Ben's Cookies

In my last post, I said I would have to wait 6 weeks--aka when I'm back in the USA--to figure out what I miss about London. However, I can already think of one thing I'll DEFINITELY miss: a little place called Ben's Cookies.

Besides my mom's homemade cookies (obligatory disclaimer ;)), this chain of cookie shops in England sells the BEST. COOKIES. EVER. The company has been gracing Europe with confectionery goodness since 1984. As if I didn't adore this place enough already, British artist Quentin Blake (who illustrates the children's books of my favorite author Roald Dahl) created the company's logo.

There are 11 stores in the UK. I've already been to three of them:

High Street Kensington store

South Kensington store

Oxford Street store

So now you're wondering, What's so great about these cookies?

These cookies are freshly made every day, and I have yet to try one that wasn’t still warm from the oven. The outside is toasted to a perfect crispness, reaching that not-too-mushy-but-not-yet-burnt baking ideal. Yet the inside retains a soft, moist, melt-in-your-mouth, cake-like texture. Depending on your flavor choice, it will be oozing with generous chocolate chunks or bursting with a cinnamon flavor or overflowing with pockets of peanuts. You’ll become so infatuated with the treat that you’ll walk several blocks down Thurloe Street before a store window reflection lets you know you have dark chocolate smeared on your chin.

Melted goodness

My goal is to try all of the flavors before I leave London. (They do mail orders but sadly not outside the UK.) I’m doing pretty well so far, having tasted White Chocolate & Cranberry, Dark Chocolate Chunk, Oatmeal Raisin, and White Macadamia Nut, leaving me to conquer Milk Chocolate Chunk, White Chocolate Chunk, Triple Chocolate Chunk, Double Chocolate and Nut, Fruit and Nut, Chocolate and Orange, Lemon, Ginger and Dark Chocolate, Ginger-Ginger, Praline and Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Coconut.

They are sold by weight, usually costing about £1. A bit steep for a cookie, but I think you get your money’s worth. They're HUGE. And I mean, did you read my description above??

I think I may have an unhealthy obsession.