This is a chocolate chip cookie.

But.

This is not just any chocolate chip cookie.

This one has the extremely high status of being SpyMom's pick as "the best chocolate chip cookies on the Jersey Shore". And SpyMom (who is also a famous children's book illustrator, btw) knows her cookies. After all, I credit her as the one who taught me everything I know about sweets.

Now, I will confess: as a bona fide lover of soft and fat chocolate chip cookies, I was a bit dubious. These looked suspiciously flat and crispy. But one bite took away all my fears.

Crispy, yes, but extremely buttery and flavorful. They shatter in the mouth in a sort of caramelly-brown-sugary explosion, which is punctuated by deep, dark, rich chocolate nuggets. Somehow, I found my soft-cookie-loving-self loving this cookie, and wanting more.

I knew SpyMom wouldn't lead me astray.

But if you are simply not to be brought over to the crispy cookie camp, don't fret: Cameo Cakes has plenty of other good stuff. For instance butter cookies, festively decorated:

...and crumb cake (one of my personal favorite foods):

...and all manner of other pastries, cookies, and bread-type things. They do wedding cakes too!

Basically, whether you look to the cookie or not, you'll probably find something you like at this charming Brielle, NJ bakery.

Cameo Cakes, 406 Union Avenue, Brielle, NJ; online here.