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I remember the first time I learned that there were companies that would bring cookies right to you. It was 2011: I had just moved to New York City for school, and a friend casually mentioned Insomnia Cookies. That same night, I sat on the floor of my dorm room, staring in wonderment as my friends took bite after bite of chocolate chip cookies that had been dropped off only a few minutes before. I remember feeling like I was lucky to be alive at a time when melty, soft-in-the-center cookies could arrive at your door after a few clicks—even if they were shockingly expensive.
Now, things have changed. We’re living in the golden age of delivery cookies. From viral sensations to classic, well-loved bakeries, it seems like the business of shipping treats anywhere in the country is exploding. Crumbl, which gained a following via TikTok, has been dubbed the fastest growing chain of dessert shops in the country, even though neither Jason McGowan nor Sawyer Hemsley had any professional baking training before starting the company. “We thought, ‘How hard could this be?’” McGowan told the Times. Some pandemic-era bakers like Twins That Cook have turned longstanding hobbies into businesses, while others like Last Crumb have found success by building buzz and a feeling of exclusivity. Then there are some like Zola Bakes that have leaned into a single-cookie-choice format.
There’s one major issue, though, that’s inherent to this delivery cookie model: You can’t try before you buy, so how can you be sure you’re getting (and paying for) an actually premium cookie? A delivery cookie has some specific standards to live up to. First and foremost, it should arrive whole and unbroken, simple but not a given. It should also taste as good on the first bite as it does on the fourth—that means it shouldn’t be tooth-achingly sweet, and if possible, should have a bit of toasty nuttiness and salt to round out its flavor profile. Most likely a cookie that’s been mailed won’t have the gooeyness of one that’s been freshly baked, but it should get at least a little softer upon reheating.
To help you find the best possible cookie delivery, I tested some popular brands that offer nationwide shipping. Approximately 25 cookies later, I’ve found the ones that are worth the coin. Here are the best cookies, ranked, delivered straight to your door.
8. Crumbl
It’s no surprise that Crumbl ranks last; for every rabid fan, there’s at least one detractor. Since Crumbl reshuffles its cookie offerings on a weekly basis (for hype and suspense), I couldn’t try every single flavor, but I did taste my way through three, which I grabbed, fall-apart-soft, from the box.
After a few bites of the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk, which stays on the menu permanently but interchanges on a weekly basis with the Milk Chocolate Chip, I tapped out. On first bite I could sort of see the appeal they might have—they were indeed pillowy, and I could almost feel the sugar surging through my veins. Soon, though, that texture was revealed to be more akin to a playdough clumpiness, and the cookies’ sweetness became overwhelming. There wasn’t much flavor besides that sweetness, and I couldn’t imagine varieties like Honey Bun, a cinnamon cookie with a honey butter frosting, would offer much more. There was a modicum of improvement in cookies that included peanut butter, such as the Peanut Butter Crisp featuring Butterfinger, since there was a bit more saltiness to enjoy. But overall these were not cookies I wanted to finish, and at about$4.5 a cookie, they don’t come cheap.
7. The Maui Cookie Lady
These cookies hail from, you guessed it, Hawaii, and are made with local ingredients. Each cookie comes individually wrapped, and these things are enormous. They’re between six and eight ounces each, and, like most cookies, are better when warmed up. Prices range between $5.75 and $8.50 per cookie, which is more than I would prefer to pay for any cookie as a rule; although these are particularly large, so you’re getting more for the higher price.
The original flavor, the ButterRum Triple Chunker, is piled high with milk, dark, and white chocolate. Some cookies, like the Kona Coffee Dark Choc Espresso have a deep, more complex richness, while others like the Lilikoi (Passionfruit) White Chocolate were overwhelmingly floral and perfumed. The White Chunk Mac Nut had a smooth butteriness to it, some like the Grown- Up Samoa (currently only available in mini form) were like a blast of eggnog spices and surface level sweetness. Though these massive desserts had a decent crumb and texture, the flavors were hit or miss.
6. The Original Crumbs Bakeshop
You may remember Crumbs from its glory days when it was on seemingly every street corner hawking oversize cupcakes with gritty frosting and in dubious flavors like a shockingly dry take on a Hostess cupcake. The company went dark in 2014 but has recently been revived by its original owners. Their new business strategy: delivery (and a few select grocery store aisles). Cupcakes are still the star, but Crumbs has jumped on the delivery cookie bandwagon as well, offering small, five-inch-tall cookie jars filled with mini cookies in flavors like Chocolate Chip and Cotton Candy that you can pluck and enjoy immediately.
The chocolate chip cookies, the flavor by which I generally judge a cookie company, didn’t have much flavor—nutty, sweet, chocolate-y or otherwise. But I’m happy to report that when I popped the bite-size Sprinkle Sundae (essentially funfetti) into my mouth, I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet buttery flavor enough to nibble on another. Oatmeal Raisin was passable as well, and the Psychedelic Cookies were worth a try too. If you’re ordering cookies from Crumbs, prepare to commit: The minimum order is five mini cookie jars, which comes in at $45. These aren’t cookies that are going to rock your world or make you understand something new and mysterious about the universe, but they certainly make for a good mid-afternoon treat.
