Ask a foodie: If sleep is a luxury you can’t afford, Insomnia Cookies is a comfort you can

Imagine this: It’s 1 a.m., and you’re impossibly, irrevocably awake. Your brain just will not shut off, and you are craving comfort, some sort of food that is like a warm hug from Mom. You remember the smell of her kitchen, almost too warm and rich with the scent of baked goods — the dough mixed, measured and formed with love into simple, soft cookies. That is what you want. Milk and cookies. But it’s 1 a.m., and you desperately do not want to leave the house and settle for gas station cookies and milk. If only there was someone, somewhere, who would bring you a perfectly warm cookie and a bottle of ice cold milk. Well, if you live inside of the delivery area, there is.

Insomnia Cookies at 1330 Broadway Street in Cape Girardeau is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday. And, they deliver.

Now, I didn’t do anything so exciting as order delivery cookies at 1 in the morning. No, I visited the store at 4 in the afternoon, and I truly did not realize the sheer attention to detail I was about to witness. Insomnia is so good at what it does because it only does one thing very, very well.

Insomnia Cookies sells cookies, brownies, milk (and soda, but what kind of animal would choose soda with cookies?), cookie cakes, ice cream, ice cream with cookies/brownies, and ice cream cookie sandwiches. I may have missed something, but I truly think that may be a comprehensive list of the menu. I chose the Super 6 box, which allowed me to choose 5 classic cookies and one deluxe cookie or brownie. This is what I ordered: double chocolate chunk (a dark chocolate cookie with milk chocolate bits), white chocolate macadamia (a little coconut with white chocolate and macadamia nut bits), double chocolate mint (dark chocolate cookie with milk chocolate and minty bits), snickerdoodle (a buttery cookie with cinnamon and sugar sprinkles), the limited time only Red Velvet Cheesecake filled (mini cream cheese bits and a cheesecake center), and an oatmeal chocolate walnut (milk chocolate and walnuts in an extra large oatmeal cookie, the Insomnia Cookies worker’s personal favorite).

The delightful woman working the register (and baking the cookies, I believe) fetched my chosen cookies from a warmer. You see, the cookies are kept at the exact pleasant temperature for eating, all the time. No soggy microwaving here. No, this warmer comes complete with a bit of water in the bottom so steam keeps the cookies soft without drying out. Sheer genius, I tell you. Add to that the milk cooler in the corner, and wow, did these folks think about all the right things to make for an awesome cookie experience.

I buried my box of warm cookies under a spare jacket in my car and took them home. After taking a few pictures of them on a blessedly warmish day, I took them in and proceeded to take one bite out of every single one of them. I did this for you, my gentle reader, and thank you for the experience. I don’t think I’ve experienced such food joy as trying six different cookies in six bites. Nirvana.

I got to compare all the flavors with such close tasting times, and I picked my favorites. All the cookies had a warm, soft texture. No hard edges, no undercooked centers. Perfect. Simple. My absolute favorite was the Snickerdoodle. There is something about a soft, cakey, floury Snickerdoodle that can’t be beat for me. It is simple, never heavy, sweet but not too sweet. And if it’s warm on top of all that. Enough said.

I also enjoyed the solid bite of oatmeal chocolate walnut cookie. The oatmeal was delicious, and I can’t wait to try it again in it’s simpler cousin, the oatmeal raisin. Don’t get me wrong, I like chocolate, but the older I get, the more I prefer fruit over chocolate in sweets.

Seth, who does still love chocolate, preferred the double chocolate chunk. All of the cookies were soft, perfect and warm, exactly like a hug. Whether you order delivery at 2 a.m., or get some for lunch at noon, these cookies will hit the spot.

Rebecca LaClair travels to a new place every week to try food from a trendy restaurant or one she hasn’t been to yet.