Levain Bakery

Levain bakery....oh my. My husband and I ended our date this past weekend with a trip to Levain. We had heard several Levain accolades and could wait no longer to try the "best chocolate chip cookies in Manhattan."

Yes, it is true. There are some really, really good chocolate chip cookies here in NYC (I also like Jacques Torres and City Bakery to be specific) but these take the cake (or cookie?).

It may have to do with the fact that the cookies are humongous. Yes, 6 ounces huge. Our cookie was about 5 inches wide and about 1.5 inches tall. If you live in Manhattan, or plan a trip here sometime soon, you will want to give these a try.

The bakery is on 74th and Amsterdam, and is teeny tiny (and not really all that stroller accessible). Make sure you ask for one right out of the oven, they are not quite as amazing when they cool down.

If you don't live in Manhattan, you can still have your Levain Cookies- at a price. You can get 4 cookies delivered to your door for $22 + shipping.

Even though it could be argued that the cookies are worth that much, there is another option. You can try to hack the recipe at home. There are several websites who have posted their attempt at cracking the Levain Bakery recipe. I haven't tried these out yet, but trying to make a cookie that closely resembles Levain's may become my new found hobby.

Conversations With A Cupcake

Picky Palate

Recipezaar

Lisa Michele

This video shows the Levain owners in action.

Top photo via

Bottom photo via

Shake and Eat: Ice cream in a bag

This really should be a post for summer time, but I couldn't help myself; it was uncharacteristically warm today in the northern mid-west.  I'm having a hard time letting go of summer and have been a little anxious about my first mid-west winter.  Let's not talk about that,though.  The truth is I truly appreciated the warmth today, so we celebrated.  If you know our family, you know we always celebrate with ice cream.  

Here is a fun little recipe for ice cream made in a bag all in about 10 minutes.

You will need:

ice cubes

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 cup half-and-half

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 resealable sandwich bags

1 gallon-size resealable freezer bag

dish towel

1. Fill the gallon-size bag half full with ice.  Add kosher salt.

2. In one sandwich bag, mix half-and-half, sugar and vanilla (we also put in a few drops of food coloring for fun).  Seal tightly and put in second sandwich bag and seal to prevent any leaking.

3. Place the small bag inside the large bag.  Seal the large bag tightly so it won't leak.

4. To protect your hands from the cold, wrap the dish towel around the outside of the large bag.  Shake vigorously for about 5-7 minutes or until the half-and-half mixture turns into ice cream. 

Note: shaking is the fun part.  We turned up the music (Gypsy Kings to be specific) and took turns shaking and dancing around the room.

5. Carefully spoon ice cream into a dish avoiding the salt. 

mmmm, tasty!

YUM!!

If you live in NYC, or are planning at trip out here in your lifetime- this Gelato place needs to be visited. Unbelievable.

Words cannot appropriately express how amazing this frozen dessert tastes. The only GROM gelato shop in North America is here in Manhattan on the Upper West Side (76^th and Broadway).

All of the remaining shops are located throughout northern Italy. I have tried the stracciatella, hazelnut, and cioccolato extra-noir flavors, all of which are highly recommended.

There will be another shop opening on Bleeker Street this Spring in Manhattan. If any of you have tried GROM- let me know what your favorite flavor is, so I know what to get next! Thanks for the recommendation Lizzie and Ada!

The Boon give-away will continue until this Sunday at Midnight!