Ginger snaps, snickerdoodles, tea cakes, rum balls, shortbread, pfeffernüsse, madeleines, biscotti: So many cookies, so little time. Whether it's dropped, rolled, pressed, molded, refrigerated, fried, or sandwiched, there's a cookie out there for you. Following are some particularly yummy local examples of the cookie baker's art.
California Golden Cookies
255 Kearny (at Bush), 956-3070
The bar cookie attains heavenly heights with California Golden
Cookies' German Chocolate Bar. This rich, moist brick of bittersweet
brownie is layered with buttery caramel, studded with creamy walnuts,
and sprinkled with shreds of toasted coconut. It's a thoroughly
satisfying marriage of heft, endorphins, and succulent texture. The
store is a friendly, sunny below-the-radar urban treasure, offering a
dozen or so cookies of outstanding quality (the snickerdoodles and
halvah bars are also recommended) as well as very good falafel, hummus,
schawerma, and other Middle Eastern savories.
The House
1230 Grant (at Columbus), 986-8612, www.thehse.com
While we love and respect the standard Chinese almond cookie found
everywhere from Ninth Avenue to Stockton Street, let's face it: Its
hard, crumbly texture and rich, almost greasy flavor make it only
slightly more palatable than those gimmicky tooth-cracking fortune
cookies. The House's almond cookie is a different matter altogether.
Crisp as a potato chip, with a subtle hint of marzipan and a
traditional toasted almond embedded on top, it's a delicate yet
satisfying sweet treat equally delectable on its own or after a meal of
shrimp-chive dumplings and Blue Lake bean tempura.
Kika's Treats
www.kikastreats.com
Kika's Treats (available at Bi-Rite Market, Rainbow Grocery, Blue
Fog Markets, and other specialty Bay Area food shops) are dreamy bits
of chocolate-coated heaven handcrafted in the Dogpatch neighborhood by
São Paulo baker Cristina Besher and company. The operation is
best known for its all-natural graham crackers and shortbread, but
Besher's Brazilian honey cakes are something special. A thick layer of
rich, creamy Guittard chocolate cloaks squares of moist pao de
mel spicy with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and a hint of coffee; the
result is sweet, luscious, and just a little peppery all at once.
They're egg- and dairy-free, too.
Mara's Italian Pastry
503 Columbus (at Green), 397-9435
Drop by Mara's when you're in the mood for a wide assortment of
nosh-friendly, button-sized, absolutely delectable cookies, Neapolitan
or otherwise. You'll find ultra-rich, paper-thin laces; moist, chewy
chocolate-dipped macaroons; flaky pinwheels filled with strawberry jam;
rich shortbread studded with lemon zest; buttery wedding cookies doused
in powdered sugar; sandwich cookies stuffed with rich, dark fudge;
chewy meringues laced with anise; and airy madeleines, chocolate-filled
thumbprints, and crumbly biscotti chock-full of sliced almonds. It's a
good place to set a spell, schmooze, sip an espresso, and cookie
down.
415-956-3070
415-397-9435
