bestrainbowcookies

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Empire Cake, Chelsea

I was walking through Chelsea and came across the cutest little bakery, Empire Cake. I sampled several desserts and they were delicious. Sadly, I didn't love the rainbow cookies. They were a bit more dry and cake-like than what I prefer. So I'm keeping it short but sweet, since everything else I tried was great.

Rating: C

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #empire cake #chelsea

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Reply to mentalityisreal

mentalityisreal said: Why a c+? I find theirs to be on the classic to in terms of taste

RESPONSE: Hi there! I tend to prefer the creamier, more fudgy-type rainbow cookies. Italian-style cookies tend to me a little dryer and more cake-like, so it's just a personal preference.

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Continental Cookies, Hackensack, NJ

So 'twas the night before Christmas, and I was stopping at The Food Emporium on my way come. Right in front of the entrance was a special table FULL of rainbow cookies. Upon closer inspection I found there were actually two varieties: Plain or Red Velvet.

Let that sink in for a minute.

RED. VELVET.

I almost fainted. Now, I generally don't consider pre-packaged supermarket rainbow cookies promising, but just one look at these fudgy cookies from Continental Cookies in Hackensack, NJ told me they'd be good.

Flash forward one hour, when I'm practically blacking out at my kitchen table double-fisting these babies. These are the kind of cookies you want to eat alone. In the dark.

I don't recommend eating four of them at once, but that's what I did. Damn. It was worth the headache.

Rating: A

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #red velvet #red velvet marzipan #continental cookies #the food emporium #hackensack #new jersey #nj #christmas #holiday

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Ferrara, Little Italy

Ferrara is an Italian Bakery institution. If you like Italian pastries, you'll love it there. However, it's just not my style. Much love to Ferrara, though -- you don't need my support as you're always packed full of people. Respek.

Rating: C+

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #ferrara #ferrara's #little italy #italian rainbow cookies #seven layer cookies

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Yes, I went all the way up to Morningside Heights for a rainbow cookie.

Though destinations like 113th and anything usually inspire pouts, I happily taxi'd up to this cute Columbia University neighborhood for my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Er, my rainbow cookie at the end of the park. Something like that.

Tumblr user pink-aliens clearly knows the hood -- and her glowing review of bakery/deli Nussbaum & Wu had me pretty hyped up.

The cookies were featured prominently in the display case, clearly a local favorite. They were also (I think) Kosher, which meant they weren't the 100% indulgent buttery kind. But they were moist enough for a "good" rating from all three of the testers I took with me.

Will we be trekking that far again for the cookies? No. But if I was ever in the neighborhood and craving one, it would definitely suffice. Rating: B

Nussbaum & Wu, Morningside Heights

So I went to Nussbaum & Wu today with one of my best friends to get their amazing rainbow cookies. I can tell you that these are the best in NYC. I asked my friend to take a picture of me with them hahaha “for social media purposes.” But seriously - the best rainbow cookies in NYC.

#nussbaum & wu #nussbaum and wu #rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #morningside heights

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The Bakery, Plainview LI

In the last post I spoke of following a lead for a great rainbow cookie place in Long Island. And this is it.

When I saw this article in Serious Eats in which the author not only describes rainbow cookies as "the stuff of dreams" but boldly proclaims her hometown joint as being the best, I knew I had to go there.

OMG am I glad I did.

The rainbow cookies at The Bakery (which has at least two Long Island locations that I know of) were a buttery explosion. I could barely stop eating them long enough to take a picture.

Were they better than my holy grail? No. But really damn good.

Rating: A

#the bakery #plainview #long island #rainbow cookies #rainbow cookie

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Bagel Master, Syosset LI

On a weekend trip to Long Island to investigate a serious rainbow cookie lead (more on this place later) I stopped into a local bagel place for, well, a bagel. But I couldn't help but notice the expansive cookie selection to my left.

You know where this is going.

I peered into the bakery case and saw rainbow cookies in there (yay!) and asked if they were homemade. When they answered yes, I answered, "I'll take two."

Well, I was really pleasantly surprised. These were moist and marzipan-y, and definitely good enough that I'd get them again anytime I return to Bagel Master.

