On a recent trip to the Winter Garden Farmer's Market, my family discovered a family-owned local bakery, Blue Barn Milkshake Bar. We tried their one cookie and really enjoyed its unique, delicious center, since it's made with Brazilian Truffles. This inspired me to share my Top 5 Favorite Cookies! As you read, let me know what you think and if I missed one that should be on the list!
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#1 Sweet Heartist Bakery
We first discovered this talented baker, Crystal, when we were at a St. Patrick's Day Festival in Melbourne. She was humbly selling cookies at a stand inside an ice cream shop. Within a couple of years, due to her innovative cookie and bakery items, she now has a full sized bakery that sells all kinds of goodies. She also hosts workshops and baking classes - it is really a welcoming bakery to all who visit. When we visit Melbourne, we take these home to freeze for special occasions, plus she sells dough so you can bake them at home too! The gluten-free options taste the same as the regular cookies! Anything you try here, you'll like! I've met Crystal a few times, and she is a Mom Boss and a local business owner who really cares about her employees and community. More info here.
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#2 Blue Barn Milkshake Bar
This is our latest discovery, but makes number two because I've not tasted cookies like this mother-daughter duo anywhere. Infusing their Brazilian Truffles into their over-sized cookies, it's a combo that you must try. They currently have a booth at the Winter Garden Farmer's Market, but you can also order through their Instagram page. I was able to chat briefly with the owner, who is also a Mom Boss - and is welcoming to all customers as we indecisively try to figure out which goodie to buy! More info here.
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#3 Levain Bakery
My family loves going to New York City, and if you're been there, chances are you've heard of these cookies. We just found a location in DC, and noticed many have popped up around the country and they offer shipping. The GF cookie is delicious, as well as their other regular and seasonal flavors. These cookies are oversized as well, so sharing is how we do it! They are solid, chewy and just the right amount of chocolate chips! More info here.
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#4 Gideon's Bakehouse
A local success story and quite mysterious too, right? Starting with a small spot at East End Market, Gideon's now has a Bakehouse in Disney Springs - and is well known to tourists from all over. If you follow their social media, you'll enjoy their humor, art, and characters they create. I love that the owner enjoys writing stories and has found a way to combine both stories and baking into Gideon's. If you haven't stood in line at the Disney Springs location, it is worth the wait at least once! And then you can just pre-order and pick up at the original location. Our family's favorite is the banana nut flavored cookie, and it recently became a permanent flavor, not just seasonal! More info here.
#5 Schmackary's Cookies
This is a must-visit for us when we visit NYC. We love their origin story and visiting Schmackary's has become nostalgic for us. One of the first cookie bakeries around, we have been going since it opened in 2012. They change their flavors weekly and have such fun names, including Broadway themed cookies. One year, we were able to go during a charity event and ran into some stars of a Broadway musical there! They offer GF and nationwide shipping! More info here.
Honorable Mention: Grandma's Cookies
Did you think I was going to say the prepacked brand named Grandma's? No way, haha! She's known as Grandma to all her grandkids, so we all love our Grandma's cookies. She made the cutest blue macarons for my daughter's 4th birthday so that it matched the theme of the party. For Easter, she brought pastel colored macarons that were so pretty. They are usually one of the first desserts to go at our parties. She does it for fun, does not have a cottage bakery, but how could I not include my own mom?! If she sees this, maybe she will surprise us with macarons sooner than later.
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*Those are my mom's macarons in the lead photo!
