Best Damn Cookies

Naming your business "best damn cookies" is an aggressive claim and a tall order to live up to. It almost dares you to take them up on trying them, and unless you want to miss out on the flavor explosions they have going on here, you should absolutely pay them a visit.

I was introduced to this business when they were a nascent pop-up operating out of Sobre Masa's original kitchen in Williamsburg, and the co-owners Mo and Dave had a contagious excitement to share their wares with the world. They've had so many new flavors, limited edition ones, and ones made in collaboration with numerous other local businesses, but the original flavors will always be the ones that I associate with BDC.

The OG will become your favorite chocolate chip cookie, a classic meant to be savored whether you're having a good or bad day. The pinole is a corn based cookie for gluten-free cookie lovers. Kelp is the one I crave the most-- I would not have matched nori with white chocolate, but this white chocolate hater finds this flavor extremely palatable. Cofresi is like an elevated pina colada with an excellent backstory, the cardamom really shines through in the Kerala, and the espresso, tahini, and sesame in the Levante will give you a little more pep in your step. "Don't have this one too soon before bed" Mo warned me of this espresso cookie when I first had it. The excellent pumpkin seed shortbread cookie that is the Holiday and the Holy Smokes, which is made with homemade marshmallow are not always available at the store but worth picking up when you catch them carrying them. These cookies make for excellent gifts as well, and I've surprised many friends and colleagues with a box of fresh Best Damn Cookies.

BDC is not just a bakery or cookie business. They really aim to tell a story through their menu. I've witnessed the business owners pour their souls into ensuring the happiness of their customers (often at the risk of their own). I definitely believe that food tastes better when you know the story behind each creation, so if you can spare some time, stop by the bakery at the Market Line (below Essex Market) and ask Mo & Dave how they conceptualized each item. When Best Damn Cookies is a household name, you'll be glad you tried them when you did.

This is a small cookie stand located in the new The Market Line which replaced the old Essex Street Market. Their cookies use natural and mostly organic ingredients with specific origins of most of their things which is cool. Most of said information can be found on their pantry page https://www.bestdamncookies.com/pages/our-pantry which is where I found more info on some of the more unique ingredients here. As per the name, they have a mix of tasty cookies with unique flavors which go from 2 for a small pumpkin seed praline called Holiday to $7 for a freshly toasted s'mores called Holy Smokes with most being around $4 or $4.50. Special thanks to Mike C for the photo of all the listed ingredients and prices.

The first time I got the Cofresi which is described as a Puerto Rican Pirate Cocktail had rum-braised pineapple, bitters, toasted coconut, and lime zest. This was probably my favorite of all the cookies I got here. It wasn't just sweet even with the braised pineapple and coconut as the lime had good tartness and there was of course a tropical flair to it. In terms of the sources, the rum they use is Rhum Barbancourt which I know of as a very good rum from some Haitian restaurants.

The other time I split two cookies with another. The Pinole described as Oaxacan Herloom had Cocahuazintle white corn, cinnamon verum, mango, and chile de árbol and is the only gluten-free option. There was definitely a bit of spice in back and a bit of sweetness from presumably the corn and maybe a bit of the mango with a bit of cinnamon in the back. Complex tasty cookie and my preference of the other two. The chili is apparently imported from Jalisco along with the heirloom roasted corn with both of them coming from the owner of a spot I've never heard of called Sobre Masa which is a Oaxacan restaurant in Bushwick. The cinnamon verum refers to Zanzibar Ceylon cinnamon from Burlap & Barrel with Ceylon being a very high quality type of cinnamon.

The final one was the Kerala which is described as A Cup of Indian Chai which had oats, bloomed cardamom, aranya, and cranberries. This was an interesting mix of the spices from chai along with some cranberries. The texture was a bit worse than the other ones but it was still good. It was the weakest of the three but still tasty. In this case, the unique ingredients aranya is a form of black pepper.

Outside of the last cookie which was only decent, the rest were excellent and I would buy them again and I also like their mission. The prices are a bit higher than your usual cookie but the unique flavors make up for it. Would go back and try other things or get several of the Cofresi.

For full disclosure, I discovered this place via a Yelp Elite event where I got to taste these cookies for free. But I would go back and buy these cookies again and I think that's always the sign of a good business.

Hidden inside Essex Market (highly recommend you go there! It's like a cooler, less crowded version of Chelsea Market), Best Damn Cookies is such a delightful treat. Helmed by super friendly staff who clearly believes that making the best cookies are their life passions, this shop lives up to its name and truly make some of the best damn cookies I've ever tasted indeed.

My notes on the three cookies I tasted:

- Kerala - this was my absolute favorite. Smelled AMAZING (but specifically of cardamom, pepper and cranberries) and I loved its texture (so soft and moist)
- Holiday was a bit more subtle, I almost wish it could be a little sweeter. But it did grow on me over time. It did have an aftertaste of clove which was a bit on the strong side for my taste
- Pinole - I love how it crumbled and melted in my mouth. The flavors were very complex - ingredients were roasted corn, cinnamon, Mexican chile (though the cookie was not spicy at all), and mango.

