LA Cookie Challenge: Milk Jar Cookies vs. The Sycamore Kitchen

For our first cookie stops on the East side (remember East is 405, so not really LA in the slightest), we hit up Milk Jar Cookies and The Sycamore Kitchen.

Milk Jar Cookies is a relatively new cookie-centric shop with a very cutesy decor. Their cookies are THICK with what Dustin described as an almost biscuit-like texture towards the edges. The middle was super soft and was the closest baked cookie to tasting like cookie dough that I've ever had. It reminded me of a cookie warm out of the oven (even though it was definitely not) in the middle in texture. After eating this cookie, I definitely wanted a glass of milk (which they serve in cute jars in shop). Just because it sounded unique, I picked up a banana split cookie (hot from the oven), which I have recreated on my own here!

We've had both an amazing breakfast and lunch at The Sycamore Kitchen, but neither one of us were super impressed by the chocolate chip cookie. The  medium-sized cookie is made with rye flour, which seemed to be an interesting flavor to incorporate into a cookie— I'm all for trying out new flours and grains in baking, but it really just didn't really work for us. There was also a sprinkling of sea salt on the top, but I'd argue if you are going for the sweet and salty combo, you need to have enough salt to make it pop, which this just didn't. The cookie looked like it would be right up Dustin's alley, and texture-wise it was— super crunchy. My biggest complaint was that is was not very sweet, which is sometimes alright in a baked good, but not what I'm looking for when I think chocolate chip cookie. The cookie wasn't bad and certainly had a lot of character, but not our thing.

The Verdict

Based on looking at the pictures of these cookies, you'd think we'd pick opposite cookies, but after the taste test, Dustin and I both selected Milk Jar. I'm not sure I'll ever hear Dustin select a soft thick cookie over a thinner crispy one, so I think I'll just revel in this moment!