Cookie Good

By Jack Moore and Samantha Dockser

Photos by Jack Moore

Cookie Good, based in Santa Monica, serves up delectable and creative cookie creations. Have you ever eaten something delicious and thought, “I wonder what this would taste like as a cookie?” Perhaps not, but Cookie Good founders Ross and Melanie Canter have, and you should be thankful for that. The results of this thought are some of the most original yet delicious cookies I’ve ever had the pleasure to taste, offering comforting homemade goodness in new and surprising forms. And the best news is, no matter where you are, you can experience the joy of a Cookie Good cookie, too, because Cookie Good will deliver cookies anywhere in Los Angeles, and will ship them all over the country!

Ross Canter is a self-taught master baker whose cookies and brownies would receive rave reviews at school bake sales and family gatherings, but he worked full-time as a writer in Hollywood until the writers’ strike in 2007. That’s when he and Melanie decided to change course and share their cookies with the world. A truly family-run, homemade operation, Cookie Good started in the Canters’ kitchen with only a single mixer but quickly grew as word of their incredible cookies spread across Los Angeles and the country. Cookie Good now works out of a beautiful shop in Santa Monica, but maintains its homegrown roots—you can see the dough being made in the back and the cookie trays lined up for the ovens as you choose your cookies. And boy is it a hard choice to make.

Cookie Good boasts a wide variety of cookies, all created by Ross, ranging from the classic Chocolate Chip cookie to the world’s first Red Velvet cookie to the unexpected, but delectable, family-breakfast inspired Pancakes & Bacon cookie. Among their most popular flavors is the Caramel-Pretzel-Chocolate Chunk Cookie. One taste is all it takes to understand why; it’s a perfect blend of salty and sweet, simultaneously evoking classic cookie tastes while the pretzel gives it enough of a twist to make it taste unique.

Ross lends his relaxed, easygoing styles to the flavors that he invents. Cookie Good’s varieties are meant to be comforting, not putting the desire to look or sound interesting ahead of the need to taste great. Although the cookies do look beautiful. With many of Cookie Good’s flavors, the goal is to create the cookie version of popular foods. The Crumb Cookie, for instance, was born of Ross’s love for New York Crumb Cake and his desire to transform it into a cookie. S’mores are one of my favorite guilty pleasures, and Cookie Good’s S’mores cookie lives up to its name, with big chunks of Hershey’s chocolate and mini marshmallows recreating the classic campfire taste with far less mess.

In addition to its popular classics, Cookie Good also introduces seasonal flavors throughout the year. Stop by around Thanksgiving and you can take home an Apple, Pecan, or Pumpkin Pie cookie. A visit in the summertime will get you an Ice Cream Sundae cookie (including pieces of waffle cone and strawberries). My visit coincided with the Super Bowl, so I got to taste “The Bowl” cookie, which answers the question of what it would taste like if all of your favorite snacks—M&Ms, peanuts, Fritos, and caramel corn—were combined into a single cookie. The answer is it is delicious. I want more.

Crazy about Cookies like us and Cookie Monster? Amazon has an adorable container for you to store all your cookie needs:

Cookie Good’s delectable offers don’t stop at cookies. In addition to brownies and blondies, they also offer Cookie Milk. Cookie Good saves you the time and dunks their cookies in milk for you. They offer an extra sweet, refreshing beverage infused with some of their best flavors. Flavors include the breakfast Frosted Flakes or the delicious Banana Cream Pie. Their flavors change every day and are the perfect companions to any and all of their tasty cookies.

Another unique treat is Cookie Good’s Cookie Corn. Sold in a variety of their cookie flavors, Cookie Corn is caramel popcorn rolled in cookie crumbs. This is a uniquely Cookie Good invention. So for instance, the Pancakes & Bacon Cookie Corn is covered in a homemade maple caramel before getting topped with Pancakes & Bacon Cookie crumbs. How could you not want to eat this treat by the handful?

Unique cookies have never tasted more familiar, as Cookie Good brings new spins to your favorite flavors. I would say that if you’re in the LA area you absolutely have to visit Cookie Good and try as many of their cookies as you can get your hands on. But since they ship across the country, you really should try them no matter where you live. I know I’ll be stopping by again and again. Be sure to check out CookieGood.com for a full list of their ingenious treats.