I came to the Market Line for a Yelp Elite experience to try the Best Damn Cookies.

The staff was very friendly, explaining to us their history and background of each of the cookies.

The 3 unique cookies I tasted were:
- Pinole: Tasted like a corn-flavored snickerdoodle, with its sweetness and soft texture.
- Kerara: This was my favorite, with all of its spices.
- Holiday: I love both shortbread and ginger, but with shortbread already being a dense cookie, the pumpkin seeds on top felt like it was a bit too much.

They had a cookie called Holy Smokes, which is like a s'mores cookie, which I'm keen to try the next time I'm in the area.

Visited Best Damn Cookies to try the cookie samplers they had for the YES and so glad I did. First off, this place is located downstairs of Essex market which I didn't realize it would be. Secondly, the cashier was super friendly and came background on the creation of the store and the cookie flavors. I tried the Kerala, Holiday and Pinole. All cookies are different from where you would find anywhere else. The flavors were subtle, unique and overall really good.

If you are in Essex market, make sure to check this place out!

Solid 4.5 stars cookies!

The cookie stall is located downstairs of Essex market. The staff is friendly and they have plenty of cookies on display.

I tried the pinole, kerala, and holiday.

Pinole: great texture. Perfect chewiness. The cookie is solid and I'd eat it again, but the other cookies were so much better that I'd opt for those. This cookie is simple and I anticipated more corn flavor, but perhaps it's not meant to be corn forward.

Kerala: this surprised me. It was so good and you can really tell the chef, David, is a master of his art. He mixed interesting spices together and balances it so well! This cookie also has a nice chew, sometimes a wee bit too chewy for my preference, but I really like it anyway. I'd eat this again in a heartbeat!

Holiday: the pistachio is great and you get the roasted flavors without being overbearing. I'd say the cookie is a tad dry for my palate, but I think it's a shortbread and usually shortbreads are suppose to be a touch drier.

I'd definitely recommend their cookies. It's about $4.50 a cookie...up to you if you think it's worth the price tag. The flavor is on point!

Thanks for the delicious cookies and I hope y'all thrive because I'll be bummed if I can't buy more!

What a lovely business, run by lovely people! It was so interesting learning about the stories behind the shop, as well as each individual cookie. It was a no-brainer supporting a business that not only started, but has been thriving during the pandemic.

The cookies were amazing. Such unique flavors - I've never thought about mango or tahini in a cookie, but now I wish I had much sooner! The Pinole stood out to me for its creative blend of sweet and spicy, keeping things interesting with every delicious bite. And I really enjoyed the Levante - it was almost like a nutty halwa in terms of flavor, but the texture was unbelievably soft, with the cookie melting in my mouth after each bite.

I love supporting businesses like this on principle alone, but the cookies speak for themselves. No principles needed, you can find delicious, unique cookies here that chain stores could only wish of dreaming up.

Definitely make this place one of your stops next time you're in the area!

These cookies hit the spot. Honestly, I find it rare that I encounter a cookie that I would get again so my expectations were not very high, but these BDC cookies have two standouts: the Levante and the OG.

The Levante is a tahini espresso cookie that just had a great texture and flavor. Note: I received some garnishes on the side and wasn't sure which garnish went with which cookie so I may have accidentally put a dried pineapple on the Levante but it was awesome so... maybe a new flavor combo in the future :D?

The OG was your classic chocolate chip with a hint of salt that just hit the perfect chocolate-to-cookie ratio for me.

I tasted a sample box that contained 4 cookies as part of a Yelp event held as at Sobre Masa (shout out to the Concha bread they sell there). Note I did not pay for these samples so I cannot yet comment on the price/quality ratio.

David, one of the owners, explained the different flavors and that they got started during the pandemic. Hope to see them continue to sell these cookies because they got something going here.

Hey hey, it's your favorite foodie flight attendant here checking out @bestdamncookies at @themarketline

While I was visiting @themarketline for their Lunar New Year Show, I stumbled upon this cookie shop called "Best Damn Cookie". And let me tell you, these cookies were so good, they had me saying "DAMN"!

Their QQ cookie, made with mochi, ginger, mango, and brown sugar syrup, was a standout for me. It was so delicious, I almost shed a tear.
So yeah, I can definitely confirm that they are the best damn cookies around! If you're in the area, make sure to stop by and give them a try. You won't regret it!

*Let your dreams take flight & have something tasty along the way*

Great spot for unique and upscale cookies. If you are looking for classic chocolate chip or sugar you will be disappointed, but if you are looking for a small flavor adventure, this is your spot!
-Located on the basement/lower floor of the Market Line towards the back.