When you visit New York, there are a few musts: Seeing the Statue of Liberty (even if it’s from a distance, courtesy of the free Staten Island Ferry rides), pummeling your way through Times Square, taking a photo as if you’re pinching the spire of the Empire State Building in your hands — and eating a softball-sized Levain Bakery cookie. Dollar pizza slices and bagels get all the attention on most New York trips, but if you’ve spoken to anyone who’s lived in the city, Levain’s a must.

The cookies have crisp edges that give way to a gooey, almost molten-dough-like center, studded with so many chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips, depending on your preference) that the dough itself plays second fiddle to all those morsels. It’s a total gut bomb, and it’s something you have to split with at least one person — lest you spend the rest of the day curled in the fetal position in a park bench, utterly unable to move.

But still, it’s something you’ll crave for days afterward. I’d tackled a copycat Levain chocolate chip cookie before, but recently, I’ve been craving its chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. They’re fudgy, dense, and decadent, with the gobs of peanut butter your only relief from all that cocoa. And they’re glorious.

What You Should Know About This Recipe:

Just so I didn’t wind up in a sugar coma, I experimented with making somewhat smaller cookies (say, 4 ounces instead of Levain’s standard 6), trying to keep them every bit as gooey, so they were like a cross between Levain and — dare I say it? — my new favorite cookie in the world, Chip NYC. This batch succeeded.

The dough’s much drier and denser than your typical one, so you have to use your hands to work in the chips, but it’s worth it. The end result is every bit as fudgy and chewy — with, yes, those crisp outer edges — you’ve dreamed of.

Pro Move: They’re best served warm and gooey. If you have leftovers (what?! HOW?!), wrap a cookie in a damp paper towel and microwave it for 8-10 seconds. It’ll taste fresh outta the oven.

Print

Yum

Copycat Levain Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 9 cookies, big enough to split

I made these monsters about 2/3 of the size of the typical Levain cookie, but the texture and flavor is still there — and they’re still decadent enough to be shared.

Ingredients

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces (keep cold!)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup Reese’s peanut butter baking chips
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, add butter and sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat for another 30-45 seconds, or until fully combined.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, beating on low until just combined.
5. Add both chips and mix them in using your hands.
6. Form 2-inch balls of cookie dough, placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place sheet of cookies in freezer for 20 minutes (this helps prevent the cookies from spreading).
7. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until the exterior has crisped up a bit. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Copyright: Life Between Weekends, 2024

As a kid, I bolted toward Tomorrowland at Disney World. Even though there were hardly any rides there that appealed to me, I relished in the kitschy, retro-futurism on display there. There was something so bizarrely fascinating about the architecture to me. It was hopeful and energetic, yet rooted in nostalgia. (Nowadays, that section of the park seems in desperate need of a facelift, but it’s not the bones of the place that need an update.)

It wasn’t until I spent an hour at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas that I suddenly found a name for the style — and started to understand why it mattered to me.

If you’ve ever been to Disney, road tripped through Florida, Las Vegas or California, or heck, watched The Jetsons, you’ve seen this style. It’s known as Googie architecture, and the name itself is actually a mockery of the style. Architecture critic Douglas Haskell coined it when criticizing the mid-century modern-feets-futuristic look back in the early ’50s. The design style — Sputnik-like starbursts, bubbly-shaped buildings, neon signs — became popular after World War II among commercial buildings, reported the Smithsonian. There was a huge interest in imagining a world of the future and making it real, and this exaggerated style seemed to embody that dream. The aesthetic was mostly used on commercial buildings, which needed a way to stand out from the crowd and get people’s attention as they zipped by in cars. (You may also know it as Populuxe design, a combo of popular + luxury. Iiiinteresting.)

By the early ’70s, when man had landed on the moon and the space race fervor had quieted, Googie fell out of fashion, in favor of more grounded, traditional styles.

It was a flash in the pan, in a sense, but I think that’s half the intrigue: There’s a magic to it. It’s a time capsule of a few decades when people seemed all too aware of mankind’s potential, and they were ready to squeeze every drop of juice from that lemon. There’s an unbridled, unabashed creativity to it, too. I think that’s what really resonates with me: Googie represents the ability to let your imagination run wild, something we don’t do too often anymore. You play pretend as a kid, and over time, you become more rigid, more practical. You stick to what’s cool, you fall in line. This design’s defiant — and whimsical.

I didn’t fully understand any of this as I stood in the “boneyard” of the Neon Museum, staring at the glowing sign for La Concha, a Googie motel whose massive cement clamshell has become the museum’s lobby. I just knew I liked it, and that something about its quirkiness struck a chord with me, prompting me to understand its origin. Here’s lookin’ at you, Googie, and here’s to thinking without limits.

Dinner, movies, bar, repeat. Certain dates are tried and true, sure, but after a while, they can start to feel stale. If you’re looking for something different (and affordable!), try these date ideas. And, when you’re done, leave a comment with one we should add to this list. Or seven. We’ll take ’em all.

