#ELLEloves: Salt of the Earth Bakery's "The Cookie"

Salt of the Earth Bakery's "The Cookie"

$21 for 3 boxes of 4; saltoftheearthbakery.com

It's almost a shame to let this secret out of the ELLE.com bag...or in this case, oven. We must have done something truly remarkable in our past lives to have had the luck to discover what is unarguably the best cookie in the world. And we have had some good cookies, but Salt of the Earth's "The Cookie" outshines them all.

"They are unfathomably good. The best cookie I’ve ever eaten HANDS DOWN," says Leah, ELLE.com's editor. And she's not alone in that sentiment: "These cookies will make you forget all the other cookies you've had before. They come into your life like Prince Charming on a white horse and sweep you off your feet. They are your one and only (cookie) love," producer Dobrina adds.

Perhaps it's the perfectly soft, buttery dough that makes this a Cookie among cookies. Or the rich disks of evenly distributed chocolate that guarantee a phenomenal bite with every bite that makes it special. And then there's the sprinkling of Maldon Sea Salt, which transforms the whole thing and makes this more than just a run-of-the-mill baked good. It's an experience.

Features editor Justine agrees: "They are so soft. So sweet. So salty. For a texture eater like myself, it’s nice to know that I will be able to gum these until I’m old and gray. These cookies also make me feel a little like Brian the dog:"

"Do you know that scene in Troop Beverly Hills where the little girl belts out the (questionably never released as an EP) hit, “Cookie Time”?" asks fashion editor Danielle Prescod. "That is what I feel like singing every time I think about these cookies. Tina Turner wig is optional, but I feel like achieving the look is really important."

Social media editor Kate warns that these confections are not for the faint of heart: "I used to brag about my Mark Bittman-Jacques Torres-Nestle Tollhouse-hybrid homemade chocolate chip cookies. I used to recommend people to Petrossian, Levain Bakery, Bouchon, Tom Cat, etc. And then I ate these and I realized I KNEW NOTHING OF CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. I was the Jon Snow of chocolate chip cookies. But now I know and I (and my thighs) can never UN-know, so beware."

"If I were faced with the choice of indulging in 'The Cookie' or Ryan Gosling, that magical, chocolatey dream of a cookie would win my heart," says Sally, ELLE.com's senior news editor. "I'd hope that we three could live happily ever after together, but if I had to choose, it would be the sweet. There are other hot dudes out there, but there are really no other cookies like 'The Cookie.' Sorry, Ryan."

Salt of the Earth is offering ELLE.com readers 15% off on its site through the end of June. Just use the code "Elle2014" at checkout. (But seriously. DO IT.)

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