chocolate chunk cookies

Tasty Treats at Andrea’s Cookies

Published on March 15, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1632 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Website: https://andreascookies.com/

I’ve been wanting to try Andrea’s Cookies for a while. I actually tried to get a cookie a few months back, only to find that they were entirely sold out. Disappointing, but also, I figured, a good sign.

They’re popular enough to have recently expanded, with a second location on Ossington, though I visited just before that one opened.

They have several very interesting flavours that they rotate through (on my visit, they had intriguing varieties like almond croissant and coconut cream pie), but on my first visit to a cookie shop, I’ve gotta get the old standby: chocolate chip or chocolate chunk.

It was chunk, in this case, and it was clearly quite fresh, with the chocolate being delightfully gooey. You can’t go wrong there.

Aside from the generous amount of good quality chocolate, the cookie itself was not too sweet (with a nice — but not overapplied — hit of salt to balance things out), and a delicately crispy exterior.

The cookie is basically a much better version of Crumbl, in that they serve big fat cookies that have been way underbaked on purpose. This isn’t my favourite type of chocolate chip cookie; I like a chewy cookie as much as the next guy, but the gummy texture, not to mention the mild raw flour taste, isn’t particularly my jam. But if you like that, this is a better-than-average version of it.

Quick Bites: Tarboosh Restaurant, Maji Curry, The Night Baker

Published on September 9, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Shawarma and falafel plate at Tarboosh Restaurant

I ordered the Tarboosh combination plate here (because you should always order a dish with the name of the restaurant in it), which comes with chicken shawarma (beef is also an option), falafel, and two sides (I went with hummus and tabouleh). It didn’t rock my world, but it was all tasty enough. The chicken tasted more like baked chicken breast than like shawarma; it was nicely seasoned, but I wish it had been a bit juicier. The falafel was actually quite unique — it was easily the lightest, fluffiest falafel I’ve ever had, and the flavour reminded me more of a hush puppy than typical falafel. And the two sides were pretty solid, particularly the hummus, which was a bit heavier on the tahini than I generally prefer, but super creamy and luxurious.

Pork Cutlet Curry with Cheese from Maji Curry

Maji Curry is a Japanese curry chain that recently opened in Toronto. I’m a big fan of Japanese curry (what’s not to love?), so yeah, I checked it out. I ordered the pork cutlet curry with cheese, which is one of their signature dishes. It’s odd; I figured the pork cutlet would be panko-breaded tonkatsu, but it looked and tasted more battered than breaded (and the pork itself was a bit on the dry side). The “cheese” seemed to be more decorative than anything else, as it had a milky texture and not much flavour. As for the star of the show — the curry — it was perfectly tasty (I certainly didn’t dislike eating it), but it wasn’t substantially better than the Japanese curry bricks you can get at Asian supermarkets.

Classic chocolate chunk cookie from The Night Baker

I actually assumed I had already blogged about this place, which is why I only took one quick photo and then scarfed the cookie down. Apparently I haven’t! Oh well, next time I guess. And there will definitely be a next time: the classic chocolate chunk cookie here (which also has walnuts and sea salt) is top notch. It’s nicely chewy with a crisp exterior, the flavours are all where they should be, and the walnuts do a great job of adding a mild crunch and tempering the sweetness of the cookie a bit.

Delicious Chocolate Chunk Cookies at Courage Cookies

Published on December 18, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1561 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.couragecookies.ca/

It’s hard to go wrong with a good chocolate chip (or chocolate chunk in this case) cookie. Done well, it’s one of the greatest things ever. Done badly, it’s still pretty damn good.

Seriously: think about all of the chocolate chip cookies you’ve eaten in your lifetime. Have you ever had one that wasn’t, at the very least, pretty good? I’ll bet you haven’t! It’s so simple, and it’s very hard to outright mess up.

I know this all kind of sounds like a preamble to me saying “well they’ve finally messed it up!” but no, that is absolutely, positively not the case. The chocolate chunk cookie at Courage Cookies? Delicious.

I mean, it’s got great quality chocolate, a nice crispy/chewy balance, and a satisfying brown sugary flavour to round it all out. How can you go wrong there? It’s also topped with a good amount flaky salt; I know not everyone is crazy about this, but I like the balance of sweet and salty that this brings, and the way that it helps cut the sugariness of the cookie. It’s very good.

The Glorious Return of the Chipwich

Published on October 8, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Purchased at: Wegman’s, 675 Alberta Drive, Amherst NY
Website: https://theoriginalchipwich.com/

Remember the Chipwich? Because I certainly do! In my childhood it felt like it would be a part of my life forever, but then it became harder and harder to find, and it was eventually taken off the market altogether.

Well, it’s back! Alas, it’s still not available in Canada (sorry if I got your hopes up), but if you’re willing to drive to Buffalo (because we all know that driving to Buffalo for an ice cream sandwich is a totally reasonable thing to do), it’s easy enough to find.

And yes: it’s just as glorious as I remembered. No… more glorious.

It’s pretty simple — it’s vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate chunk cookies, and rolled in mini chocolate chips.

No, it’s not gourmet, but the contrast between the soft cookies, the creamy ice cream, and the great crunch you get from the chocolate chips is pretty magical. I was prepared for this to be more about the nostalgia than anything else, but it’s actually quite tasty.

Subtle (and Delicious) Pastries at Roselle Desserts

Published on October 4, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 362 King Street East, Toronto
Website: http://www.roselleto.com/

I think “subtle” is the best word to describe what they’re serving at Roselle Desserts, a charming little bakery on King, just around the corner from the Distillery District.

I tried three things: a chocolate chunk cookie, a chocolate souffle cookie, and a raspberry madeleine.

The souffle cookie was the best of the three. It had a rich, deeply cocoa-infused flavour, with a surprisingly subtle amount of sweetness. It also had a really satisfying texture: lightly crispy on the outside, and soft and fudgy on the inside.

Lack of sweetness seems to be a theme here; the chocolate chunk cookie was also way more subtle than the norm. It’s a great quality cookie, with a nice chewy texture and a very generous amount of tasty chocolate chunks.

Unlike the other two, the lack of sweetness felt like a detriment with the madeleine; this one was way too subtle for its own good, with only a vague whisper of raspberry flavour. The sweetness here was so restrained that I’m not even sure this should be classified as a dessert.