What Is a New York-Style Cookie? (And Where to Get Proper Ones in the UK)
A New York-style cookie is big, thick and chunky. Think crisp, golden edges, a soft centre that's only just set, and generous chunks of chocolate rather than neat little chips. It's closer to a small, very well-behaved cake than a biscuit, and it's built to be eaten slowly.
That's the short answer. If you've only ever had a flat, chewy cookie from a supermarket packet, the first proper New York cookie can come as a bit of a surprise. Here's what makes them different, how we bake ours, and where to get them in the UK without booking a flight.
What makes New York-style cookies different?
Put a New York cookie next to a classic cookie and a British biscuit, and the difference is obvious before you take a bite.
- Size and thickness. A classic cookie spreads out flat and thin. A New York-style cookie stays tall and thick, more dome than disc.
- A soft centre. The middle is soft and only just baked, so it's rich and almost doughy when you break it open.
- Crisp edges. The outside sets golden and slightly crisp, giving you two textures in one bite.
- Generous add-ins. Instead of small chips scattered through the dough, you get big chunks of chocolate, nuts or whatever the flavour calls for, sometimes the size of a thumbnail.
And a British biscuit? That's a different thing altogether: crisp or crumbly all the way through, made for dunking and keeping in a tin. Lovely, but not what we're talking about here.
Why are New York cookies so thick?
It's down to how they're shaped and baked. The dough goes in as a tall, heavy ball rather than a flat scoop, and it's baked so the outside sets before the middle has time to spread. That's what keeps the height, the soft centre and the crisp edges. The chunky add-ins help too, as they give the dough something to hold on to.
Where the style comes from
The name gives it away. Bakeries in New York helped make the thick, oversized cookie famous, and the style has since travelled well beyond the city. Today "New York-style" is shorthand for a type of cookie rather than a place: big, thick, soft in the middle and loaded with chunks. Plenty of UK bakeries now make their own take on it, and we're one of them.
How we make ours
Our New York-style cookies are handmade and baked fresh in our Manchester bakery, with real ingredients and no shortcuts.
- Organic flour and free-range eggs in every batch.
- Callebaut Belgian chocolate in proper chunks, not chips, so you get a real hit of chocolate in every bite.
- Real butter, the way you'd bake at home.
- No palm oil, no preservatives, no artificial colours or flavours.
We bake them thick, with golden edges and soft centres, and we don't rush them. A cookie like this needs the bake to be right, or it's just a large biscuit.
Our New York-style cookie flavours
We currently bake four flavours of New York-style cookie, with more to come as we add to the range. Each box is a single flavour.
Chocolate
Thick and chewy, with golden edges, soft centres and generous chunks of Callebaut Belgian chocolate in every bite. Built for dunking, hoarding, and the occasional act of generosity.
View the Chocolate Cookie Box →
Walnut Chocolate
Chunks of real chocolate meeting toasted walnuts, with a chewy centre, a crisp edge and an earthy crunch that keeps the sweetness in check. For people who like a little texture with their indulgence.
View the Walnut Chocolate Cookie Box →
Red Velvet
A deep cocoa base with the classic red velvet finish, coloured with real beetroot rather than dye, and studded with creamy Callebaut Belgian white chocolate chunks. Slightly fudgy, quietly showy, properly indulgent.
View the Red Velvet Cookie Box →
Matcha
High-grade matcha's smooth, earthy depth set against creamy Callebaut Belgian white chocolate chunks. A little bitterness meeting sweetness, in balance. A refined twist that actually tastes of matcha.
How to enjoy them
Straight from the box is perfectly respectable. Ours are individually wrapped, so you can open one, put the rest away, and pretend you'll make them last.
If you want that just-baked feel, let the cookie come to room temperature, unwrap it, and give it a few seconds in the microwave on low power. Our storage guide suggests around 10 to 15 seconds. Check as you go, as too long will dry it out rather than soften it.
Beyond that, a few ways we like to serve them:
- Warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Warm the cookie briefly, put a scoop on top and let it melt a little. The Red Velvet and Chocolate are particularly good here.
- As an ice cream sandwich. A scoop of ice cream between two cookies. Messy, yes. Worth it, also yes.
- Crumbled over ice cream or yoghurt. Break one up and scatter it over a bowl. Good with any flavour, and a decent use for the last one in the box.
- With a coffee. The Walnut Chocolate's earthy crunch and a proper coffee were made for each other.
- With a glass of cold milk. The Chocolate cookie, for when you want the classic.
- With green tea. The Matcha cookie and a pot of green tea, for something calmer.
- As a quick dessert for guests. Warm a few, add ice cream, and you've got pudding sorted without switching the oven on.
Do they travel and keep?
Yes, which is just as well, because we post them right across the UK.
- Individually wrapped. Every cookie is sealed on its own to keep air out and freshness in.
- Dispatched the same day. Order before 2pm and, if everything's in stock, we dispatch the same day on a next-day tracked service. Most deliveries arrive within one to two working days.
- Keeps up to 14 days from delivery at room temperature or in the fridge, in its original wrapping.
- Freezes for up to 6 months, if you want to keep a stash for later.
For more, see how to store your bakes for maximum freshness and how we send our bakes in the post.
A note on allergens
We bake in an open kitchen, so our products contain, and can come into contact with, allergens including gluten, dairy, eggs and nuts. Our Walnut Chocolate cookies contain walnuts. Full allergen details are on every product page, so please check before you order.
Frequently asked questions
What makes New York cookies different?
Size, thickness and texture. A New York-style cookie is big and thick, with crisp golden edges, a soft centre and big chunks of chocolate or other add-ins, rather than being flat and thin with small chips.
Why are New York cookies so thick?
The dough is shaped tall and heavy and baked so the outside sets before the middle spreads. That keeps the height and the soft centre. Chunky add-ins help the dough hold its shape too.
Where can I buy New York-style cookies in the UK?
You don't need to live near a specialist bakery. We bake ours fresh in our Manchester bakery and post them UK-wide on a tracked service. Our cookies collection has all four flavours.
Can I mix flavours in one box?
Not at the moment. Each box is a single flavour, so every tray we open is used fresh and allergens stay separate. If you want to try a few, order a few different boxes together. They'll arrive in the same order.
How long do they keep?
Up to 14 days from delivery at room temperature or in the fridge, kept in their original wrapping, and up to 6 months in the freezer.
Proper New York-style cookies, delivered
A New York-style cookie should be thick, generous and soft in the middle, made with real ingredients and baked properly. That's how we make ours, and we'll post them to your door.
Browse our cookies, or if you're torn between a cookie and something else, read brownies vs blondies.