Competitive triathletes, Pam and Connie would chat cookies as a way to make it through their workouts. After all, nothing inspires you to push through the "just two more minutes on the treadmill" threshold, than the promise of a warm cookie coming out of the oven. One day in the midst of their rigorous training regiment Pam and Connie went on a mission to create the ultimate chocolate chip walnut cookie to give them extra motivation.... or something like that. The cookie was irresistible and the two best friends decided that they could probably sell these.
And they were right. In 1993 Pam and Connie started Levain Bakery. Their cookies were baked fresh daily and the left-overs were donated to charity each night – and almost 30 years later these same practices are still proudly in place at the core of Levain bakery. Drooling yet? You will be! Here's our guide to the best cookies ever. *Warning: do not read on an empty stomach!*
1. The Icon: there's a reason these chocolate chip walnut cookies initially flew off the shelves! They're crispy with a thick gooey center. Not too sweet, these delightful bites are a perfectly balanced treat.
2. The Chocolate Lover: dangerously rich, this dark chocolate chip cookie is made with French cocoa and semisweet chocolate chips for extra chocolatey delightfulness. It's sinfully good.
3. The One to Envy: ... well, your peanut butter cups will certainly be jealous! These dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookies are the perfect indulgence. They also just so happen to be the Levain Bakery staff favorites... and they eat a lot of cookies!
4. The Twist: oatmeal raisin cookies that are extra thick, rich and buttery. With a super gooey inside packed full of naturally sweet and plump raisins, their oatmeal raisin cookies are a new take on an old favorite.
5. The Classic: don't get us wrong, we're sure your grandma makes a mean chocolate chip cookie, but these double chocolate chip cookies aren't your family's recipe. They are just as perfectly crispy and gooey as the first cookie on this list, but without the nuts. This buttery delight will have you breaking down the Levain door for the recipe. Fortunately, they just do the baking for you – guess it is back to grandma's if you want to lick the spoon.
6. The Undecided: it's hard to make it through a list like that and be able to narrow it down to just one cookie! Luckily, Levain bakery has something for everyone – including those who want one of everything. This assorted cookie gift box gives you one of each: a chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chip, dark chocolate peanut butter chip and an oatmeal raisin. It's the perfect thing to try whether it's your first time trying cookies from Levain or whether it's just your first time not being able to chose just one!
Check out their site, pour some milk and get ready to indulge in the greatest chocolate chip cookies ever – oops, did we just give away our favorite?
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
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Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."