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As far as baked treats go, cookies are king. And we don't discriminate, with room in our hearts (and tummies!) for cookies of all shapes and sizes, whether that's OG cookies, cookie sandwiches, cookie pies—even cookies in their purest form, aka cookie dough.
So here you have it, the absolute best places in Auckland to get your cookie fix. Let the munching commence.
Butter Baby
Britomart Saturday Market & Online
Any cookie the size of a plate deserves a spot on this list, wouldn't you agree? Enter Butter Baby, who have taken the 'go big or home' approach with their ginormous biccies. And it's not just the size you can count on, these cookies also pack some seriously big flavour. We're particularly obsessed with their birthday cake number, studded with colourful sprinkles and white chocolate chunks, though we can definitely also make time for their OG choc chip (above) and salted caramel coconut cookies, too.
Hill House Cafe
Manurewa
When we think of who makes Auckland's best cookies, there's one name (and one cookie in particular) that springs to mind—Hill House Cafe and their legendary Afghans. This should come as little surprise, considering these guys also feature on our city's best cinnamon buns list, but if you're not up with the play, here's what you need to know: these treats are old-school, baked in-house using traditional ingredients to bring us a cookie that your Nana would be proud of. Their equally popular Anzac and choc chip cookies are also worth your time.
The Vegan Treatory
Online
The Vegan Treatory sure know a thing or two about baking the perfect cookie (which—we must stress—you needn't be vegan to appreciate). Theirs are again more in line with the North American version (thick and crispy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside) and size-wise, definitely outweigh your average biccie (read: almost as big as your face). Choose from three choc-filled mainstays or if fate is kind, one of their limited-edition creations—apple crumble, Nutella doughnut and lemon cream shortcake are just some of the epic flavours they've cooked up in the past.
Kookie Haus
Ranui & Online
Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? Probably us, if the jar's filled with cookies from Kookie Haus. These guys make some of the best biccies around—including those of the keto variety—and have introduced us to a number of noteworthy treats over the years. Amongst these are their trademark kookie dough sandwiches (soft, chewy cookies in an array of fun flavours, joined together with beautifully creamy cookie dough) and a Caramilk-inspired 'mallowpuff'. Want more good news? They also do cookie 'cakes', which are essentially a giant version of said sandwiches.
Pt. Chev Cookies
In-store At Farro & Online
If weeping tears of joy was an acceptable form of food critique, we would have done it the first time we ever tried a cookie from Pt. Chev Cookies. We have their salted caramel cookie to thank—a sweet and chewy little number baked in the Canadian style, with just the right amount of salt to make it interesting. This of course had us curious to try more, and try more we did: the triple chocolate, the chocolate chunk, the gluten-free orange chocolate fish and chocolate chip (topped with one of those sweet choccy fishes with the orange face and tail you'd get from the dairy as a kid)... Find them by the tub online, or in both single and tub form from Farro. P.S. A little birdie told us they also do cookies for dogs, woof!
Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar
Orakei, Manukau & Online
Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar's cookies are the stuff of local legend, and rightfully so. These babies come in a range of delicious mainstays (think Oreo marshmallow, black forest and cinnamon donut), as well as the occasional but always epic limited-edition offering (hellooo giant mallowpuff). Get them fresh out of the oven from Orakei or Manukau, or if you're feeling especially gluttonous, have them delivered direct to your door (select items only). For the ultimate cookie munching sesh, you can't go past their gigantic Caramilk cookie pie—a hybrid creation that takes their signature Moustache cookie dough and wraps it around a lush Caramilk centre (supposedly feeding up to 12 people, but in our case, just the one).
Loafers Bakery
Bayview
This sweet lil' bakery on Auckland's North Shore is absolutely killing it at the cookie game, slinging NYC-style creations that are nothing short of incredible. The secret to Loafers Bakery's success? Deliciously dense cookie dough in options like chocolate chunk, rainbow sprinkle and Biscoff, baked just long enough so that it yields cookies that are crisp on the outside, but soft and doughy on the inside—and all at a reasonable price.
All that talk of sugar got you hankering after something savoury? Best check out Auckland's 10 Absolute Best Dumplings.
Image credit: Main and top image Butter Baby, Hill House Cafe, The Vegan Treatory, Kookie Haus, Pt. Chev Cookies, Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar, Loafers Bakery.