It’s been a big week for cookies, but not a great one, following the Crumbl cookie fiasco (aka #Crumblgate) that had TikTok influencers crying into their milk over the stale, days-old cookies bought by entrepreneurial scammers in Hawaii and sold by a North Bondi pop-up for an eye-watering $17.50 a pop.

Since then, a press release from the American chain – which has more than 800 stores in the US – has reassured fans that “Crumbl is pleased to announce plans to open in Australia and share a new official Instagram account: @crumbl.au”, where it will share updates on locations and opening dates.

If you can’t wait – or the whole thing leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth – we’ve rounded up Sydney’s best cookies, from classic choc chip to mochi and matcha, made here with love and worth queueing for.

A.P Bakery

This Sydney favourite stands out from the crowd by overseeing the process from growing the grains to milling them in-house. The result is an extra doughy dimension to their baked goods, including their regular chocolate chip and dark chocolate and rye cookies. Using a rich and fruity 64 per cent single-origin chocolate from Manjari, Madagascar, they are perfectly soft and chewy. Look out for the occasional cookie special like tahini choc-chip.

Shop L2, 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills; 9 Barrack Street, Sydney; 1A Bucknell Street, Newtown; shop 2, 106/112 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills apbakery.com.au

Butterboy

Walk down the Corso at Manly and you’ll likely smell Butterboy before you see it. Join the fast-moving queue for their signature thick, chunky cookies with indulgent oozy fillings (such as choc chip Nutella) and the golden gaytime brownie sandwich. Is it a brownie or a cookie? Who cares when it tastes this good? Mega cookie birthday cakes in multiple flavours are also available.

Shop 9, ground level, 74-78 The Corso, Manly, butterboy.com.au

Cherry Moon General Store

Centred around a hand-built wood-fire oven with a nostalgic Aussie bent, this Annandale bakery and general store sells a range of heartwarming cookies. Their chocolate chip has a robust depth of flavour thanks to the addition of spelt and brown butter. Their textbook shortbread is used to create playful classics such as “fairy biscuits” with hundreds and thousands, and a tangy melting moment using house-made Davidson plum jam.

77 Nelson Street, Annandale, cherrymoongeneralstore.com.au

Cre Asian

For those who prefer cookies with a shorter consistency, this mellow cafe and bakery has a considered collection that pairs perfectly with a cup of their stellar matcha. Lovers of the tea will delight in their brilliant green matcha macadamia cookie, which is made with premium matcha from Yame, Japan. Chocoholics get a solid hit with the 55 per cent chocolate brown sugar cookie.

Shop 3, 310 Harris Street, Pyrmont; 18 Eden Street, North Sydney, creasion.com.au

Happy Alley

It’s not all about the cookies at this popular Rockdale cafe – they do great bagels, sandwiches and brekky burgers too – but it may as well be, given the popularity of their beautiful biscuits. These babies go way beyond the traditional choc chip, with colourful varieties including green pistachio and an M&M biscuit that oozes with melted red, blue, green and yellow chocolate when broken open. Depending on Happy Alley’s regular baking experiments, flavours may include Milo, peanut butter mochi, coconut and dulce de leche, or honey and white chocolate with a nutty cereal coating.

13 Bay Street, Rockdale, happyalley.com.au

Kuki

Despite only opening in January, this hole-in-the-wall serving up cookies and soft serve has built quite the following. Cookie flavours range from classic choc chip with brown butter to roasted macadamia and taro mochi. Owned by the team behind Duo Duo gelato, you know the soft serve – which you can order wodged between cookies – is quality stuff. Stick to classic vanilla or try choc hazelnut or Earl Grey to dip your cookie in.

Shop 9, 18 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket, kuki.au

Luke Avenue

They’re chunky and they’re stuffed, and you might be a little bit too after a fix of Luke Avenue’s cookies – but it’s totally worth it. This Newtown dessert destination bakes up batches of cult favourites including red velvet, p’nut’ella and the deliciously drippy biscoff white choc and macadamia, with gluten-free options galore. If you want to share the love with friends far away, they deliver cookie gift boxes, too.

5/2 Gladstone Street, Newtown, lukeave.com

Pantry Story

What began as a market stall has grown into a Sydney favourite in an unlikely location. Pantry Story is bringing life back to Parramatta Road with inventive East Asian-inspired pastries, and the cookies are a standout. Their pandan mochi cookie – soft, hand-stretched mochi with palm sugar filling encased in a fragrant, bright-green biscuit – is a textural delight. For choc chip purists, their sea salt choc chip cookie is a spot-on balance of sweet and salty.

336 Parramatta Road, Stanmore, instagram.com/pantrystory_sydney

Valentinas

One cookie is never enough. Unless, of course, that cookie is the size of your head. This bustling American diner-inspired cafe proves that sometimes, bigger can be better with their gigantic cookies. The popular snickerdoodle and choc chip cookies are always on the menu, but depending on when you pop in you might see some other fun options like white chocolate funfetti, cinnamon sugar crunch or choc mint.

132 Livingstone Road, Marrickville, valentinassyd.com