cookie time cookie bar

nice wee treat after dinner. cookies are fresh and delicious. had the hot chocolate which was awesome. combined that with a cookie sandwich. staff were friendly as well. cool novelty store to try

the back story : cookie time - the happy face of the red cookie time monster is familiar to many new zealanders. initially a christchurch company founded in 1983, its cookies are now found nationwide - its cookie goodness spreading across the country. the cookie bar in queenstown is the only cookie time dedicated outlet in nz (besides the factory shop in templeton near christchurch ) so definitely worth a visit

setting : the iconic cookie time monster welcomes you at the entrance when you arrive at the cookie bar. spirits are lifted with seeing this rainbow eyed monster - but even more do when you step inside the shop where smells of freshly baked cookie waft up your nose. a large plastic bin filled with little red monsters invite you to take one home - or if you prefer - you can send parcels of pre-wrapped cardboard boxes cookies overseas to your loved ones - or take a photo at the photobooth at the back of the shop. cookie time happiness fills the air everywhere you look. merchandise lines the back next to the cookie time car if you want a piece of this happiness back home. a place to visit to check out all the cookie time options - but not a place to stop and eat due to the dearth of seating in the shop. the lack of space meant it was not so pleasant to loiter round but serves its purpose as a cookie bar for takeaways. be prepared also for a bit of a wait for cookie purchases as the shop gets crowded pretty quickly (it took me 10 minutes waiting in line to get one cookie at lunchtime on a weekend).

food: the cookie bar serves up fresh hot cookies - with 12 cookie flavours to choose from including the less common blueberry crumble, rocky road and banoffee. they also do a vegan chocolate cookie option. at $3 each, the cookies are a little pricey but worth it for the quality and taste. alternatively the 5 for $13 or 10 for $25 combo options are good value if you're wanting to try the different flavours. they also do a cookie time "happy hour" special and a special at 8-9am. if hot chewy melt-in-your-mouth cookies aren't enough, try the ice-cream sandwich, cookie sundae or cookie "shot". they also do shakes and hot chocolate. i tried the banoffee cookie this time and it was very worth the 3 dollars i paid. i was rewarded with chocolate chunks and a soft yet chewy cookie with banana bits strewn through - highly recommended. the only down side was i should have gotten 2 cookies!

occassion : whenever it is time for a cookie. which is pretty much any time !

revisit potential : 9/10

i have fond memories of cookie time as they were one of my favourite treats back in high school. this is a really cute store, bright and colourful, bursting with energy and brought back some good memories. it was fun to look through the different merchandise and products they had on offer, including a post card that is accompanied by cookies! we were lucky to have walked past the store during happy hour, and were treated to two warm cookies for $3. it was a tough choice but i ended up going for the lemon and white chocolate. it was alright but reminded me of a muffin instead of a cookie. i also tried the salted caramel cookie which was delicious but also on the sweet side for me (but i do generally prefer food less sweet compared to most people). i guess living in nz, this isn't really the place for me to be buying cookie time, as it seemed more expensive, however would definitely recommend visiting the store for a dose of sunshine in your day. my highlight was the dancing mascot who has the cutest voice.

my 7 year old cousin absolutely loved this place. she bought a bag of cookies and finished it so quickly. i wish i bought the salted caramel one though as i really wanted to try it. will definitely hunt for it now. or else, i will be back!