Tidbits: Not Your Mother's Cookie


To bake or not to bake for Mom in honor of Mother’s Day? My own mom and my husband’s mom are both going to be in town for the holiday next week which means I might actually have time to pull off a fresh-from-the-oven gift for them both. But while I’d love to give them something homemade and from the heart (especially since my mom has handed down about a million great cookie recipes), when baking, laziness usually prevails and I resort to whatever instructions I find on the back of the chocolate chip bag (sorry, Mom).

And then, just this week, I stumbled upon Cow & Crumb, a fantastic little mail-order cookie business based in Cambridge. Founder Hilary Koloski and her intern-turned partner Megan Elias met through the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (both are alumnae). Hilary, who has been working on her chocolate chip recipe since the age of 14, honed her baking skills at Sofra; Megan left the world of finance to go to culinary school and is now helping Hilary out both in the kitchen and with the books. Their tiny operation, which officially launched in 2008 and expanded when Megan joined Hilary this past fall, is hoping to move into a new facility this spring — they’ve outgrown two already. (Check out their entertaining video blog for the full story.)

As for the cookies themselves, I’m happy to report that they’re far better — and more heartfelt — than anything I’ve made from a bag. The Peanut Butter Pretzel Heaven is a pile of sweet, chewy goodness stuffed with real pretzel bits while the Spice Girl (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger), covered with sparkly bits of raw sugar, puts other ginger snaps to shame. As for that chocolate chip, Hilary has absolutely nailed it: soft, decadently rich, and just a touch underdone to give each cookie that melty, right-out-of-the-oven bite.

They sell sampler packs as well as minis (1.5 inch morsels) and their packaging is downright adorable. A sweet little mother’s day gift that tastes divine and requires no wrapping paper or clean up? Now that’s a treat.

Order online by May 1st in time for Mother’s Day at cowandcrumb.com.