Home to the half-pound cookie, City Cakes is in a league of their own in New York’s competitive cookie scene. Large, frisbee-sized cookies, sometimes filled and other times frosted, these gorgeous rounds of goodness have a strange habit of making it back into your life again and again. Especially when special occasions demand extra attention, like a fall-inspired pumpkin doodle, a pink velvet variety covered in confetti for Breast Cancer Awareness, or the rainbowdoodle to celebrate love of all kinds. This often turns into: I’ll eat one cookie for me, and one for a good cause. But like the name suggests, City Cakes does more than just cookies. In fact, their fantastically frosted and filled cupcakes are part of the reason why their cookies are so soft and scrumptious, using ideas from one to the other. All of this can be slightly overwhelming, so here’s a list of my favorites cookies ranked by order, followed by very-much-missed monthly cupcakes and when to expect them.* So yes, grab your diary and plan your life accordingly.
*this is based on VIP cupcake research and past experience, but please don’t hunt me down if they don’t have that buttermilk pancake cupcake in February.
Chocolate chip
Other cookies might steal the show on creativity and flavor, but you need to start with a classic to appreciate the beauty of City Cakes’ dough. Soft on the inside, ever so slightly crisp on the edges, this simple stunner is buttery without being overly sweet, thanks to a hefty amount of bittersweet dark chocolate chips.
Macamochip
An upgrade from the chocolate chip, the Macamochip adds a whole lot of unexpected ingredients to the mix. City Cakes packs its half-pound cookie with chopped macadamia nuts, puffed rice and a layer of Nutella, achieving a compelling combination of soft, crunchy and nutty.
Signature sugardoodle
What may seem like a simple sugar cookie is actually the most comforting cookie you’ll ever eat. Soft as a cloud, this buttery base gets dusted in sugar crystals and cinnamon, which adds a crave-worthy crackling layer that surpasses all your expectations. So good, I spooned the frosting off first to enjoy the cookie in its simplest form.
Pink velvet
An offshoot of its sassy big sister (read: the killer red velvet, yet to come), the pink velvet is more delicate in both appearance and flavor. A pastel-pink colored cookie communicates beauty, nodding to Mother’s Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and warm rays of sunshine come spring, but whenever it appears, expect extra sweetness in forms of white cacao and sweetened cream cheese.
Pumpkindoodle
Remember when I said the sugardoodle is the most comforting cookie you’ll ever eat? I lied. Far from basic during the most basic season of all, the sugardoodle base is filled with pumpkin pie cream, topped with a spiced graham cracker crumble and finished off with a decadent drizzle of vanilla. Move over pumpkin spice latte, you’ve had your time.
Killer red velvet
A sucker for anything with cream cheese, City Cakes’ red velvet cookie remains my all-time favorite. The texture of this eye-catching cookie is almost cake-like, reaching peak fluffiness in the middle where a generous load of cream cheese frosting takes center stage. Sweet and a tad tangy, and while it might be a half-pound cookie, it’s somehow always gone within minutes. Oops.
Cupcakes
Buttermilk pancake cupcake
A bite-sized variety of your brunch affair, this buttermilk pancake cupcake is swirled high with maple buttercream, studded with tiny bits of bacon and fished off with a touch of maple syrup – the perfect marriage of sweet and salty. This portable pancake is usually available in February or March.
One love cupcake
As the streets of New York turn rainbow colored for Pride month (June), so does City Cakes. A pop of color, this funfetti cupcake is filled with lemon pastry cream, rounded out with a topping of fruity pebbles and fairy-like dust.
Cookies ‘n Dream cupcake
Yes, that’s a WHOLE oreo dipped in Nutella, snuggling against a dreamy blob of vanilla buttercream. Oh, and there’s plenty more Nutella inside. Keep your eyes peeled for this crowd-pleasing cupcake in January or April.
Tricolor Wonder cupcake
Just like the name suggests, each bite consists of three wonderful layers of color, sweetened with almonds and separated by a coating of jam (apricot and raspberry). Then, it’s topped off with dark chocolate ganache and arguably the cutest rainbow cookie in New York. Nothing is ever TOO cute to eat though.
Banana pudding cupcake
Taking inspiration from a New York favorite, this vanilla cupcake is oozing with creamy banana pudding in the center, frosted with a fluffy meringue, and crowned with a crisp banana chip. There’s even a Nilla wafer on there too. Expect it in August, when national banana pudding day makes an appearance.
Apple pie cupcake
From pancakes to puddings and now pies, City Cakes can transform pretty much anything into a cupcake. A filling of cinnamon-spiced apples, thick caramel sauce dripping across its body and a sugar-topped pie crust, this one is incredibly sweet and sinful. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing you can only get it in the fall.
Address: 251 W 18th St, NY 10011
