Guest Post: A Trip To One Girl Cookies Bakery by Lauren Wilson

Before heading there one sunny Sunday afternoon, I had never heard of One Girl Cookies. One thing I have learned in my short time living in Brooklyn is that you there is always a little bakery, restaurant, or coffee house you haven’t tried yet.

Hailed by GQ magazine as “the coolest city on the planet”, Brooklyn has exploded into a food lover’s mecca (though there are still several Manhattanites that still need convincing). It is the epicenter of hip, and even the food follows suit: artisanally crafted, locally sourced ingredients, and running the gamut from lowdown comfort to the haute-iest of fine fare.

When my favourite auntie told me she was doing a review of One Girl’s cookbook, I was happy to visit their Cobble Hill location to see what they were all about. I was greeted by a cheery storefront, boasting large windows that hinted to the unexpectedly polished and well-designed interior that I found inside.

I was welcomed by two lovely and friendly ladies manning the counter, who happily prepared me a coffee while I perused the impeccably neat, organized and polished interior of the store, deciding what sweet nothings would be coming home with me. The décor and signage are pretty – clean, linear, yet feminine without the cloying girlishness or homespun vibe you might expect from a name like One Girl Cookies. The cookies on display had the same sensible, clean and linear aesthetic. Nothing like the baskets I was anticipating to be piled high with large alluring treats, especially when I saw on Yelp that they served whoopee pies.

Yes, what bakery worth its salt doesn’t serve whoopee pies these days? Firmly bumping the cupcake out of the au-courant sweet spot, the whoopee has clearly made a comeback. But sadly, I did not see any that morning.

In addition to the few breakfast items on the counter (a quiche, some neatly arranged scones and other baked items), the cookies, neatly lined up on trays in a large glass case, was the only visible food, the rest being tucked away in well-designed boxes without even a glimpse of what yummy things might be hiding inside. So I was drawn to the cookie display and took home 2 of each of the 8 kinds they had on offer at $0.60 USD each.

I should mention outright that the cookies are small – a generous one-bite or dainty two-bites at most. Given the refined concept of the shop, the size and aesthetic of the cookies made perfect sense, but it should be noted that these are not the cookies you want when you need a sugar-high or are looking for some comfort food. These are the cookies you bring to dinner parties or bridal showers.

The thin wafer-based cookies (the Lana, Olga, Cecilia and Juliette) were the clear winners to me – for all, the texture of the cookie was delicate and light. My favourite was the Olga, a chocolate mint ganache sandwiched between two sugar cookies. The mint was very present, both in scent and flavour, but well-balanced with the deep chocolate flavour of the ganache and sweetness of the sugar cookie.

The Sadie, an orange butter mound covered in shredded coconut were not nearly as sweet as I expected them to be from the description – with a dense buttery texture and hint of citrus. A lovely little oat based cookie, The Susanna, was a nice change in texture compare to the wafers and butter based cookies. With a little zing from the ginger this cookie has a nice depth of flavour. The only real let down were the traditional chocolate chip mounds were disappointing, dry and tasting slightly stale.

With a second location down in DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn, its clear One Girl is doing something right. With a tight retail strategy appealing to the design conscious residents of Brooklyn, the only thing I would ask of One Girl is SHOW ME THE WHOOPIES! Putting the yummy baked goods they offer on display a little more prominently, while definitely playing upon on the sugar-dependent like me, would help them snag few more impulse purchases and leave a more lasting impression.

Lauren Wilson is a jack-of-all-food-trades. After eating up all the good bits of Toronto, she followed a trail of crumbs to Brooklyn where she is cooking, writing, and eating happily. You can follow her food adventures on Twitter @laurendoesthis

Photos by Lauren Wilson