Point of view: Your director asks you what you want to do for content the following week and you (being the five-year-old you are) shouts cookies! That’s right, his week Brad and I are reviewing some of the best places to get cookies within the Tuscaloosa area!
Insomnia cookies
Where else would you want to go at three o’clock in the morning when you have had one too many drinks? Or who wouldn’t want a warm, gooey cookie for a late-night midnight snack? Insomnia Cookies is the go-to place for all your cookie needs (until 1 a.m.)! These fresh baked cookies come in many different flavors such as the classic chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, white chocolate macadamia nut (my favorite), peanut butter chip, oatmeal raisin (the reason why I have trust issues), double chocolate mint, double chocolate chunk, classic M&M, and many more!
Depending on the time of the year, you can also find limited time edition cookies as well. With summer just around the corner, you can find cookies such as limoncello, Pina Colada (desperately want to try this one), red velvet, and chocolate covered strawberry. Want vegan or gluten free options? Not to fear, insomnia has just the cookie for you! And you really want to step up your cookie game? Add a scoop of ice cream between your two favorite cookies for the perfect gooey and cold treat (warning this does get messy)!
Plus, Insomnia Cookies offers cookie delivery service. Already in bed for the night, but still craving something sweet? Insomnia will deliver right to your doorstep (this gets a bit expensive but it’s worth it for the cookies)! So, if you ever get to craving something sweet late at night or just enjoy a good ooey gooey cookie, then head on down to Insomnia cookie!
Rating: 11/10 (the way I could go for a box of cookies right now)
Baked Bear
Funny enough, as I am writing this, my dad actually visited Baked Bear the other night just to see what the hype was about (I talk about this place way too much). Although he didn’t get anything, after walking in and taking one whiff of the place, he told me we defiantly need to all visit when the fam comes to visit Tuscaloosa.
As someone who has tried Baked Bear, I can confirm that this place is definitely worth the hype! What’s better than taking two freshly baked cookies and putting a scoop of ice cream in between? I’ll wait (I can tell you right now nothing is better than this). With hot weather starting to creep around the corner (you got to love Alabama weather), this is the perfect summer treat.
There are many cookies to try including chocolate chip (can’t beat a classic), cookies and cream, cookie monster, funfetti, gooey butter cake, Nutella chocolate chunk, snickerdoodle, white chocolate macadamia nut, vegan options, and even a cookie of the month (I once got an everything cookie which was by far the strangest thing I’ve ever had).
Want to make it even better? Try adding ice cream between the two freshly baked cookies! Some of the flavors they have to try including bear batter (my personal favorite), butter brittle cake, blackberry crumble, caramel pretzel fudge, cookie dough, cookies and cream, mud pie, toasted smores, seasonal flavors, and gluten free options such as dark chocolate, mint chip, old fashioned vanilla, and vegan chocolate chip. Plus, you have options to add topping on the side (my favorites are M&M’s and sprinkles).
So, if you are looking for the perfect summer treat that includes freshly baked cookies (who wouldn’t want to try this), then head on over to The Baked Bear.
Rating: 12/10 (be sure to get a punch card to get your 10th ice cream sandwich free hehe)
Crumble Cookie
While sadly we don’t have a location here in Tuscaloosa, I feel as though I need to cover the cookie store that has taken the nation by store (I want to marry Mr. Crumble hehe). Crumble offers new unique flavors each week according to the time of year with classics such as chocolate chip that are available year around. These legendary, ooey-gooey, monster cookies are chock-full of sugary goodness and nearly impossible to finish one in one sitting (it takes me day just to finish a chocolate chip cookie from here)!
But while these cookies have taken most of the nation by storm, some people believe it to be over-hyped. For example, Brad and my family both agree that these cookies are too rich and sweet for anyone. Although I am a fan of almost all cookies (oatmeal raisins are the reason why I have trust issues I swear), I do agree with them to a certain extent. Most of their cookies are slathered in an unholy amount of frosting that gives you a cavity just by looking at them (because of this I can’t even take a bite out of one of these cookies)
So even though majority of Crumble cookies has way too much frosting, there are other limited time cookies other than the classic chocolate chip cookie such as snickerdoodle (so buttery and delicious) and the apple pie cookie (a Christmas cookie that is DIVINE).
