Levain Bakery, New York

When I'm planning a trip, food is always at the forefront of my mind. The sweet stuff will always triumph over savoury, so when we booked New York, I set about researching the Big Apple's finest bakeries. Lots of people had recommended the famous Magnolia Bakery, but I was also looking for the slightly obscure, hiding in little back streets. Cue Levain Bakery. 

Levain is a decent trek up to West 74th Street, which is past Central Park in Upper West Side - a bit out of the way, but well worth it for any cake tourist. It's in a really cute neighbourhood full of town houses and smart offices - very Sex and the City! 

West 74th Street itself is very unassuming, and you could easily glide on by Levain without even noticing it. It's down some steep stairs and actually looks quite dingy from the outside. However, step into their little bakery haven and the light gushes through the window from street level. 

The shop is tiny, but has a good selection of breads, cakes and pastries; but we were there for their famous cookies.

These cookies are like nothing I have ever seen before. They look a bit like our rock cakes or scones, but are made from cookie dough, so have a wonderfully sticky centre.

We both opted for an oatmeal and raisin one - Millie's Cookies better start running now! My mouth is watering just reminiscing about these little marvels. They are crisp on the outside and delightfully gooey on the inside without tasting raw. It was bitterly cold outside when we arrived, but were toasty warm with bellies full of hot coffee and cookie when we left.

It's worth nothing that the staff were delightful too. They were more than happy with a slightly mental English tourist taking pictures of their wares! If you're going to New York and you like the sweet stuff - get your backside to Levain!

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