Ben’s Cookies

My friend has been nagging me to try Ben’s Cookies for, no lie, about 5 years now, claiming they make the best cookies and biscuits she’s ever had.
She’s tried substitutes, she’s tried to find one to take me to, she’s tried making them herself to try and demonstrate to me what they’re like and after my fifth batch of flat cakey badness, I was thoroughly put off them and it wasn’t even their fault.
But walking past this branch the other day, my eye was caught. There, in the display cases, were the familiar looking bulbous cakey biscuits my friend had tried so hard to replicate. It seems only right that I should give the real thing a try, right?
OH. MY. GOD.
She was 100% right. Ben’s Cookies are the best cookies I’ve ever had. Slightly crunchy around the edges, soft in the middle and huge chocolate chunks and fruit throughout, which somehow retains its gooey meltyness, they’re incredible.
At roughly £3 for a cookie, they aren’t cheap but they are massive. And because they aren’t like typical cookies and have a slightly bready quality to them, they fill you up quickly and easily.
If you ever walk past one, go in. Trust me. They’re melt-​in-​the-​mouth good. Literally.

Still is the best cookies in town. OMG, the taste is heaven. Too bad I don’t allow myself having sugar more than once a month.

I made it a point to try one of Ben’s locations before leaving London since Unilocalers raved about the cookies… but I wasn’t much of a fan
the cookies are more BREAD-​like but i prefer them buttery & chewy
—milk chocolate orange cookie: interesting flavor combo!
—cranberry white chocolate: not bad
–triple chocolate chunk: had it the next day & it was receptive to the toaster!
i probably wouldn’t try it again. maybe i went to a bad location?
NOTE: BUY 3 COOKIES GET ONE FREE, but you still pay by the weight

First time here. Cookies were pretty tastey except my one cookie that was half cooked with a doughy center.
Asian guy was friendly. Prices a little high for a 4″ cookie.

I heart Ben’s!
Huge, chewy, mounds of scrumptious goodness! We visited a couple of locations while on holiday in the UK.
I tried the following flavors:
Peanut Butter– This cookie was like a mini chewy cake of chunky peanut butter :) Moist with loads of peanut bits throughout.
Lemon– Tangy and sweet! Moist lemony cookie with a fresh citrusy flavor.
Dark Chocolate Chunk– Soft, chewy cookie with large gooey shards of dark chocolate chunks.
Oatmeal– Thick and chewy filled with oats, raisins and nuts.
Milk Chocolate Chunk– Pretty much the same as the dark chocolate, but with sweeter milk chocolate chunks.
Milk Chocolate Orange– Moist cookie with shards of gooey milk chocolate chunks and sweet candied orange pieces.
To note: The Oatmeal, Dark Choco and Milk Choco were brought back to the US and were still delicious! Moist chewy goodness even after 2 days!

I heart Ben’s. And from the looks of the queue, I guess I was not the only fan. I love all the cookies but I especially love the ginger and coconut, when it’s still fresh from the oven and the center is gooey and soft. They’re not too sweet and just perfect with a cup of latte!

I tried the peanut butter, white chocolate chip macadamia nut, dark chocolate, oatmeal raisin, coconut, milk chocolate with nuts and possibly a few others. My favorite is the coconut. Light but satisfying I really want to try the ice cream sandwich option with this cookie. All of the cookies are nice and crispy on the outside but moist and chewy. Sometimes if you are lucky you get them right out of the oven and get to enjoy the melty gooey-​ness. YUM
The only cookie that disappointed me was the oatmeal raisin. It doesn’t taste like it has much oatmeal but it has a good cinnamon kick.

The cookies here are very good. They aren’t huge, but they are quite thick, and very gooey in the center which I personally love. I am not a fan of crunchy cookies in any way.
In my opinion, the cookies from Ben’s Cookies are the absolute perfect type of cookie because of how they are a little bit «raw» inside and when you get a type of cookie with chocolate chips they are still melty and oh so yummy. Because they are soo good, Ben’s Cookies was not a place that I frequented due to my fear of gaining extreme amounts of weight.
Definitely a fantastic cookie so stop in if you see one and haven’t tried them yet!

Ben is a well chosen name. It sounds friendly and I think everyone would like a friend called Ben. According to the company website, this chain of cookie stores was founded by Helge Rubinstein but doesn’t explain whether Ben is the name of her child, her dog or just a fictitious friendly-​sounding name.
I grabbed a cookie here recently when shopping in the High Street Kensington area. The cookies aren’t too big but quite thick. That may have led to some undercooked centres as experienced by some other Unilocalers from the reviews I’ve read.
However, I was lucky to just catch a batch of ginger and chocolate cookies coming out of the oven and I had a warm, gooey treat to enjoy on the Underground. I also love the smell of freshly baked cookies.
A good cookie but not the best I’ve tasted.

