America's 10 Best Cookies

With the holidays near, many of us will be putting on aprons and spending no small amount of time creaming butter, shaping dough, and constructing unstable edible houses. If you're not well-acquainted with your rolling pin, chances are you'll still eat your fair share of cookies in the coming weeks, so why not eat the best? Whether you're gifting cookies to relatives, bringing a contribution to the office party, or looking for inspiration in your own kitchen, here's a rundown of America's best cookies to ensure that you're selecting from the top ranks of cookiedom.

Click here for America's 10 Best Cookies Slideshow.

What experience is more universal than cookies and milk? Finding a great cookie can bring you back to childhood, and this search paid special attention to cookies that can help you recall those earliest memories of sweet perfection.

So what makes a good cookie? A good cookie is both humble and transcendent. And how it arrives at that flawless combination of crunch and gooiness (of which the precise equation varies according to individual preference) is no small feat.

This search examined menus at the country's most talked about bakeries, then broke it down by major U.S. cities to find out what cookies were gaining attention in various regions. From Sugar Bakeshop in Charleston, S.C., to Batter Bakery in San Francisco, homemade Oreos to Compost cookies, it uncovered everything from classic all-American cookies like a stellar chocolate chip or chocolate cloud to inventive, post-modern interpretations of what "the cookie" can be.

But enough of that — it's time to get down to details. So here's how the best cookies crumble from the East Coast to the West.

If you're looking to try your hand at homemade cookies, then experiment with a few of these fun and festive holiday treats.