In recent years, downtown Bethesda has become a hot market for various gourmet cookies, and between large chains such as Crumbl, Levain, Insomnia and Maman, there doesn’t seem to be room for a new entrant. Chip City Cookies begs to differ.
Opening first in Astoria, Queens in July 2017, the relatively young chain has spread to 26 locations to date, and on Nov. 3 it made its debut in downtown Bethesda. But with ample competition, is Chip City Cookies a welcome addition to the existing market, or does it fall short? To answer this question, The B&W visited the new location and tried each of this week’s offerings.
Upon stepping into the store, I was greeted by an inviting ambiance, and the heavenly smell of warm cookies and soft music beckoned me. Decorated by small round tables and light blue walls, the interior is comforting and features Instagram-worthy photo-ops for customers. The store rotates its six to seven available flavors weekly, but all the cookies are part of a 37-flavor menu, meaning customer favorites are guaranteed to return.
At the Bethesda location, the customer service was excellent; the store manager gifted me Chip City stickers, the cookies were packaged efficiently and the staff was attentive. With the buy five-get-one-free deal, the total cost for the six cookies was $25.17. Though expensive, the cookies were still decently priced, considering their size and the cost of similar desserts elsewhere in Bethesda.
In this week’s options, Chip City Cookies offered several dairy-free flavors, providing an inclusive option unavailable in many other shops in the area. I tried each available flavor, and they were all served warm.
Confetti: 5/5
A traditional staple, the sugar cookie and sprinkle combination was executed perfectly. Unlike other confetti cookies, the sweetness didn’t feel overbearing. Although this is a generally simple cookie, it’s often difficult to nail, and as one of my favorite flavors, I was eager to taste Chip City’s version. Thankfully, I wasn’t let down — the cookie had the perfect amount of sprinkles, and each mouthful yielded a delicious buttery flavor.
Classic Chocolate Chip: 4.5/5
Chocolate chip cookies serve as the baseline of a cookie shop, and this delicacy can make or break a store’s reputation. An unbeatable classic, Chip City’s chocolate chip cookie is a comforting entry into their weekly rotation. Filled with decadent chocolate and a perfect chocolate-to-dough ratio, this cookie takes the cake as its best offering. However, the dark chocolate is surprisingly sweet, and combined with sugary dough the sweetness is a bit overpowering. Despite this cookie’s pleasing flavor, and the way it outshined many other options, the high sugar content slightly took away from my enjoyment.
Teddi-Fetti Feat. Teddy Grahams: 4/5
This cookie was an interesting and well-rounded combination of a graham cracker base topped with vanilla icing. Made with wheat and barley flour, it had a similar flavor to an oatmeal cookie. The chewy dough had an incredibly smooth texture, and the sweet icing complemented the grainy flavor of the base. A graham cracker-inspired cookie wasn’t something I had tried before, but this unique flavor was enjoyable.
Horchata: 3.5/5
Instead of a drink, I opted for Chip City’s cookie take on Horchata, a Mexican refreshment. Made by simmering long-grain rice with cinnamon sticks and pouring the mixture over ice, Horchata is the perfect summer treat. Chip City’s cookie emphasizes the traditional cinnamon flavor, but not in a way that is domineering, allowing the topped sugar mixture to add a sweet and satisfying crunch. The unexpected rice milk pudding in the center of the thick cookie was a surprise as I bit in, but unfortunately, the tasty filling wasn’t generous. At $4.67 per cookie, I was left wishing for a bit more in each mouthful.
White Chocolate Macadamia: 2.5/5
Again, Chip City offered its take on a popular flavor, but it failed to impress. The macadamia nuts were quite large, despite the website stating they were halved, causing them to feel disproportionate about the white chocolate chips. The sugar cookie base has a nice flavor on its own, but the two chip varieties don’t add much to it, and in this busy cookie their quantity feels slightly overwhelming.
Sweet Potato S’mores: 1.5/5
Perhaps the most interesting of the flavors was the sweet potato s’mores cookie. In this bold seasonal dessert, the sweet potato flavor shines through. Topped with roasted mini marshmallows, this orange-tinted cookie has an unmistakable sweet potato aroma, but the powerful flavor drowns out the presence of the marshmallows. While this cookie wasn’t my favorite, those who enjoy sweet potato and marshmallow casserole will relish this holiday-inspired treat.
Although some of this week’s debut didn’t completely appeal to my palate, I would recommend giving Chip City and their unique cookies a chance. The weekly variations add a fun twist for anyone looking to spice up their days, and the proximity to downtown makes this a worthwhile trip.
