Best Cookies in the U.S.

Eleni's New York
As a maker of delicious, creatively designed sugar cookies, Eleni's New York has a fitting motto: "Eat Dessert First."

From the beginning, this homegrown company has offered an array of quirky but beautiful, delicious iced sugar cookies celebrating a variety of whimsical themes – from spring flowers to high-heeled shoes to Halloween ghouls. Eleni's cupcakes, brownies, and classic cookies do tradition one better, raising the bar for basic desserts. Nicknamed "conversation cookies", the treats are baked and frosted in the shapes of everything from bees to bikini-clad women. Eleni's makes fresh dough every day, then chills it for several hours. After that, it's sheeted, hand-punched with custom-made cookie cutters, re-refrigerated, then baked and iced.

Early in its young history, Eleni's New York gained attention from the likes of CNN, CNBC and even Martha Stewart by introducing a special line of cookies with Oscar award nominees' faces on them. Years later, Eleni's capitalized on Obama fever during the 2008 presidential election by creating Obama cookies; election day was the highest grossing day in the shop's history.

For those who live far from Eleni's, never fear – the cookies are available online. Popular gift packages include "Birthday Fashionista," with shoe-shaped and cake-shaped cookies frosted in red and white, plus a cupcake topped with a heart ($25), and "Tennis Anyone?" which sports cookies cut and frosted to look like tennis balls, racquets, shoes and shorts ($25). Eleni's kicker: "With these cookies, you will always have a perfect serve."

Levain Bakery
The Levain Bakery was recently described by The New York Times as "the largest, most divine chocolate chip cookies in Manhattan."

Co-founders Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald met at a pool on Manhattan's East Side. The pair became fast friends; in 1994, as both were training for an Ironman challenge, they hungrily discovered their shared love for chocolate chip cookies.

Opening their first shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side in 1995, the entrepreneurs made a commitment to baking everything fresh onsite every day; leftovers would be donated to charity every night, a tradition that continues to this day. In 2000, growing demand prompted the pair to open a shop in Wainscott, NY, a posh vacation spot near East Hampton, NY.

For those who can't make it to either location, Levain takes online orders as well. Wrapped in French cellophane and topped with a blue ribbon, the 12-cookie gift box ($66) is a terrific treat; customers can mix and match varieties including oatmeal raisin, dark chocolate butter chip and chocolate chip walnut.

Sweet Adeline Bake Shop
Sweet Adeline Bake Shop is located at the intersection of Adeline and 63rd Streets in Berkeley, Ca. The bakery is owned and operated by Jennifer Millar, a Culinary Institute of America chef. Millar gained early experience working for Jam's, Bud's and Hulot's in New York; in 1988, she moved to California and became pastry chef at Square One in San Francisco before starting Sweet Adeline.

Today, Sweet Adeline is one of the Bay Area's best cookie makers. Its offerings include the bittersweet chocolate cookie, praline cookie, ginger cookie, peanut butter cookie; beyond cookies, the bakery offers a host of breads, tarts, pies and cakes. Everything is made in small batches, and most of the ingredients used are organic and local. The bakery's fruit usually comes from the vendors at the Berkeley Farmers' Market. Unfortunately for those of us not living in the Bay Area, Sweet Adeline is a single-store operation that doesn't ship its wares beyond the Golden State.

Tate's Bake Shop
Tate's Bake Shop was founded by Kathleen King, who has been baking professionally since she was eleven. Born and raised on North Sea Farms in Southampton, she started to baking cookies to earn spending money. Packaged simply at first, Kings' cookies came in plastic bags with twist ties.

Twenty eight years later, King is still baking and her award-winning cookies are made fresh daily with no artificial ingredients. Her signature cookie style is thin, buttery and crisp (the chocolate chip cookies continue to be a favorite), but Tate's also makes chewy varieties as well as coffee cakes, fruit bars, muffins, pies, scones and breads. Many of King's recipes have been published in her book: Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook (St Martin Press, $24.95). The book catalogues King's no nonsense approach to cooking which has made her a favorite among bakers-from amateurs to pros.

Tate's Bake Shop is named after King's father who still operates the North Sea Farm where she was raised. Her cookies, muffins, and cakes are sold throughout the United States as well as by mail order. Be sure to check out the site, as King shares a new recipe monthly on her website with friends and fans.

Tom's Mom's Cookies
Located less than 75 miles south of the Canadian border, the sleepy town of Harbor Springs, Mich. (pop: 1,600) is famous for being the location of Tom's Mom's Cookies. The company has operated in Harbor Springs for the past 25 years. Its recipes date back to its earliest days. Chocolate chunks are cut buy hand from 10-pound bars of semisweet chocolate while careful attention is paid to the selection of other ingredients such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts and locally-grown cherries. No additives or preservatives are used.

For a small outfit in a tiny village, the volume of press received by Tom's Mom's Cookies is a testament to the quality of the tasty treats it produces. In 2003, Tom's Mom's Cookies were featured on The Food Network's "Food Finds"; in 2007, the cookies were featured as Rachael Ray's "snack of the day." The company has received additional attention from Family Circle and Business Week.

Tom's Mom's Cookies are available via mail order from the company's website; they ship from the retail shop and bakery in downtown Harbor Springs. Swaddled in star-covered tissue, shipments are sure to please the recipient's eyes as well as their taste buds. Popular gift packages include the Cup of Cookies – a coffee mug packed with a dozen mini-cookies ($18.50), as well as a variety of cookies priced by the dozen ($17.50) plus shipping.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best cookies. Readers' Choice Winners will be announced on March 1st.