Aurelie The Cookie Guru

Wow. This place completely reminds me of Anthony’s Cookies in San Francisco.
We had the cookies delivered to our work place with the Broguiere’s milk. Just like Anthony’s, the milk is completely fresh and delicious. Fresh as in they probably milked the cow, heated up the milk, and bottled it to be sent our way. That fresh.
I had the caramel chocolate chip. Gooey and tasty. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate, but this cookie was just the right amount of decadent.
I’m going to have to go to the place myself to give a full review, but for now, I’m going to stick with 4 stars…
Of course, Anthony’s is the first place I saw to make cookies a masterpiece. Props to Aurelie for doing it, but they aren’t the first.

This place is kinda hidden within the Marketplace at the new Santa Monica mall.
There’s a cart near the Gourmandise cooking school that sells these soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies that are really delicious! It’s a bit pricey, but if you love chocolatey cookies, you should give it a try. :)

bleh
ordered half a dozen cookies (chocolate caramel, cinnamon almond chocolate chip, and plain chocolate chip)
i asked if the cookies were warm since everyone on Unilocal says unless you ask otherwise they are warm. got so much attitude from the hello kitty glasses wearing employee.
my bad. i guess i can’t have my cookies and eat them too?!
all in all if i’m craving chocolate and caramel and am in the area i guess i would come back, but hopefully there will be an employee with a better attitude who is more helpful.

Large EXPENSIVE cookies. Lil Bit, my Brother, his friend and I went to this place over the last weekend while we were on our afternoon of Fun in Santa Monica and Venice Beach =)
Cookies were ok nothing spectacular but pretty good and she uses a very rich Chocolate excellent for a cold glass of Milk. My favorite place for cookies will always be The Boston Chipyard located in Fanueil Hall in my hometown
If you happen upon this place it is located in the area called «The Market» on the top level and the Caramel Chocolate Chip were melt in your mouth Tasty! OH and they come in really cool little bags that keep them fresh for a couple of days!
Respectfully Reviewed

I love love LOVE these cookies, words cannot express my love affair with them. But I do have one gripe. It isn’t consistent.
My first banana chocolate chip cookie was amazing. super banany and it was just divine. On the same level as the first time I had their signature chocolate chip cookie.
My second banana cookie just wasn’t on the same level. There weren’t nearly enough banana chunks and honestly it just tasted like their original cookie.
Now not saying that I don’t love their original, but I just had my first banana cookie literally 10 minutes before my second banana cookie lol.
I feel consistency is a problem even with their original cookie. Sometimes there is a copious amount of chocolate in the middle of the cookie and sometimes there isn’t. Regardless of their consistency problems, I still love this place!

Seriously what is the hype all about. I heard about this place from several friends and we went tried going once but it was already closed. I went back a few weeks later and my friend and I ordered 1 choco chip and 1 caramel cookie. They were both a little bigger than my palm. The choco chip was good but the caramel was way too sweet. These cookies were good but overpriced for what they are.

These cookies are amazing! They are best when warm with the chocolate still melted. It is a little pricey at $ 3/​cookie but it is worth it, especially when you get half a dozen or more, because it’s put into a gift box and tied with a pretty ribbon. It makes a delightful gift. =)
The only con is that after two cookies, I can’t handle any more chocolate. However, who wants to eat more cookies then that all at once?

Delicious. Since I’ve found this place last Friday, I’ve been back 2x since… each time increasing my consumption of Aurelie’s cookie. It’s just the perfect homemade chocolate chip cookie that’s oh-​so-​soft with a generous amount of chocolate goodness… more than enough to be thoroughly satisfied and still have chocolate all over your fingertips as traces of a good time.
It’s organic so probably why the $ 3 price point. I’ve spent $ 4 – 5 on a cookie before, and I will say this is pretty expensive for a small cookie. Still good though!