So, if you are willing to spend a little bit of dough for some pretty out of this world cookies, then be sure to stop by a Crumble Cookie near you!
Rating: 9/10 (some big ass cookies)
Great American Cookie Company
While this place was founded back in the 70s, if you are an early 2000s kid like me, this place brings you back! I can still recall shopping at the mall and smelling these freshly baked cookies from a couple of stores down. Great American Cookie Company offers all of your favorite classics such as chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, white chocolate macadamia nut, peanut butter, triple chocolate, and of course, my personal favorite to this day, the M&M cookie (where my love for M&M cookies came from). But Great American Cookie Company is not known just for these cookies- they are known for their one-of-a-kind cookie cake.
This is a party favorite that I still see to this day (yes while malls are dying great American cookie company still stands strong) every now and then. If you haven’t had one of these legendary cookie cakes, stop what you are doing and go get one at your local Great American Cookie Company (Cookie tip: they offer slices of cookie cake so that way you don’t have to order a whole cake hehe). Now I know in the section before I talked about not liking too much frosting/icing on my cookies (which is still true), but Great American Cookie Company does a great job of balancing the cookie and the icing!
So, if you got any holidays or special occasions coming up soon or are just in the mood to celebrate, spice up any celebration this year with a big ass cookie with icing on top from Great American Cookie Company!
Rating: 8.85/10 (who doesn’t like a big ass cookie with icing on top)
Girl Scout Cookies
As a former girl scout, I can definitely confirm that selling cookies was the biggest event of the year (although I only did it for one year and it was intense competition between you and the rest of the troop). Around this time of the year (March/April), you can expect to see tables lining your local supermarket or neighborhood streets decorated with bright neon signs and an unholy amount of girl scout cookies.
I don’t care what anyone says, the best girl scout cookies are the ones sold only once a year. I often see grocery stores carrying off-brand versions of the og cookie, but nothing beats the classic girl scout cookies. While girl scout cookies aren’t my favorite cookie in the world, I can’t help but still to this day get a box of Samoa (why everyone hates these I don’t know this was THE MOST POPULAR COOKIE a couple of years ago I swear).
So, if you happen to be walking the quad and see a wagon full of girl scout cookies (shout out to the genius mom for thinking of this), be sure to grab yourself a box of your favorite girl scout cookie!
Rating: 5.93/10 (I mean I only eat these once a year and they can’t beat this next cookie)
Publix Cookies
Tell me you live in the south without telling me you live in the south. Now you may be wondering why am I covering a grocery store (with locations only in the Southeast) in this cookie blog? It is because they have some of the best cookies I have ever had in my life. I can still recall getting one of these delicious cookies for free when grocery shopping with my parents when I was little (cookie tip: it becomes harder to pass as 12 when you are 21). When I was little my go-to was of course a classic chocolate chip, but as I’ve gotten older (and my taste have matured) I can go for any of the following: a chocolate chip, sprinkle, or M&M!
It seems silly that I would be raving about cookies from a grocery store, but here in the south, you can expect to see a container of these cookies appear at EVERY party or celebration. To this day, whenever I come home for the weekend (born and raised in Birmingham), I can always expect to find a container of M&M cookies from Publix in the pantry (THESE COOKIES ARE ON ANOTHER LEVEL OMG).
           So if you live in the south (even if you don’t take a road trip to the nearest Publix) and pick you up a 24 count cookie container (Again M&M are the best but chocolate chip and sprinkle are still top tier) and thank me later (you won’t regret it).
Rating: 12/10 (omg so good)
By Madison Corley and Brad Hachtel
Be sure to check out Brad and Madison on Twitch!
(we pretty cool hehehe)
Want to see more of our content? Check us out on:
