Giada De Laurentiis' Favorite NYC Bakery Sells Her Ideal Last Meal

Giada De Laurentiss is one of America's most recognized celebrity chefs, with a two decade-plus tenure on Food Network and a string of New York Times best-selling cookbooks to her name. She's most well-known for her Italian recipes (a nod to her heritage — she was born in Rome), so you'd be forgiven for thinking her ideal last meal would involve a big bowl of pasta (it's a must-have pantry staple for her, after all), or perhaps a plate piled high with cannoli. Not so.

Laurentiis has revealed that her dream "last supper" dish is, in fact, a cookie found at one of New York's most famous bakeries. We're talking about Levain Bakery, which has been making a name for itself with its mouthwatering treats, specifically its iconic cookies, since opening its first store on West 74^th Street in 1995. It has now grown to a further 14 spots and counting, spanning from New York to beyond.

Laurentiis is just one of many famous fans who have confessed their love for Levain's cookies (Blake Lively and Andy Cohen are also among them). The super thick treats come in four core flavors  and measure about one inch high and four inches across, weighing in at a sizable six ounces each — in other words, they're huge. Giada's cookie of choice? The decadent dark chocolate chocolate chip (yes, that's "chocolate" listed twice), which Levain itself describes as "The ultimate chocolate cookie."

Giada De Laurentiis declares her love for this sweet treat — which she likes to grab from Levain Bakery's OG location — on her website, Giadzy, writing: "This tiny French bakery on the Upper West Side is easy to miss, but trust me, it's worth it for the giant, dark chocolate chip cookies. If I had to choose my last meal, it'd be these cookies." She's also given then a shout-out under her Giada's Obsessions column, referencing Levain's 2023 opening in Los Angeles: "These are my favorite cookies EVERRR. I can't tell you how excited I was when they opened a bakery in LA. I literally keep them stockpiled in my freezer at all times."

But what exactly is it about these cookies that makes them worthy of such praise? We know they're substantially bigger than your average cookie, sure, but it's the wickedly rich flavor that really sets them apart. As hinted at in the name, this comes from marrying two types of chocolate: an extra dark French cocoa-laced cookie dough, and a generous helping of semi-sweet chocolate chips. The result is a dense and chewy cookie, studded with pockets of gooey chocolatey goodness. Those who are always looking for tips for extra-chewy chocolate chip cookies should take the advice of one of America's culinary queens and get their hands around one (or up to a dozen with one of Levain's 12-packs). It's sure to inspire you.