Rating: B+

#bagel master #syosset #long island #rainbow cookies

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Donatella, Chelsea

I had heard that Donatella (as in Arpaia, restaurateur extraordinaire, and the same Donatella of the former David Burke & Donatella) was serving rainbow cookie ice cream sandwiches at her eponymous Chelsea, NY restaurant. You better believe I headed straight there to find out for myself.

I was pleased to see that it was still on the menu, and even more pleased to see that it was served in two portions (it makes that whole uncomfortable having to share thing a little easier).

It was yummy, but not the most amazing thing I've ever had. Full disclosure: I'm not an ice cream person. But there's no doubt that the presence of the rainbow cookie made the ice cream better, even for a non-ice cream lover.

Rating: B

#chelsea #donatella #donatella arpaia #rainbow cookie ice cream sandwich #rainbow cookies #rainbow cookie

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Ralph's Ices, Gramercy

Ralph's Ices started in Staten Island, but it's become a Long Island institution. Multiple Long Islanders close to me had proclaimed their love for Ralph's but I was not a big fan of ice cream or frozen yogurt or any of the like. But when you tell me there's a rainbow cookie flavor, I'm so there.

The short story: This was a life-changing experience.

There were actual, real, giant chunks of rainbow cookies smushed into creamy ices (think vanilla ice cream, but a little fluffier and icier).

I can't imagine anyone who likes rainbow cookies wouldn't like this. The end.

Rating: A

#rainbow cookies #ralph's ices #rainbow cookie #rainbow cookie ices

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2nd Avenue Deli, Upper East

I wasn't expecting to see rainbow cookies at 2nd avenue deli, nor was I expecting them to be good.

That's not to say that Kosher delis don't make good desserts (See post about Moishe's), but I like my rainbow cookies with buttah. Lots of buttah.

Anyway, I was chowing down on my usual egg barley, sour pickles, matzoh ball soup, and potato latke binge when I saw the cookies on the deli counter. It's not like I wasn't going to try them, right?

Well, no surprise here, they were bland and dry. But given that they have to conform to Kosher standards, it's somewhat understandable.

Rating: C

#2nd avenue deli #rainbowcookies #second avenue deli #upper east side #rainbow cookie

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Andre's Hungarian, Midtown

Walking home today, I passed a new bakery -- well, at least it was new to me. As soon as I spotted the words "Hungarian Strudels & Pastries" across the street from me, I already had instinctively stepped off the sidewalk and started walking toward this promising little spot.

The NYC outpost of a Forest Hills operation, Andre's bakery looked very legit to me and had a variety of strudels as well as other traditional pastries like rugelach and linzer tarts. But this blog, of course, is about rainbow cookies, and I was pleased to see that they had them.

I couldn't make it more than a few paces out the door before I took a bite of the cookie, and I loved it! It was similar to Moishe's -- a moist, chewy cookie -- but not overly dense and marzipan-y like the German type. I went back the next day to try it again and see if my mind was just playing tricks on me. But no, it was just as delicious as I thought -- and just a short walk from my apartment!

Rating: B+

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #andre's hungarian strudels and pastries #hungarian bakery

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William Greenberg, UES

William Greenberg bakery has been around. Their Upper East Side location was my go-to childhood bakery in the city, and even my mom enjoyed their infamous brownies and black and white cookies in her youth. But even after all those years of my family's patronage, it wasn't until recently that I thought to check their shelves for rainbow cookies.

And guess what? They got 'em, and they're awesome. The Greenberg rainbows are German-style and have layers of pure marzipan (check!) and no overwhelming jam flavor (check!). Like everything else at this bakery, they were pricy, but they were the closest in taste I've found to the Bedford Village Pastry, and that's saying a lot.

Rating: A-

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #william greenberg #jewish bakery #kosher bakery

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To Try: Mike's Pastry, Boston

I just returned from a trip to Boston a few weeks ago, and it didn't hit me until I returned home that Boston may well house some delicious rainbow cookies. I assumed they'd all be the dry, sprinkle-laden Italian bakery variety I'm not fond of. But as soon as I did a little Google image research, I feared I may have made a big mistake:

Based on the image above (Courtesy of Big Red Kitchen), it looks like Mike's Pastry (a famous bakery in Boston's North End) has some pretty legit rainbows. With layers of pure white marzipan, no less! Now I take back the snide remarks I made while walking past their storefront in college, haughtily telling my friends that I'd show them some "real pastries" when they came to visit me in New York.