Ok, so this is the one store I simply can’t walk past. Even if I’ve just had lunch, am about to go for dinner — whatever — these cookies are irresistible. Plus they keep (in the fridge) for 5 days and you can refresh them by popping them in the microwave for 10 – 15 seconds (no more!) so they go all squidgy in the centre again. I’ve been feeding my Ben’s cookie habit for 25 years since university in Oxford — and, ever a creature of habit — I’ve only ever had the oatmeal raisin ones… as I can justify having them for breakfast. Well, oatmeal, raisins, cinnamon — it’s practically porridge! Choose the nice big fat ones which are properly squdgy, and if you’re lucky you might get one warm from the oven. I’m told the chocolate ones are especially good that way — but if not, try my microwave trick back home. You won’t look back.

What I particularly like about these cookies is that they are not too big. This way, you can get 2 (or 3, or 4) of different flavours and get to try them all! Its a perfect location next to the tube, so you can grab a quick one before your trip or, if your day has been that bad, a little pick-​me-​up on the way one. I’ve never had one that I didn’t like!

Anyplace that has their name and the word ‘cookies’ in the title should be able to make good cookies. Think ‘Millie’s Cookies’, they are some damn good cookies.
Maybe Ben isn’t his real name, maybe his real name is Ass. I mean, nobody would eat ‘Ass Cookies’.
Except me. Today. I had an Ass Cookie.
I was tricked by Ben.
It is understandable, I am not the first person to be completely fooled by someone changing their first name to Ben. Although Cookies is a less conspicuous last name than, say, Kenobi, the effect is much the same.
Maybe Ben is also in exile, hiding from the Empire, which is why his cookies are so bad.
I like cookies, and I will eat almost anything. But this cookie? I can’t even look at it.
What I’m trying to say, is this was a bad cookie. Crumbly at the edge, doughy and wet in the middle and tasteless throughout.
No, no thanks.

Stopped in on my way into the Tube after a sneaky indulgent Whole Foods shopping spree because I recollected the raving reviews about Ben’s cookie fame here on Unilocal.
The Dark Chocolate Chunk cookie was undercooked and tasted rather bland. Nothing but the chunks of chocolate stood out about that cookie. And if I wanted chocolate chunks, I would have bought a chocolate bar. Did I catch them on an off day or are my tastebuds out of tune with what is considered cookie perfection?
Between two adults, one Ben’s cookie went unfinished. That should say something.
EDIT: Gluttony eventually got the best of me, and I finished the cookie. Begrudgingly.

‘Mmmmmmmmmmmm’
‘A bit good
Can I have another bite?
Ridic’
…just some of the responses you might hear when someone has one of Ben’s Cookies.
In a great location just outside South Kensington tube station, it’s almost rude not to go and try one. Either that or you have a cold and your nose doesn’t work. If I had to name my favourite smells, this would be one.
But hang on a moment, shouldn’t they be called Ben’s Cakes? When I think of cookies I think of demolishing a whole packet of Marylands, each having been dunked in a single cup of tea. Or, returning late from a pub, a packet of the Smartie variety from the nearest Sainsbury’s Local. I don’t think thick fat soft crumbly goodness. Don’t get me wrong, they’re absolutely delish, but sometimes I want a cookie with some goo but also some crunch. a great balance of textures to go with the mesmorising taste and melting sensation.
Just saying…

Ben’s Cookies… COME TO BOSTON!
i love the cookies here, the moist center and the chewiness is absolutely perfect. Most of the flavors are delicious and addictive. It’s a must visit every time I go to London. Yumm

The BEST cookies I have EVER devoured. Although my last cookie from Ben’s was May 2007, I still have reoccurring dreams about it, practically drowning myself in my own saliva on a weekly basis since then.
The cookies are fresh, so fresh it’s raw inside – think the filet mignon of cookies. I gained almost 20 pounds in four months eating one Ben’s Cookies every other day – it took me over a year to shed my fat rolls, but it worth each bite.
I’m currently looking for an English pen pal who will send me Ben’s cookies in return for my friendship. I’m bad at keeping in touch and even worse at reciprocating gifts, but I will FUC your reviews forever.

