August 13, 2013

DeLuscious Cookies

While LA's dessert world is abuzz with talk about cupcakes, macarons, ice cream, pies, and most recently, imitation cronuts, there is but one dessert that remains forever embedded in the nostalgic corners of our hearts.  Whether we were setting out a plate for Santa on Christmas Eve or munching on it during snack time, most of us have a soft spot for the classic chocolate chip cookie.  Wash it down with a glass of milk and you'll be left with perhaps a milk mustache, and more importantly, with a big, cookie-crumbed smile.  

DeLuscious Cookies + Milk knows our such needs and delivers (literally) all of our desires in a baked, then boxed form.  So when I received my sampling of DeLuscious cookies in the mail, I could barely contain my excitement.



My sample box consisted of  a total of eight different flavors: (1) Chocolate Chip; (2) a sinful little thing called Chocolate Decadence; (3) Cinnamon Sugar; (4) Vegan Chocolate Chip; (5) Vegan Oatmeal Raisin; (6) Vegan, Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip; (7) Red Velvet, White Chocolate Brownie; and (8) Kimchi Sriracha Peanut Butter, a secret, limited-edition cookie.  Being Korean, I was especially intrigued about the last flavor.  


I tried a bite of all the flavors in two sittings, which probably renders a different result than eating a single flavor, or all flavors, in one sitting.  Regardless, I am happy to report that all of my excited expectations were not only met, but surpassed!  Vegan cookies, I'm talkin' about you! 

Being a traditionalist, I sampled the classic cookies first.  

Chocolate Chip 

Chocolate Chip may be thin and crispy, but it's massive!  Some of you may dislike crispy thin cookies -- I am more partial to substantive cookies myself -- but with three different Belgian and domestic dark and semi-sweet chocolates, I was sold pretty quickly.  


Chocolate Decadence

Chocolate Decadence lives up to its name!  This dark chocolate cookie is rolled in powdered sugar and is baked to produce a truffle-like texture.  Since I'm not typically a fan of overly decadent, overly chocolatey things, a few bites was more than satisfactory.

Cinnamon Sugar

Cinnamon Sugar is another massive, thin, and sweet cookie.  This was my least favorite because I found it too sugary.  Still, you can taste the depth of cinnamon in every bite, which is good.

Though I can respect my vegan friends and their vegan ways, personally I could never adapt that lifestyle.  Perhaps that's why I reached for the vegan cookies with hesitation.  That was absolutely unnecessary because to my grand surprise, the cookies from the VeLuscious line were my fave! (What?! I know).


Vegan Chocolate Chip 

Vegan Chocolate Chip may be made without butter or eggs, but holy moly, it is good, very good.  It's made with two different kinds of vegan chocolate, organic vegan sugar, and "lots of love."  Whatever love is used, I welcome a whole lot of that in my life and in my belly!

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin

I'm not a huge fan of oatmeal raisin, but Vegan Oatmeal Raisin left a good impression on me.  Made with California Thompson raisins and a special blend of spices, the cookie was chewy and very flavorful.  The great thing about oatmeal cookies is that the oats create a great texture.  This vegan one was no different.

Gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Chip

To my utter dismay, my ultimate favorite of the box was the Gluten-free, Vegan Chocolate Chip.  If I ever turn vegan and my diet consists of just these, I think I'll be perfectly content.  Made with vegan sugars, vegan chocolates, gluten-free rice and quinoa flours, this cookie was not only moist and chewy, but it's superior in both taste and texture.  DeLuscious turned two negatives in my book into one big positive!  Amazing.

Red Velvet  White Chocolate Brownie
So a brownie is more of a cake than a cookie, but don't hold that against Red Velvet, White Chocolate Brownie.  These brownies are incredibly rich with its white chocolate filled with creamy Valrhona cocoa power.  Sounds super fancy, but at the end of the day, it just means three things: delicious brownie, need more, now.


Peanut Butter Kimchi

Chefs and now, bakers are experimenting more with kimchi and Sriracha sauce in their kitchens.  In fact, it's almost trendy to top your taco with kimchi slaw or squeeze a line of Sriracha on your hot dog. For most Asians, this is nothing new.  Still, seeing the use of both conventionally Asian ingredients in a peanut butter cookie is adventurous.  What's most interesting about this limited-edition flavor is that one first bite, all you taste is the peanut butter.  Keep chewing and you'll begin to taste and feel the heat of the PB's spicy counterparts in this cookie.  At the very end, there is a kimchi aftertaste.  To me, kimchi is not a foreign flavor, but for those newer to Korean cuisine, this cookie may be a instant hit or a fail.  I encourage you try it anyway because who knows, you may be its newest fan.

Note: There's no need to gobble this, or any DeLuscious cookies!  Just take a few bites and the taste will be flirting with your taste buds in no time.  Delicious and luscious, indeed.





The only downside is that DeLuscious doesn't operate as a store-front bakery.  This means they don't sell their cookies individually.  Rather, they're sold by the half-dozen or any number above that.  A dozen cookies range from $39.95 (roughly $3/cookie) to $51.95 (roughly $4/cookie) for the vegan variety.  You can even customize your own dozen!

Sure, the price may scare off some of you, but don't let it; it's worth it.  What sets DeLuscious apart from other cookie companies is quite simple and evident in owner & self-taught baker, Lydia Shane's story.  Rather than being like any other cookie shop, Lydia channels her creativity, risk-taking, and attention to detail in ways that never compromise taste or quality.  Thus, DeLuscious never leaves customer service on the wayside.  The use of high-quality ingredients also cannot go unnoticed.  Whether you want to send a sweet gift to a client, friend, family member or feeling the need to satisfy a cookie craving, DeLuscious is your one-stop cookie shop!

Shoot, these cookies are so good, I might just vote for them for Red Tricycle's 2013 Totally Awesome Awards.  You can vote for them too, here.



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cuisine: Coooooookies!
location: Hollywood
telephone: (323) 460-2370
websites: { DeLuscious | yelp | facebook | twitter | trip advisor }
parking: Street.  Don't park on Highland after 3 PM unless you enjoy getting your car towed.
notes: Minimum order for hand-delivery is one dozen cookies; minimum for FedEx delivery is half a dozen cookies.  You can order any number of cookies as long as it meets the minimum requirements for delivery.  24-hour notice recommended.
cookie costs: Vary, but a dozen of the classic flavors is $39.95.  You can pick up to four flavors per dozen, per your liking.  More prices here.  Vegan cookie prices here.
shipping costs: FedEx to anywhere in the US and Canada; SoCal shipping is a flat rate of $15.  Hand-delivery costs vary on destination location (i.e. - Hollywood: $12; BH: $15; SM: $23).
pickup costs: Free!
order online here.

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