3.5−4 stars
$ 3 each is really expensive given the size but at least they come out warm with gooey melted chocolate. You can tell that they use a lot of butter in the dough, because it coats your fingertips and seeps through the paper bag they put them in within 30 seconds. The cookies are thin yet have a good balance of crispy edges and a chewy base. The Caramel Chocolate Chip is a little on the sweet side but still good. The chocolate dominates the caramel a bit too much. Regular chocolate chip has a quarter-​size disc of melting chocolate on top which makes that particular bite too sweet for me. The rest of it is fragrantly buttery and good. I would buy them again if I was in the area, had a major sugar craving and wanted to indulge with the $ 3 price tag.

If I hadn’t stumbled upon Chocolate by the Bald Man in Las Vegas, I’d have totally given this place 5 stars hands down!
Regardless, in Santa Monica they make THE BEST chocolate chip cookies. They’re rich with the perfect blend of crisp without losing the soft chewiness that is an oh-​so-​important character trait of the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I tend to prefer walnut/​chocolate chip cookies, but these are phenomenal. AND their caramel chocolate chip cookies are a very close second if not tied for first. I don’t know, it’s difficult to gauge and I wouldn’t want to lead any sweet tooth astray. =/​
I’ve been on a cupcake trip for a while now, but these have most certainly brought back my inner cookie monster! Aurelie’s also keeps it fun by having monthly cookie flavors. Can’t say that any of their flavors thus far have enticed me enough to risk the $ 3 rather than put it towards my guaranteed happiness with the traditional choco chip and caramel chocolate chip, but I’ll report back as I try them.
With my HUGE sweet tooth and the need to purchase 6 at a time (4 for me and 2 for the bf) almost weekly, this is getting to be an expensive addiction! Though still far less $ than cupcakes which works largely in my bank account’s favor. :)
FYI — Located in the Santa Monica Place mall on the top floor in The Market in the farthest island kiosk nearest Bloomingdales. If ever you walk around eating one while shopping, ALL the workers agree it’s THE BEST cookie around. There’s 2 hours free self-​parking in the garage. If you’re eating at Santa Monica Place (Zengo, La Sandia, Pizza Antica, Sonoma Wine Garden, Curious Palate, True Food and Ozumo for sure) then there’s 3 hours free valet with receipt.

Maybe my family is just really proficient at making cookies. And I’m not tooting my own horn here because I’m not including myself in that statement — can’t Sam Cooke for shit.
But The Cookie Guru’s wares are no better than stuff I’ve gotten from home. If this were a large chain, I’d think this statement would go without saying. However, when approaching a small business, I expect the food — not necessarily the location or presentation — to have a certain spark, a certain je-​né-​sais-​quoi.
This place’s cookies with its light, just-​right crispness and creamy, creamy chocolate — I know everything about it because I’ve had it plenty of times on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays… it’s home.
Maybe if home cost a buck, a buck-​fifty, I wouldn’t mind stopping by here every so often and calling it as such. Honestly though? My real home serves this stuff for free.

Worth $ 3 for a single moderately sized cookie.
This is the heroin of all cookies. This is the most dangerously addicting cookie you will have.
I live downtown and have mornings where the craving is so bad, I start mixing Betty Crocker Dough as I rise out of bed. It gets so bad that I have to eat this yucky mix cookies in my half slumber, all the while fantasizing that the scrumptious goodness d’Aurelie is amidst my tastebuds galore. Of course, just to get full enough to hop into the car and have my partner drive us out to Santa Monica in the name of a nice «Saturday out of DTLA».
Really, the only reason is the cookies. Sometimes the beach. The cookies really.
Ingredients are divine, it feels like you’re eating something GOOD for you. And that is a very good feeling if it’s made of chocolate, sugar and other sweet sins. A cookie or two will fill you up quickly and you won’t feel so bad either.
I highly recommend the Caramel Chocolate Chip. So popular that it’s made a permanent spot on the menu, perpetually nestled in the glass platter beside the Classic Chocolate Chip. Then there is the Flavor of the «Moment» (previously known as Flavor of the Month) which is a third featured flavor. Those are kind of a hit or miss, with the standards of the above mentioned flavors in mind.
We ran into her once at a DTLA bar and she remembered us as customers. It was a pleasant tête-​à-​tête. A very friendly and admirable individual!

Occasion: Dessert with friends on Black Friday
What I Had: Pecan Praline Chocolate Chip (Special)
Food Review: The cookie was DELISH. There is nothing bad I can say about this cookie. It reminds me of Ben’s Cookies in London with the huge chocolate chips and the right-​out-​of-​the-​oven concept which makes the chips slightly melted when you buy them. One thing I disliked about Aurelie’s was that they didn’t have much variety: they only had 3 types of cookies to choose from: choco chip, caramel choco chip, and the special that I had.
Service Review: The woman behind the counter was very nice. It was pretty much grab-​n-​go.
Venue Review: Aurelie’s is a cookie stand in the middle of the 3^rd floor food court in the 3^rd street promenade shopping center, so not the easiest place to stumble upon. Everything about the cookie shop is adorable, from the Aurelie branded paper bags to the cute pink and white labels for their 3 cookie types.
Overall Impression: The quality of the cookie is superb, but I do wish they had even just a few more options. Ben’s Cookies has proved to me that it is very possible to have quantity and quality.

Best damn chocolate cookie you’ll ever have.
Yes, its $ 3 but definitely worth all three hundred pennies. Buy one. and walk away. just walk away then eat it. Cause if not, you’ll end up buying more.

delish! i love her caramel chocolate chip cookie. the original is good as well but i’m an avid caramel-​lover so there’s no contest. these are large, moist yet chewy cookies with crisp edges, and not too thick. exactly how i like them!
they are expensive but as an occasional indulgence, it’s totally worth the $ 3 a pop. plus you can get a slight discount if you buy by the half– or baker’s dozen (another bonus is that the boxes are really pretty).
next time you’re at santa monica place, pay aurelie a visit in the market. she is super nice!

Chocolate chip cookies? Of course!!!
It was only a few weeks ago that I decided to come to Santa Monica Place to check out the Market. I passed by the Cookie Guru noting it in my mind for later to check out. Only a few days after, who appears on Daily Candy Deal? Aurelie: The Cookie Guru! A baker’s dozen for $ 20! Time to check it out with a few friends to share. And some left over too of course.
Aurelie was behind the counter as we approached wide eyed and staring at the delicious goodies we were about to devour. She had set out a display of classic chocolate chip, a specialty of caramel chocolate chip, and another specialty oatmeal chocolate chip. Mmmm… good thing for the baker’s dozen, no need to choose one! She was very friendly and informed us that she definitely wanted to do the Daily Candy deal since they had written such a nice write-​up of her new place.
The classic chocolate chip cookie
Aurelie served it to us in a big pizza box with the cookies only slightly overlapping. The cookies were still slightly warm and the huge dollop of chocolate she puts in the middle was still all melty. Soft with a little crisp on the edges, loads of buttery goodness, and just sweet enough, I’d say these were pretty darn good cookies. She also uses a larger grain sugar which adds a nice textural crunch to it.
Caramel chocolate chip
Ooh add caramel and you end up with a slightly crispy sugary coating to the cookie. Chewier than the original but no dollop of chocolate in the middle.
Oatmeal chocolate chip
My biggest problem with oatmeal cookies is the lack of chocolate! Yes… I know its not supposed to but chocolate is so good it makes everything tasty. So oatmeal and chocolate… yummmyyy. I loved the soft texture of this cookie and how it was «healthy.»
$ 3 for a chocolate chip cookie is a bit pricey. If only her price point was a bit lower then I think it would be easier for me to make it a regular treat. Other than that though I’m wondering if she is going to stick to just chocolate chip cookies or expand a bit more beyond that.

