For The First Time In 25 Years, Levain Bakery Has A New Cookie

When Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes opened Levain Bakery in 1995, in that tiny space a few steep steps down from West 74th Street, they had four cookies on the menu: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, and (the best one) Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip. All remain phenomenal, and while they've added other, non-cookie items to their offerings over the years, that original foursome has been holding down the cookie fort for 25 years. Until now.

On Wednesday morning McDonald and Weekes not only open their first-ever downtown Levain on Lafayette near Bleecker Street, but they also debut their new Two Chip Chocolate Chip Cookie, a typically enormous (two inches high, four inches wide) and unsurprisingly delicious rendition of the all-time classic.

Yes, they played it safe here—we were hoping for a Black and White, or a Butterscotch, or anything that strayed a bit from their current lineup, but at least those harboring nut allergies will be able to enjoy their chocolate chip cookie now.

The cookie (which costs $4, like their others) is called the "Two Chip," for its combination of two chips. While we were told by an employee at the preview on Monday that the chips were bittersweet and milk chocolate, Levain's publicist told us on Tuesday, "There [are] no milk chocolate chips in the two-chip. We’re actually not sharing these two ingredients, but there’s no milk chocolate." Anyway, it's a damn fine cookie, whatever is in there.

The new cookie is only available at the NoHo bakery for now, but will be rolled out to all locations in the coming weeks. The new shop also sells other Levain favorites such as Valrhona Chocolate Rolls, Country Baguettes, and various Pizzas, Scones, and Loaf Cakes. And the on-site kitchen ensures that everything is freshly baked, rather than prepackaged and transported from a central commissary.

Design-wise, the new shop follows the form of Levain's other recent expansions, with lots of open space to accommodate the inevitable lines, a big ordering counter with everything on display, and a few stools running along a counter. As she did at the Upper East Side location, artist Libby Vanderploeg has covered one wall with a whimsical mural of the neighborhood. Proceeds from opening day will be donated to the Lower Eastside Girls Club of NY.

Levain NoHo is located at 340 Lafayette Street, at the corner of Bleecker Street, and starting tomorrow will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (917-464-3746; levainbakery.com)