In honor of National Ice Cream Day yesterday, I thought it appropriate to share one of my favorite spots for ice cream. Ample Hills Creamery is a small batch, all-natural creamery, and all the ice cream is handmade in Brooklyn, NY, They make some of the best ice cream I've ever had, and I love how creative they are with flavors and mix-ins (think rice krispies, oatmeal cookies, cookie dough, pistachio brittle & honeycomb candy)! Some of their signature flavors include: Salted Crack Caramel, Snap Mallow & Pop, Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, The Munchies, and Pistachio Squared, all of which I would happily consume any day of the week! . Ample Hills was originally just in Brooklyn, first in Prospect Heights & then Gowanus, but now they've continued to expand into Manhattan, and even have seasonal locations. They recently opened a location in the Meatpacking District, in conjunction with Bubby's High Line, and are offering collaborative pie sundaes and shakes featuring Bubby's iconic pies! Definitely looking forward to trying those soon. On this particular occasion, I went with a scoop each of Coffee Toffee Coffee and Nonna D's Oatmeal Lace, which did not disappoint in the least. Yum!
momofuku milk bar
I've been a fan of Momofuku Milk Bar for a long time now. Christina Tosi, the award winning & highly talented pastry chef, is the brains behind these super successful bakeries, and I love the playful spin she puts on traditional homestyle desserts. The stellar line up of baked goods never fails to impress, and I always leave with my sweet tooth satisfied. Milk Bar is probably most known for the cereal milk soft serve (it's even trademarked!), and for good reason. This unique take on a childhood favorite gives me all sorts of nostalgic feels. The sweet & salty soft serve with hints of an almost-finished bowl of cereal is addicting enough on its own, and then it's topped with a generous sprinkling of crunchy cornflakes! To die for! While you're there, be sure to check out the unique cookie flavors as well. I love corn cookie, the coco cookie (part of the Klossie's colleciton with Karlie Kloss!), and the cornflake-chocolate chip-marshmallow cookie best, but really you can't go wrong with any of them! Milk Bar bakeries are also a great place to pick up a whole cake or pie for any special event!
peanut butter pretzel oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
I made these cookies for my husband on his birthday one year, and they quickly became a household favorite. We both love chocolate and peanut butter, so these fully loaded, salty-sweet cookies were a huge hit! But really, what's not to love when oats, chocolate chunks, and peanut butter pretzels are all involved?! You may want to whip up a double batch and keep some dough in the freezer, so that cookies are never too far away when the craving hits. Also make sure not to over-bake, so you'll get that delicious gooey, chewy center!
Peanut Butter Pretzel Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup peanut butter pretzels, crushed
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until smooth. Add egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt, then add in oats. Fold in peanut butter pretzels and chocolate chunks. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove dough from fridge and use an ice cream scoop to form big balls. Set on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Lightly press down on dough to flatten. Bake for about 10 minutes. Enjoy warm from the oven or cooled!
*Adapted from Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies by How Sweet It Is.
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the ultimate chocolate chip cookies
While my #1 favorite chocolate chip cookie in NYC is from Levain Bakery, another ridiculously delicious option comes from Jacques Torres, who is known as Mr. Chocolate, and for good reason! His cookies are a bit thinner & wider than those from Levain, but they have perfect caramelized, crisp edges with a melty, gooey interior. I've been on the quest to bake the ultimate chocolate chip cookie at home, and lucky for me, The New York Times has published a recipe based on Jacques Torres' own. Just a heads up, these aren't your quick, easy to throw together cookies. They require both bread and cake flour, and need to be refrigerated for at least 24-36 hours before baking (kudos if you can wait that long without eating all the dough or baking a few cookies early, which may or may not have happened here). But trust me, plan ahead a bit and have the dough ready to go in your refrigerator. The added wait time improves both the flavor & texture of these cookies, so it's definitely worth it. Make sure you find chocolate discs instead of your typical chocolate chips. They are bigger & flatter, and melt in the perfect way in these cookies by creating a whole sheet or layer of chocolate instead of just blobs. A higher quality chocolate, like Guittard, will take these cookies to the next level! You will not be disappointed-I promise- but if you are, I will gladly take them off your hands!
Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves
sea salt, for sprinkling over cookie dough prior to baking
Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt into a large bowl; set aside. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them.
Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside. Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie.
Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 16-20 minutes. Transfer baking mat or parchment paper to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin. Makes about 18 5" cookies.
*Recipe from The New York Times, adapted from Jacques Torres.
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levain bakery
In my opinion, the BEST cookie in NYC (or the world?) comes from Levain Bakery. It's huge, weighing in at 6 ounces, and has the perfect mix of textures. The outside is crisp and chewy, while the center is basically warm, almost-raw cookie dough. Their cult classic is a chocolate chip walnut cookie, but you cannot go wrong with any of their offerings. I’d happily eat any (all?) of them any day of the week, but my favorites are the dark chocolate peanut butter chip and the oatmeal raisin cookies! I only wish they were located closer to me, but it's probably for the best that they aren't! Of course, Levain, if you want to open in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I wouldn't say no... YUM! I love these so much that I created a Levain Bakery Wannabe Cookie recipe, which I definitely recommend checking out to get your fix in the comfort of your own kitchen. You can also order them online if that sounds more up your alley! Either way, I hope you enjoy :)