I was a teenager, what do you want from me?

I'm now a mature adult who plans to make Mike's my first stop on my next trip to the Bean.

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #mike's pastry #boston

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De Robertis, East Village

Alright, here's the thing. I do not like Italian-style rainbow cookies. So I was setting myself up for disappointment doing the East Village loop of some very well-known Italian Bakeries. I tried the rainbow cookies from Veniero's and De Robertis' Pasticceria (shown above), both fabulous for traditional Italian sweets and both within blocks of one another.

But I didn't love them :(

Both were pretty dry and lacked the intense almond flavor of the German-style rainbows I love. The jam was also overwhelming -- a top note instead of a subtle supporting role.

However, I must say that De Robertis' had another dessert that I LOVED -- a Cassatine Palermitano (similar to a Cassata Siciliana), which is a very traditional Italian dessert consisting of a layer cake with a ricotta cheesecake-type inside and a marzipan outside. It was ridiculous. So thumbs up for that one at least!

Rating: C

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #veniero's #de robertis' #cassata siciliana #cassatine palermitano

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Glaser's Bake Shop, UES

Since German-style rainbow cookies are my favorite, I did a little research and found that Yorkville (an Upper East Side neighborhood not far from me) was a traditionally German area back in the day. Were any of the original German bakeries still open, I Googled? Yes, as a matter of fact. And off I headed to Glaser's, after verifying their rainbow cookie prowess on several review websites.

Upon arriving, giddy with the promise of a sugar rush, I was disappointed to find one thing missing from their display cases: RAINBOW COOKIES.

"Hi. Do you have rainbow cookies?" I asked the woman behind the counter.

"We won't make them until it's much colder," she replied.

"Until it's colder?" I retorted, confused and slightly passive aggressive.

"Yeah, because they stick together in the heat," she explained.

Soooooo, no rainbow cookies, huh? I just walked 20 blocks in the hot mid-day sun, woman!

I headed back home empty handed (probably a good thing for my thighs, though) and made a mental note to return in October or November.

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #glaser's bake shop #german bakery

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Amor Bakery, Ave. B

I was doing my usual rainbow cookie research online when I found something particularly interesting: A "hole in the wall" Spanish bakery in alphabet city that supposedly had good rainbow cookies. I was SO there.

Fueled by the promise of a hidden gem, I put on my headphones and hoofed it to Avenue B to find Amor Bakery.

The reviews were correct -- this was a hole in the wall, alright, but the desserts were legit. My inner fat latina was temporarily sidetracked by the array of traditional delicacies -- rice pudding, flan, tres leches cake, oh my! But I had to get my mind back on track and find the rainbow cookies.

To my surprise, these cookies were neither Italian-style or German-style. They were what I call tropical-style. For one, the colors were rich berry, canary yellow, and bright teal, instead of the more subtle pink, yellow, and apple green of most others. The next piece of flair came courtesy of the unusual jam they used -- most bakeries opt for simple apricot or raspberry, but these tasted of something less common -- guava, perhaps?

The texture was satisfyingly moist and fudgy, and I may or may not have hoovered two of these (rather generously-sized) cookies before I hit 11th st. Indeed they were interesting, but I wouldn't say they were great, nor a favorite.

But I'll definitely be back for that flan, trust.

Rating: B-

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #amor bakery #spanish bakery

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Moishe's, East Village

One of the best rainbow cookies I’ve found so far in New York was an unexpected one. I had come across several mentions of Moishe’s bake shop on Yelp and other review sites online before I decided to trek down to the East Village to try their rainbow cookies. Appearance-wise, I was skeptical. They appeared too cake-like and lacked the dense all-white marzipan layers of my holy grail rainbow cookies (to which I’m comparing all others). But as soon as I took a bite of these (giant! literally the size of about 4 rainbow cookies in one) cookies, I was converted.

They are cake-like, but in a good way. And they aren’t overwhelmingly marzipan-y, but they’re yummy. Really yummy. And gooey, which goes a long way with me. The icing on the cake (PUN INTENDED) is that this is an adorable old school Jewish bakery and the owner spoke Yiddish to me. I’m not going to lie — those facts will encourage my repeat visits. But then again, so will the delicious cookies.

Rating: B+

#rainbow cookie #rainbow cookies #moishe's bake shop #kosher bakery #jewish bakery