Hello from New York! I came up to the city yesterday to spend a couple days here for a friend’s graduation and I had to make a stop at one of my favorite bakeries.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I am a sweets freak.  My sweet tooth will most definitely be the end of me.  I’m very particular about my sweets though, and I like to refer to myself as a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur…which brings me to…

Levain Bakery!! What a gem.  I’ve had my share of chocolate chip cookies around the city and Levain is by far my favorite. Look at these chocolate chip walnut monsters.

I’d marry this cookie if I could

These cookies are six ounces of pure heaven.  Crunchy and chewy on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle.  I arrived at the bakery last night right when they were coming out of the over and had to stop myself from cartwheeling on the sidewalk.  I’m a huge fan of stuffing myself with as many cookies as possible, but trust me when I say that one of these babies is enough.  Occasionally I can only get through half! You may double take at the $4 price tag, but man are they worth it!

4 bucks worth of chocolate chips

Here are a few of my other favorite bakeries in NYC: City Bakery, Birdbath (an outpost of City Bakery), Max Brenner, Jacques Torres, Doughboy Bake Shop, Balthazar, Sarabeth’s, Dominique Ansel Bakery (the PERFECT little French bakery right in Soho) and Molly’s Cupcakes – just to start.  If you need more inspiration, I just finished reading Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas.  This book spoke to parts of my sugar-covered soul that I didn’t even know existed! This novel not only visits tons of bakeries and restaurants in New York that I haven’t been to yet, but also highlights Amy’s favorite bakeries and restaurants from her almost two year stint in Paris as a copywriter for Louis Vuitton. What a dream! I’ve already started to create a Paris, food-themed bucket list thanks to Amy’s suggestions.

What are your favorite bakeries in your hometown? I’m heading on some trips soon and would love to check them out!