Butter cookies!!!
Not many of these old school family style bakeries are left in NYC so when I happened upon this one in the neighborhood that I work in I had to drop by for some cookies. Maybe it was the large bakery chef statue standing outside the entrance that drew me in. That, or all the delicious looking stuff in the windows. La Delice Pastry Shop has been doing it right since 1935 and is a long-time mainstay in this part of town, Kips Bay. In an era where it seems that the city is getting rid of and losing many of its old-school, iconic, and cultural mainstays it’s always reassuring to discover a few of these places still surviving. To me, there is nothing like real bakery style cookies made the old-fashioned way, and not just pumped out by a factory pre-packaged and mass-produced.
Why are we in such a rush to destroy our history?
I love the worn look of this place – as if stepping back in time to the 1950’s. From what I heard this place has been around since 1935 so they must be doing something right. The large glass counters contain and show off all types of goodies – cookies, cakes, cupcakes, assorted pastries, etc. When you walk in you are surrounded by buttery baked goodness – walls of butter cookies to the left, all types of pastries straight ahead, cakes and other treats such as rugulach, fun cupcakes and brownies on the right. They also make custom cakes and many design samples can be found showcased along the wall behind the counters.
You gain two pounds just standing there and inhaling the bakery air!
The butter cookies here are some of the best. I picked up a half pound for $6 and they were devoured last night over coffee. Light, crunchy, airy, chewy, buttery goodness all rolled into one. Some dipped in chocolate, some filled with raspberry, some plain, all yummy. Just a note – this place is cash only! Also, I did not experience any of the gruff service by the people behind the counter as other reviewers have noted of which I have read. Just be friendly, say hello, be nice and people will usually reciprocate in kind.
Yeah, I really need to go back on a diet soon. Start my running and cardio. Until then, I am going to enjoy stuffing my fat face with this buttery goodness!
La Delice – http://www.ladelicepastry.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-delice-pastry-shop-new-york
You had me at cookies! All those baked treats sound phenomenal.
Hey Chrissy!
Too good! I really need to stay away from all these buttery treats!
Can’t beat the smell of freshly baked goods, what i’d give to have one of those cookies just now!
Hey Claire!
Nothing like real fresh butter cookies from an old school bakery! My pants are way too tight now!
Gotta love those cookies, don’t you? Reminds me of the Italian side of my family and how my grandmother etc., would make these types of cookies all the time. So yum!
Hey PJ!
The best bakeries are the old joints dotting Brooklyn, NYC, and the surrounding area. Nothing like them.
Oh wow – what a find! Raspberry filled butter cookies? Yes please. And I think I may have gained a pound of two just looking at the photos.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Hey Patricia!
I have gained way too much weight by actually eating too many of them!
There is something very seductive about an old-fashioned baker’s shop. Reading your piece has made me salivate like a cadging dog.
Hey Gary!
They seduce us in and make us fat! And we can’t help ourselves!
As always, love it
Hey UP!
Who doesn’t love good old fashioned home made butter cookies? That would be un-American!
Butter cookies are delicious if made with real butter. Those kinds of treats are very popular among old people in Denmark, but I’m also a big fan. The butter cookies at La Delice look très delicious:)
Hey Mitzie
Hey, it’s not just an old people treat! We all love the buttery fattening deliciousness!
Hey Phil! As I’m sitting here, drinking my morning coffee, catching up on blog posts, I am profoundly desiring a few of those cookies. I love bakeries and the sweets within. Given my choice of going into a good brewpub for suds or the bakery for sugar and coffee, I’m always tempted by the latter. It’s one of the reasons I also need to go to the gym too! 🙂
Hey Mary!
This one is by my job. There is another one, over 100 years old, by my apartment. I’m screwed forever. In a good way.
They sound delish! Now I crave cookies….
Hey Susie!
Is it wrong of me that I always crave cookies!
I love those old fashioned bakeries, they take me right back to my childhood. And the cookies are always fantastic. Like you, I find that those bakeries seem to be going the way of the dinosaurs. Sad.
Hey Karen!
Yes, sad to see so many of these places disappearing. They make the best cookies!
Italian bakeries are rare in Manhattan as the Italian-American population there has dwindled. And younger Italian-Americans didn’t grow up with this stuff.
Hey NYC Native!
That is so very true. As the populace is changing so have the local businesses. The younger generation doesn’t know what they are missing. Thanks for dropping by my blog!