The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in the Bay Area

photo: Christina Mitchell

I’ve lived in Oakland for a decade and spent the past five years writing about food in the East Bay, so it feels weird that my favorite chocolate chip cookie is in San Francisco.  It can be found at 20th Century Cafe, and it’s a work of art.

photo: Christina Mitchell

My mom and I were shopping in the East Bay one day when she remembered the cookies I called to tell her about last year.  She’s a chocolate connoisseur, so she remembers things like this.  Anyway, we immediately dropped what we were doing, drove to the city and ordered a half a dozen chocolate chip cookies, along with a few other goodies.

photo: Christina Mitchell

This is not your average chocolate chip cookie; it’s obvious that it’s taken time to perfect the recipe.  It was on the small size, crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle.  It was so full of dark chocolate, there may have been more chocolate than cookie.  Actually, the dark chocolate all kind of ended up in the middle and it was enclosed in a tender, caramelized cookie.  And finally there was a sprinkle of salt on top to brighten the already developed flavors.  I’ve gone out of my way to eat this cookie several times in the past year and it’s always as good as my last memory.  No, this is not your average chocolate chip cookie; this was for chocoholics.

I almost feel guilty that my favorite chocolate chip cookie is in the West Bay, but of course, I haven’t tried all of the options in the East Bay.

What’s your favorite cookie?

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Christina Mitchell

Christina is the founder of East Bay Dish. Her writing has also been featured in East Bay Express, Berkeleyside, Oakland Magazine and Edible East Bay.

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