Let's set the crumbly stage of this cookie adventure that I'm going to set you off on. You might not have asked for this, but it'll be worth it if there are some Duchess cookies in your future by the conclusion of this review.
We begin our sweet story with the fact that lately, I feel like I've been engulfed and surrounded by gourmet cookies. My travels have taken me to different spots on this lengthy island (often due to my female counterpart) that have given me opportunities to try massive cookies with a ton of intriguing toppings and variations (internal ingredients to be exact, but more on that in a sec). I've dabbled in For Goodness Cakes and scooped up some Chonky cookies, but I can't say that any of these tasty treats left me with a truly "wow" factor. Four stars for all, but none have built up to that fifth celestial which is needed to rule the cookie kingdom...until, perhaps, Duchess came into the mix (pun intended?).
The interesting thing about Duchess is that my introduction to them did not happen from the girlfriend. Instead, I stumbled upon Duchess due to some coworkers ordering up a box and sharing in the spoils from this new Plainview spot. Having little background about these glorious circles of sweetness might have helped in leaving me with no preconceived notions/hype (something that might've occurred previously with other cookie locations). Knowing this, I dove into a few of these terrifically tasty treats and finally felt like I had reached cookie nirvana.
How so? Well what better way to start than with chocolate chip. It was soft, gooey, chippy and arguably my favorite (I know it's boring, but you can't go wrong with a classic). On the more unique yet "everybody's doing it" land you'll find the Cookie Monster variety that takes the aforementioned chocolate chip and places it inside a blue-colored sugar cookie. Not my go-to (can't say I aesthetically enjoy my cookies to be from this part of the rainbow), but delicious nonetheless. The truly original might come from the Churro cookie. This is a snickerdoodle type with a dulce de leche cream in the center. Warm it up a little and woah mama!
Those previous two sentences are going to bring us to the last leg of this journey (thanks for still reading). Something that made me set Duchess apart from other cookie spots were those cream fillings. This isn't something I regularly gravitate towards, but it worked so well to have a soft and gooey cookie filled with a creamy sweet center. I mean I'm just dying to try the peppermint hot chocolate cookie from the pics I've seen online. The other factor is the warming up of these cookies doesn't seem to take away from the freshness that you may lose from other cookies that use this process. Okay yes, the Mecca of cookies (Levain) has frozen varieties that can be baked, but some cookies don't withstand the land of the microwave. Duchess cookies hold up, plus that creamy center only gets more enjoyable with a little heat.
Overall, I gotta give Duchess the crown for cookies. I will throw in a few quick disclaimers for my review of five stars in that I've only experienced Duchess once (which is the same for all of my other recent cookie endeavors so it's nothing to nitpick) and I haven't actually visited this Plainview store...yet (it'll happen soon, I guarantee it!). Location always helps in making my visits more frequent so knowing they're not too far away leads me to believe this review is just the first of many future visits (or adventures, you know, in tying this whole review together) to the land of delicious and delectable Duchess cookies. read more