No this isn’t a recipe. This is more a tale of how I managed to find the best cookie shop in the world.
First off. Cookies renowned for Big Brother’s Katreya two years ago (?). And the FACT that they taste great and have no (positive) nutrionational values.
So today (31^st Jan) I was out with a friend, going to meet more friends in High St. Kensington. We were both hungry (because it was lunch time) and were planning on eating out.
We took the tube from Brixton, as you would, and changed once or twice.
Coming out of the tube station and past the barriers, are many shops and we went to Marks & Spencers to get some food.
As you can probably guess an M&S sandwich isn’t that filling and so my friend decided to buy a cookie from a shop called ‘Ben’s Cookies’. I decided against it and hoped to get something later.
My friend paid roughly £1.20 and was ‘lavishing’ it (?). I didn’t really take much notice and thought for that money I could get something more filling.
One problem, I didn’t. On the way back, being still hungry and my friend deciding she wanted another one, I thought I would buy another one.
First thing I did was find the biggest most chocolate covered cookie, «triple chocolate cookie». Behind it a little sign said something along the lines of our cookies are baked freshly, we add no additives or preservatives etc. And looking on the website now gives a little more information–
. I paid a little more for mine and my friend had to wait for hers to finish baking. You will also see where they are located, and if one is near you and decide against going. You are simply Mad.
Looking around boots for some deodorant I took my first bite. I won’t say I almost fainted because I hate to exaggerate, but it was THAT good. It was soft, fresh, chocolatey… Basically what you expect from what I see is the best cookies ever.
I’m planning on going back one day and see if they might give me the recipe (I do doubt it but it’s worth a try, plus I can always buy another one).
So overall, yes it’s a bit costly, but I think it’s a quality indulgence, and if you don’t treat yourself, you waste your life. Yes it’s that simple. Live now.
So, the ending of the story is, We came back ten minutes later and the cookies were hot and gooey. Yum. My friend bought hers and the man asked if she minded that it was hot and soft (in other words PERFECT). And we still don’t know why someone would would mind about that.
The only other negative of these cookies are that my clumsy friend spilt some chocolate on her trousers and ‘had to lick it off’.
The End — hope you liked it, you’ll love the cookies though.

This is the way cookies should be. A lot of time, effort, and care is invested into these doughy little treasures, and it really shows. Because the shops can be quite busy, the turn over of cookies is quite high, which means that you will always get something fresh.
Its not just the cookies themselves that make the experience what it is, the beautiful shops are part of it as well. There are quite a few shops in London, and other places in England, but I particularly like this one on Kensington High Street.
I really suggest that you try and make it to one of the stores. However, if you can’t then you can order cookies online. A box of 8 will cost about 11.50. They also sell merchandise online, which would make for a nice gift.

Ben — you are my hero. Well, ‘The Chocolate Book’ author Helge Rubinstein is actually, because he founded this store in 1983. This longevity alone must indicate how good these cookies are.
My friends’ opinions however, are divided. Some of them think the cookies are a little too ‘doughy’, but my friends that is exactly how they should be! Having spent a year in America, the land of the great cookie, I can tell you now that Ben’s would be very well received. Crunchy on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside, with tons of butter. I recommend the dark chocolate cookie. It will melt your culinary heart.

How can you not love any shop that uses the same iconic illustrator relied upon by Roald Dahl? Naturally, it helps when that particular shop sells vigorously divine cookies made with obscene amounts of both chocolate and butter. Yes, all fond reminiscences of «Matilda» aside, I dare you to peer into the shop window and not lust after one of these crisp bundles of pleasure; I think the appeal stems, in part, from the fact that they look exactly like the sort of cookies you would make at home if you knew precisely what you were doing and you felt absolutely no caloric guilt in watching yourself dump a pound of butter into the mix. No question about it, it helps when somebody else pulls the heart-​clogging trigger (well, for me at least)… and all you have to do is lick the greasy melted-​chocolate-​coated crumbs off your fingers — yummm…
In truth, Ben’s Cookies has also held a unique sort of exoticism for me since I first sampled them before I’d ever even been to the UK. An acquaintance of mine became so addicted to the treats while studying at Oxford that after his studies were over and he spent a few sad cookieless months back home, he got back on a plane, went to the proprietors, and begged them to let him open a couple of shops in my home state. They’d been approached before and had declined offers, but for some reason they took pity on this particular BC junkie, and relented.
The moral of the story? Well, if nothing else, this should tell you how good they are — and that you should be glad that you don’t have to go to such lengths!!!