I had my friend pick some up for me from Santa Monica and i got to admit they were very delicious. Nice and soft the way i like my cookies. The chocolate use tastes very rich. When you keep chewing the cookie it’s a bit sand like with little chunks of what I’m guessing to be sugary elements or the cookie itself. I’d be very interested to see what other cookies they come up in the future.

The cookie is good. Moist and with a lot of chocolate. I do agree with Frances L. though. A cookie guru should have more varieties other than the traditional chocolate chip. And pricey. 3.00 a pop, it is not your everyday, eat a bag in front of the TV kind…

Aurelie, the name of the owner/​baker and store, specializes in Chocolate Chip Cookies and for now just that. They are made off-​site and they are baked at the store and the store itself is highly visible in all sides at the center of Santa Monica Place’s new The Market (opened a few weeks ago) and it feels open and inviting. Cookie ingredients are in glass kitchen jars and containers surrounding the shop along with simple, attractive cookie cookie boxes and the cookies you buy are up front in glass domed cake plate stands. At the Market other dessert shops include Beachy Cream, N’Ice Cream, and L’Artisan Du Chocolat. At Aurelie, in addition to their cookies, Aurelie sells an assortment of organic milk, which I haven’t tried but know it goes well with cookies. I read you could also buy frozen cookies to take home so you could bake it yourself.
Now Aurelie’s cookies. She tells me that her father is a chef and she herself loves baking cookies and she wanted to make the perfect cookie. I tried the cookies in four different occasions and they were consistently good. Her signature is a chunk of chocolate chip off-​center of the cookie, which is a little messy when melted so be careful (this isn’t a bad thing). The cookie is baked a little thin and it is slightly crispy on the outside and gooey and chewy in the inside. Aurelie uses mostly organic ingredients including European style butter, which has a higher fat content; Tcho chocolate, a San Franciscan chocolate company and the chocolate is dark /​bitter-​sweet; and eggs from farmers markets. The sea salt is technically the only thing not organic. The result is a really good cookie that has good texture and good taste.
A single cookie costs $ 3 (better value the more you buy like $ 15 for half a dozen and I forget how much a dozen is). In this mall, Ugo’s has chocolate-​chip cookies that used to cost $ 1.50 but now it’s $ 1.99. $ 3 for a cookie is on the high side as most finer cookies are around $ 2 for one. Cheap cookies are at $ 1 or less. You could taste the quality in the ingredients at Aurelie. Is it worth it? Sure. Subway cookies are 3 for $ 1.25 and I could eat it all (rarely do I get it), but with a gourmet cookie I just need one and I’m satisfied. Is it the best cookie out there? That would be a fun challenge.
Service is great. I’ve been there four times, one of those times I met Aurelie and she is pleasant and great to chat with. The Aurelie team members show to be very knowledgeable about their product and business and they have been friendly and I have enjoyed my visits.
Even though they take credit card, use cash if your purchase is less than $ 10. It’s not posted, but let’s be kind to the new business owner.
Only one flavor? Don’t trip, chocolate chip. Aurelie does chocolate chip very well and I’m certain she will have more varieties coming up. The store and website has only been opened for a few weeks and it looks like business is going well and it is exciting to watch this new business blossom.

Welcome to Santa Monica — what’s your dream? I thinks Aurelie’s dream was to bake really good chocolate chip cookies, soo good that she could open her own shop and only sell chocolate chip cookies.
I woke up this morning to my husband whispering in my ear, «honey, those were some really good cookies».
I never would have stopped here except that someone in the Mall mentioned that if I go to the Market I HAVE TO GET A COOKIE. Twist my arm.
I ordered half a dozen (same price as buying 5), one to eat with my flight of wine and the others to share. The presentation was beautiful — a lovely box with a bow.
I would describe these cookies as Gooey chocolate with enough cookie to hold the chocolate together.
I don’t have a problem paying $ 3 a cookie. I know that this will be an area of contention for some — come on, it’s a quality product. It’s also portion control.