5. Taylor Chip
Founded by a husband and wife team—the Taylor’s as you may have intuited—this cookie company opened its first stand in 2018. They produce 24 types of cookies, as well as four options that are gluten-free and six that are vegan. Flavors range from the more traditional Chocolate Chip to the unexpected Peanut Butter & Jelly.
I love that Taylor Chip uses mostly natural ingredients, which can be a rarity when it comes to delivery cookies. While others rely on emulsifiers and preservatives, these cookies have an ingredient list made up of real butter, cream, and eggs that you can actually taste. I took some points off for a few major breakages that befell the cookies during transport—I suspect it was due to how tightly they were packed against each other in the box—and because a few varieties felt overwhelmingly sugary. These supersized cookies are priced at almost $69 per dozen, and a dozen chocolate chip cookies comes to almost $81, which breaks down to just about $5.75 per cookie and 6.75/cookie for chocolate chip. By and large though, I loved munching on Taylor Chips prodigiously sized and creatively crafted desserts.
4. Zola Bakes
Sometimes a baker does something so well, they can build a business off of a single thing. For Samantha Zola, who founded Zola Bakes, that’s the classic Italian rainbow cookie. She makes just a few variations—fill it with raspberry jam, apricot jam, chocolate hazelnut spread, or specials like peanut butter and jelly—but each is so simple, so straightforwardly delicious.
The formula is familiar: Thin layers of jam lay between three spongey, cakey layers. The whole thing is enrobed in a quick pour of chocolate. Zola Bakes’ cookies are about an inch long, chicly ombré in color, and feature a zing of raspberry or apricot jam. Just one more, I told myself again and again as I sneaked another from the container. They’re light, just sweet enough, and a complete joy to eat. A box of 20 small-ish cookies will set you back $49 for standard flavors, and $54 and $56 for specials—not a bad price per cookie.
3. Twins That Cook
Aria and Maya Christian’s cookies aren’t cheap—the cheapest half dozen will run you $20 plus shipping—but whereas so many delivery cookies are monstrous behemoths that are straight up unpleasant to finish in one sitting, Twins That Cook are more manageable. These cookies spread a bit more in the baking process which means they’re bendy, pleasantly squishy in the center, and have that perfect crackle along the edges.
These cookies get top marks for that undulating texture, and each cookie has a unique, complex, and at times subtle flavor to explore. Peanuts n’ Crackerjacks isn’t the sugar bomb you’d expect. Instead, there’s the rich, warm flavor of real brown butter and caramel, complemented by salty peanut butter. Champagne Poppy, by contrast, is a lighter poppy seed cookie that features sly citrus notes. But the all-time star is The O.G. cookie: a classic chocolate chip. Listen, I know everyone declares that they add flaky salt to the top of their chocolate chip cookie, but it’s rare that bakers are bold enough to add enough salt to actually count. Not so on the TTC O.G., which features enough jagged flakes on top of a pool of milk chocolate that makes the whole cookie sing.
2. Levain Bakery
As a longtime New York City favorite, Levain has cracked the code to making near perfect cookies. It was one of the first to create a truly massive cookie that doesn’t dry out and that has a deep well of flavors that build upon each other. Now, as Levain enters the delivery cookie market, they’ve managed to keep that magic.
Here again, traditional ingredients without much filler seems like it’s the key to success. The ingredient list of Levain’s Two Chip Chocolate Chip cookie is a whopping eight ingredients long, and notably, led by butter. These cookies are dense, to be sure, but upon heating them up in the oven I discovered that their centers become perfectly melty. The stellar chocolate chip cookie has what almost tastes like a tang that makes each bite more delicious. Each of the other available flavors was equally complex and delightful—Chocolate Chip Walnut and Dark Chocolate Chip were the favorites here—and I’m happy to report that Levain’s small blue box kept the cookies safe, sound, and unbroken on their journey to my home.
1. Last Crumb
As a bit of a contrarian, I like to think I don’t generally buy into the hype. So when I read that Last Crumb called its product “an invitation into a world of luxury,” I quietly rolled my eyes. When the enormous black box landed, I felt like these cookies might be a bit much. When I saw that the chocolate chip cookie was called Better Than S*x, I let out an audible harumph. Do these cookies, branded within an inch of their life, think they’re better than me? Do I think they’re better than me?
As you can imagine, though I tried my best to be impartial in my tasting, the packaging, the whole vibe put me off a bit. That’s why I found it all the more impressive when I took my first bite of The Madonna, a peanut butter cookie, and found myself completely bowled over. This cookie was soft, nutty, salty, sweet—bite after bite it’s utter deliciousness washed over me. I literally didn’t think I could not finish it. Thinking it might be a fluke, I tried the Donkey Kong, a banana cream pie cookie with marshmallow, real bananas, and vanilla wafers. Far from the saccharine sugar bomb I expected, this cookie too was balanced, sweet without feeling overwhelming, meltingly tender, and just mind-blowingly good.
I was totally sold on Last Crumb, despite my initial hesitations. Yes, the $140 price tag is steep, but if you for some reason have a deep-seated need for a dozen next-to-perfect cookies delivered straight to your door, Last Crumb is as good as you can get, and certainly one of the best cookie delivery options.
