This review is a bit of a departure from my usual content… but I couldn’t resist.
During my brief New York stint, I was fortunate to live just a few blocks away from the famous Levain Bakery on the Upper West Side. Their scone-sized cookies are delicious, perfectly crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside.
In their online shop, you can buy a dozen freshly baked cookies for $58 + shipping. In order to stay fresh, they use overnight shipping – which can cost a pretty penny ranging from $19 – $49 for a cross-continental delivery.
However, last summer they launched their frozen version nationwide with Whole Foods, at a much more palatable $10 price point. In the name of science (or insanity?), I ordered both to compare.
Could the $10 frozen version be close enough to the real deal to satiate our occasional Levain craving?
Verdict: YES
Of course, there are some notable differences between the two. For this comparison, I’m looking at the Chocolate Walnut Cookie, my favorite of their flavors. I popped both into the toaster oven to compare at peak gooey tastiness – for the frozen one, 8 minutes at 350F did the trick.
Size: The original Levain cookies are a hefty 6oz, almost three times the size of the 2oz frozen ones. As much as I do love the fresh, giant cookies, I rarely finish them in one go. I actually quite like the bite-sized frozen ones, a perfect size for a quick snack or dessert.
Texture: The frozen ones have a more… uniform texture and a bit less chocolate & walnut. I don’t think this detracts from the overall flavor, but they don’t taste quite as homemade as the original ones.
Flavor: Similar to texture, I found that there was less depth in flavor variety in the frozen versions. However, they are very very close – and absolutely an acceptable alternative to the fresh ones.
Overall, my wallet is happy (and perhaps my waistline wary).
