Do any internet search on best cookies in San Francisco and you will get a varying list of names. Though one name does show up on pretty much every list--Anthony's Cookies. They've been around since 1997 and I've heard their name bandied about over the years but hadn't found the time/made the effort/gotten my lazy butt over to where they are waaaay down Valencia past 25th street. That's like Outer Mission almost all the way to Bernal Heights--I mean that's all the way on the other side of town from where I'm at, totes not convenient peeps. I love a good cookie as much as the next folk but, ugh, all the way over there? Yeah, I know, suck it up and go. And that's just exactly what I did to keep this cookie week going.
It's a small spare space with a counter in front of a kitchen and a picnic table to sit at and eat your cookies. Basically it's a get and go place, which can be hard as it does smell really good with all that baking going on.
Anthony's has a basic set of cookie flavors you can get everyday and then periodic flavors available specific days. There are also two sizes, going by the menu lists on the wall, a 2oz. which seems you order by weight and then the "regular size". Obviously I'm going regular size and after agonizing over the available choices I decide to just get 3--you know--portion control.
Cookies and cream, dark chocolate chip and double chocolate chip (the last two being special daily flavors). They were $1.50 each and as you can see, they are not that big. More palm of the hand and not all the same size, but close. I'm gonna waver a little on the price versus size issue, though I lean toward the should be closer to $1 in my cost/value ratio. Let's get down to taste.
Evidently the cookies and creams is one of their most popular cookies. At one point they even tried taking it off the menu but there was such an outcry from fans they brought it back as a regular. It is standard cookie dough with actual crushed Oreos (or something like it) mixed up in the batter. As opposed to the one I had from Over The Moon, here you actually could taste the flavor of that in the cookie. The more bites I had, the more distinct it came through. The cookie was also soft and chewy, from edge to center. It was the same evenly cooked all the way through. Props for that as I've made cookies before and this can be hard to accomplish. Folks who like crunchy, crispy aren't going to like these. They were all chewy, soft. For me I like that kind of cookie, though I did wish there was just a slight crunch along the outer edge just to give it some conflicting textures. Flavor wise on the cookies and cream it was spot on.
The dark chocolate chip the same texture and even cooking. The batter was darker, possibly some molasses in the batter or more cocoa powder added, not real sure. Also not sure I was quite on board with the taste. Normally I gravitate toward the dark chocolate but I felt I didn't get quite that slightly bitter dark flavor I was looking for. The cookie erred on the sweeter side--all three of the cookies were on the sweeter side. Not cloying but noticeable. Due to the size you do get good spread on the chocolate inside and there is some in every bite, mostly a good thing.
The double chocolate chip though is the one you want if you need a guarantee of chocolate in every bite. Semi-sweet chips abound and a few bits of the edge on this one did have some crunch which was a nice switch up. Though when I was eating these cookies I couldn't help feeling that while they were decent as is, they may have tasted even better served warm. And with the double chocolate chip, maybe go a little trendy with a sprinkle of salt, sea or otherwise, just to offset a tad of the sweetness.
I guess I can see why they are popular--chewy, sort of gooey cookies made by hand with all the flavors people love. Plus it is good to support homegrown businesses and talent. I won't say I was like "wow, these are great!", more like "yeah, these are good cookies" I would definitely eat again, and again. While I'm not sure I'd haul myself all the way across town to get them, if they showed up at party/dinner/office I was at, I'd most certainly chow down on one/two/three or more.
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