bar serving drinks, cocktails and some seriously imaginative sweet (and a few savory) dishes. The menu changes often, but customers will find the much-loved sea salt chocolate chip cookie featured in some fashion. It's currently taking the form of a vanilla ice cream sandwich rolled in bourbon caramel corn.
The exquisite pastries at Nichole's Fine Pastry & Café are almost too pretty to eat – but they taste even better than they look. Alongside cakes, cupcakes, tarts and confectionery, Nichole's has a range of cookies available and none beat the chocolate chip. With a crispy shell, the cookie is soft on the inside, and has a lovely hint of saltiness that customers absolutely love.
This worker-owned spot is the place to go if you're after cookies baked with a lot of love, no animal products and using as many organic ingredients as possible. The classic tollhouse cookie is the customer favorite thanks to its lovely crumbly texture. Full of chocolate chips and walnuts, the cookie has another surprise ingredient – sucanat (natural sugarcane sugar with unremoved molasses). Used instead of brown sugar, it contributes to a more balanced sweetness and a lovely golden color. Find them in the bakery's new location.
For over 15 years, Barbee Cookies in Tulsa has been the go-to place for incredible bakes, including the original cinnamon roll cookie. Made daily, the cookies have a delicious swirl of punchy cinnamon and a generous spread of buttery-sweet vanilla frosting on top, offering a creative twist on the popular pastry. Customers say it tastes like the real deal.
Baked fresh every day, the chocolate chip cookies at Courier Coffee taste better than homemade, according to customers. They're perfectly balanced in terms of sweetness, have a light sprinkling of sea salt across the top and offer just the right crispy-to-chewy ratio. The café also has an excellent selection of hot drinks to pair with a tasty cookie.
Nancy B's Bakery are the self-proclaimed bakers of the "best chocolate chip cookie" in the world, and it's hard to argue with them. Customers all agree that these chocolate chip cookies are something special. Incredibly large, thick and delicious, the cookies have a heavenly texture and just the right amount of chocolate chips. Come early in the morning and you might catch a batch straight from the oven.
Wildflour's vegan and gluten-free chocolate chip cookie is easily among the best you'll ever eat. Customers love how big the cookies are and particularly praise the pleasant crunch and the amazing flavor from the dark chocolate chips. The service here is also worth noting, with customers praising how friendly and attentive the staff are.
A small-batch bakery, Sugar Bakeshop uses fresh and local ingredients to make a selection of regular items, plus a rotating menu of seasonal treats. Their gingerbread molasses cookie (pictured bottom right) has garnered quite a bit of local attention. Some reviewers even say it's the best cookie they've ever had and they love its buttery, spicy ginger molasses center.
Evoking memories of sitting around the fire on a camping trip, the inventive s'mores cookies at Mary's Mountain Cookies are simply incredible. Combining all essential parts of a s'more into one giant cookie, it's the ultimate treat. Customers love how soft and crumbly this cookie is and how spot-on the flavors are.
You're in luck because there are two Kooky Canuck locations in Tennessee – one in Memphis and one in Cordova – where the ultimate cookie experience is on offer. The huge chocolate chip cookie is baked in its own skillet and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Customers rave about it, saying it's the best dessert in town. You really can't go wrong with this one.
There might be a variety of cookie flavors on offer at this walk-up bakery and ice cream shop – but customers all say that the chocolate chip can't be beaten. They're served warm and fresh from the oven most of the time, and they're dotted with gooey, melted chocolate chips. Tiny's also sells the raw cookie dough frozen, so you can bake a batch at home yourself.
A plant-based sandwich shop, Buds has been serving tasty vegan sandwiches since 2012 and loyal customers know not to leave without their signature chocolate chip cookie. These vegan cookies – described as a "must-try" – hide a surprising secret: they're made with zucchini. The cookie is soft and chewy with big chunks of chocolate and a hint of warming spice. You wouldn't even know it's made with a vegetable.
Whether it's frozen cookie dough you can bake at home or warm, gooey cookies fresh out the oven, Cookie Love's sweet offerings keep customers pouring through the door. The romantically named First Love chocolate chip cookie is the top choice for customers thanks to its homemade feel and perfect balance of flavors. The bakery really prides itself on the all-natural and GMO-free cookie dough with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
Chocolate-chip cookie lovers, rejoice – this bakery in Arlington has everything you've dreamed of. Not only is its regular chocolate chip cookie mouth-wateringly good, there are several imaginative takes on the classic cookies as well. There's a brown butter version with chocolate chunks and a brookie – a cross between a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie – as well as versions with Oreos or Reese's. Nothing beats the classic though.
It's hard to keep track of all the awards Hello Robin has received over the years, but one thing is a constant – their classic and traditional chocolate chip cookies. The top-selling and customer-favorite cookies are perfectly gooey in the middle with crunchy edges. If you like a little bit of spice in your life, try their orange habanero chocolate chip cookies as well. They're sweet, citrusy and slightly spicy all at once.
An old-fashioned bakery, Apple Annie's delivers batch after batch of tasty, homemade cookies (as well as cream pies, muffins, cheesecakes and more) every day. One thing that's helped them build a loyal customer following is their chocolate chip cookie. Sprawling across the plate, the chunky cookie has a crunchy exterior and a moist, almost cake-like interior. Customers insist you won't be disappointed.
Graze is a forward-thinking gastropub that sources most of its ingredients from small farms within the region – its incredible cookies and milk dessert is built on that ethos. The chocolate chip cookies are baked to order so customers always get warm, gooey cookies that are surrounded by a crispy edge and served with a glass of local Sassy Cow milk for dunking. Many say this dessert was the best part of their meal.
A cute, French-style bakery in Jackson, Persephone is highly rated for its coffee, breakfasts, pastries and, of course, cookies. The chocolate chip walnut cookie is the customer favorite. The cookie is made with semi-sweet chocolate chunks and toasted walnuts – a decadent and classic combination. Customers also love the light sprinkling of sea salt across the top: one reviewer even says the cookie is "life reaffirming".