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When you’re stuck in a same-old, same-old rut (or just feeling society’s pressures to conform to a certain mold of how a person ‘should’ be), there’s nothing more refreshing than a little escape that helps you see the world through a new lens. I think that’s why the Wander Society took off; it encouraged you to tune out the world’s noise and be observant, looking for the blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em signs of the extraordinary in everyday life.

It may seem strange, particularly since the Wander Society is so rooted in nature, to write a post about shops that conjure that same feeling, but over the past few months I’ve seen a few small businesses that capture that surprise-and-delight feeling so wonderfully that they’re worth checking out.

The Story Shop

Monroe, GA

A post shared by The Story Shop (@visitthestoryshop) on Sep 15, 2017 at 11:02am PDT

Home reno bloggers Young House Love introduced me to this spot, with their post on creative kids’ room ideas, and I fell in love with the whimsy behind this shop. It’s more or less play-spaces-within-a-bookstore, where you travel through a giant armoire or a Hobbit-sized round door to get to the main space. Signs direct you to Narnia, District 12, and Whoville, inviting you to scope out the spines of the walls and walls of books on display.

VisitTheStoryShop.com

Oxford Exchange

Tampa, FL

Okay, so this isn’t the first time I’ve featured OE, the restaurant/shop/cafe in Tampa. (It’s one of the five hangouts I wish existed in every city.) But it deserves a spot on both lists, just because it’s the type of shop that curates such a surprising array of stunning gifts that can spark your creativity, and it’s got the kind of irresistibly rich lattes and plush, tufted leather sofas that seem to inspire great conversations. It’s a getaway from the ordinary that adults can enjoy.

Little Shop Of Oils

Online store

Essential oil blends have been growing in popularity over the past few years, thanks to their reported ability to help people destress, fall asleep easier, or you know, simply smell better. This shop features roller-ball applicators with blends designed for every zodiac sign and interest. Many are filled with tiny gemstones, adding to their appeal, though I’m partial to the Anxiety Sucks Club, a line for anyone who can relate to that pulse-pounding feeling. (The oil blend contains rosehips and lavender, and it’s supposed to help you relax.)

LittleShopOfOils.com

Au Fudge

Los Angeles, CA

Jessica Biel’s restaurant-bar-marketplace-kids’ playland is everything it’s cracked up to be. It’s a chic alternative to Chuck E. Cheese (though certainly pricier), and after spending a few hours there, I basically wanted to move in. Even though I don’t have kids myself. Biel gave us a tour — as part of my day job at Delish, which you can see above — and I didn’t want to believe her, but the vegan kale Caesar really IS good enough to make you crave salad. The Sinner star knows what’s up.

AuFudge.com

Toothsome Chocolate Emporium

Orlando, FL

Housed right in Universal Studios’ CityWalk, this gigantic restaurant and shop is a lighthearted blend of Willy Wonka and steampunk, chocolate and cocktails, freakshakes and fantasy. So really, it loves up to the magic of the theme parks that flank it. If you’re looking for something a little different from the typical chain restaurant found, oh, everywhere in Orlando, this is the place to go. Especially if you’re a chocoholic with a hearty appreciation for theatrics.

UniversalOrlando.com

There’s a dog on the stage, singers are swilling whiskey straight from the bottle, and my husband and I are definitely the only people in this 30,000-person arena who don’t know a single word to the songs they’re singing. In fact, we’ve never heard most of them before.

We don’t even like country music. At least, I’ve never considered myself a fan. And yet, we’re having the time of our lives.

So how did we end up here? Well, at the beginning of 2017, I made a pact to try new things. Just say yes to new experiences, and force myself out of a Netflix, movies or restaurant dinner rut. So, when I was given two free tickets to a Florida Georgia Line concert one frigid weekend, Nate and I decided to say yes. I knew exactly one song of the band’s — “Cruise,” their collaboration with Nelly — but we decided to just go for it. We weren’t disappointed.

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Lately, I’ve noticed a string of thought-driven, semi-boho (and, perhaps, largely Anthropologie-inspired) shops popping up, and I couldn’t love them more. I like finding presents with personality; things that speak to me and have a message behind them, a story to tell. That’s how I feel about these brands, which have become my go-to’s when looking for unexpected gifts for people. Or, you know, my own #treatyoself moments.

Altar’d State

Often, faith-based stores are a little too treacly sweet and buttoned-up for my tastes (even my prudish inner Sandra Dee). I like this store’s relaxed, come-as-you-are vibe, with its breezy sundresses, cozy sweaters and hand-lettered signs, which are just as likely to quote song lyrics as it is Scripture.

Scope out the store.

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As temperatures climb past 90 — when it’s so scorching your clothes get damp with sweat within minutes of walking outside and garbage cans are literally melting under the sun — finding the motivation to exercise can be nearly impossible.

Well, with this new kind of race, your motivation will be restored. It’s called the Liquid Run, and it’s a gigantic floating obstacle course assembled right on the shore. Think of it like Family Double Dare meets the coolest water park you’ve ever visited.

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