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Chocoholics, cookie dough lovers, people with excellent taste in baked goods: Once you try Gideon’s Bakehouse cookies, you’ll understand the hype. You’ll be willing to hit up Disney Springs early, just to get your name in the virtual queue, so you can snag a peanut butter cold brew and a batch of freshly baked, 20-hours-in-the-making treats. (Or, if you’re not into cold brew, spend far less time waiting at their 286-square-foot shop in East End Market. IYKYK.)
Before you wait in line, though, it’s worth knowing what’s on the menu. There are six core cookies at Gideon’s Bakehouse, with one limited-edition monthly cookie, an exclusive flavor or two at each of the two bakehouses, and the surprise item here and there. (Yeah, yeah, I know there are cakes too, but for now, we’re focusing on our one true love: Those gooey, chocolate chip-studded cookies.)
As we try new sweets, we’ll add them to this ranking—and we want to hear your thoughts too. Are we totally off base with our top pick? Is there a seasonal cookie worthy of more attention? Hit us up.
7. Cookies & Cream
Founder Steve Lewis has said this is his least favorite, so I feel less guilty about putting it at the bottom of this list. If the thought of Oreo’s new meta, more-creme-filling-than-ever cookies make you salivate, you’ll love this behemoth, which is crammed with Double Stuf bits and dusted with chocolate cookie crumbles. For me, it’s a bit too sugary sweet.
6. The Eternal Flame
Typically available each February, the Eternal Flame isn’t for the faint of heart. Described as “deep chocolate flavor followed by the tingling warmth of a first kiss and the sweet presence of cherries,” it’s very Valentine’s Day appropriate, provided you like cookies with a bit of a kick (an ancho, cayenne and cinnamon one, to be exact).
The sweetness of the cherries immediately comes through, alongside the richness of the cocoa, with the spice at the end. TBH, I didn’t love the lingering heat, particularly set against such a gooey cookie, but for some, it’s divine!
5. Pumpkin Bread Chocolate Crumb
Imagine the best pumpkin bread you’ve ever had—then combine it with an ultra-gooey chocolate chip cookie and roll it in the topping from a crumb cake. That’s what you’re getting here. The pumpkin makes it incredibly moist, and this is a great (though sadly, seasonal) pick for people who aren’t that into chocolate. (If that’s you and it’s not fall, look out for the classic crumb cake at Disney Springs.)
4. Triple Chocolate Chip
Chocoholics, here’s your nirvana. If the Trunchbull’s cake from Matilda were warped into a cookie, it’d be this half-pound wonder. It’s technically made with five kinds of chocolate, with all the texture of a fudgy brownie, only three times as decadent. Need further proof? Chocolate ganache is poured straight into the batter (!!).
3. Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip
Walnuts in a chocolate chip cookie? Meh. Pistachios? Well, that makes things interesting. They’re salty and nutty without being too crunchy, a striking counterpoint to the rich chocolate chips and bits of toffee studded throughout it. It’s a rollercoaster of flavors in the best way.
2. Original Chocolate Chip
A recipe 15 years in the making, and it shows. I’ve never had a better chocolate chip cookie. The outside is chewy and a bit crisp and caramelized—and completely covered in top-notch chocolate chips—that gives way to a gooey, dense, almost cookie-dough-like core. You need to love chocolate chips to fully appreciate this beauty, but if you do, you will be wowed.
1. Banana Bread Chocolate Chip
Just when I thought I couldn’t love a cookie more, the Banana Bread Chocolate Chip appeared and dethroned the Original. Bananas are blended into the vanilla bean cookie dough, which is completely infused with dark and semisweet chocolate. Here, walnuts debut, only they’re candied, making the traditional nutty mix-in a little more interesting. Crushed banana chips bring the banana flavor home, adding a subtle crunch.
There are so many layers of flavor and texture here that it’s hard to stop snacking. You might want to skip lunch completely to savor this one.