As the weather withers outside this December, there’s nothing like a freshly baked holiday cookie to keep MHS students cozy. Elise Carpenter (‘24) and Nora Afzali (‘24) set out to find and rank the best holiday cookies in town.  

6. Boleria Brazilian Bakery, Seasonal Sugar Cookies

The lowest ranking cookies we sampled were the seasonal sugar cookie from Boleria Brazilian Bakery on Mamaroneck Avenue. The cookies were soft in texture and had a perfect crumble, but their flavor was much too sweet and much too strong. There was too much icing for the cookie itself; the moderately bitter aftertaste of the frosting seemed to amplify this. We gave these cookies a 6/10. 

5. Bradly’s Desserts and Catering, Seasonal Sugar Cookies

Coming in fifth place, the seasonal sugar cookies from Bradley’s Desserts and Catering on Chatsworth Avenue in Larchmont. The cookies had a pleasant mildly sweet flavor, but a coarse texture. Although the sprinkles were somewhat festive, the cookies lacked much holiday spirit decoration-wise. These cookies earned an overall 6.5/10.

4. Roaster Cafe, Gingersnap Cookies 

Ranked fourth place on the holiday cookie lineup were the gingersnap cookies from Roaster Cafe on Mamaroneck Ave. With an exquisite blend of sweet and spice, these cookies were simply delicious. However, they contained very little ginger and were not recognizable as gingersnaps. The cookies therefore did not produce a strong enough holiday impression for them to blow us away. This led us to score them 7.5/10. 

3. DeCicco & Sons, Seasonal Sugar Cookies

Pulling in in third place are the seasonal sugar cookies from the bakery at DeCicco & Sons in Larchmont. These cookies ranked highest on the basis of texture, with a flawlessly light and fluffy crumble. The cookies also had the perfect amount of frosting, which was artistically applied to make for a beautiful appearance. The only imperfection the sugar cookies had was the flavor. Although decent, the taste of these cookies was too bland to meet the high standards the other components of the cookies set. We gave these cookies an 8/10. 

2. Panaderia y Cafe La Chapincita, Cookies with Cherry Jam

In second place come the cookies with cherry jam from Panaderia y Cafe La Chapincita on Mamaroneck Avenue. These delectable cookies ranked highest overall on flavor. There was an impeccable undertone of sweetness to the pastry, and a wonderful small portion of cherry jam on top—just enough to compliment the rest of the cookie and not overwhelm it. The cookies were also the largest and least expensive, coming to only a dollar per fist-sized cookie. Despite all of these flawless factors, however, the cookies were not decorated festively enough to pull a perfect score. Due to this, we scored the cookies at 9/10.  

1. Boiano Bakery, Mascarpone Cookies 

The best holiday cookies in town this season are the mascarpone cookies from Boiano Bakery, an Italian family-style bakery on Mamaroneck Ave. This verdict came with little surprise to us, as Boiano Bakery was unobjectively the most impressive sweet shop we visited. The display cases of Boiano’s are crowded with baked goods of all shapes and sizes, making it difficult to choose which holiday cookie to sample. After much debate we decided to sample the mascarpone cookies, and we were not let down. These cookies have a fluffy pastry, stuffed with mascarpone filling and topped with a candy cherry and pipped-on leaves. Not to mention, a pinch of mini chocolate chips are blended into the cream of the picture-perfect goods. These cookies unanimously earned a perfect 10/10. 

These delicious holiday cookies are all local to Mamaroneck and Larchmont. Be sure to check out these delicious treats this holiday season!