From New York to Los Angeles, there are over 8,000 independent bakeries in the United States. We have yet to make it to them all, but we can say that we’ve been to a fair few, and, in our experience, many are good, some are great, but only a handful stand out from the crowd.
Those that leave a lasting impression tend to have an exceptional signature product that customers are happy to return for again and again. While, unfortunately, we’re not always able to visit our favorite bakeries in person, we have discovered a few copycat recipes that are just as good as the originals. Read on for a few of our favorites.
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
Magnolia is a world-famous bakery that first opened in New York City in 1996 and now has several locations around the United States. Their banana pudding is a cult favorite that dessert lovers from all over come to enjoy, and it happens to be quite simple to recreate at home. This take by A Bountiful Kitchen is as delicious as the original and contains only six ingredients.
Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
Technically, Jacques Torres is more of a chocolate shop than a bakery, though its signature cookies can definitely hold their own in the pastry department. Described by the owner as “a lot of chocolate with a little cookie dough around it,” the New York Times declared them as one of the best chocolate chip cookies, inspiring many food bloggers to create their own versions of the recipe. We love this one by Cookies & Cups.
Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
No flavor combination will ever come close to the absolute power couple that is chocolate and peanut butter, and, in our opinion, few bakeries seem to understand this better than Levain. Their dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookies are soft, indulgent, and packed with peanut butter, and if we lived closer to one of their store locations, you’d better believe we’d be buying a box every other day. Fortunately, we have this recipe by Modern Honey to get us through when the craving strikes.
