I’ve had the opportunity to eat a lot of cookies in my life: Living in Los Angeles, there are a few standout bakeries that have paved their way out in this local market. In addition, franchises like Crumbl have taken the nation by storm, popping up with new franchises throughout the United States. One time right before the pandemic, a friend had even invited me to try out 50 different chocolate chip cookies in New York for a cookie party for charity. The winner at that event, according to me, was Levain Bakery, which just happened to open up in Los Angeles as well, not too long ago.
However, there aren’t many times when you bite into a cookie that comes from a package that just stops you in your tracks. For me, that happened for the first time back around November or December last year. I had just seen a French cookie brand sitting on a shelf at Costco and thought to myself, “I should give this a try.”
When I bit into it, I just couldn’t believe the rich, buttery texture that the cookie had. I was hooked. Unfortunately, after my second purchase, when I came back a third time, the cookies were nowhere to be seen for months.
That is, until a few weeks ago, when I came across the St. Michel French Cookie Collection, which is a tin that includes four of St. Michel’s most famous cookies.
St. Michel French Cookies
When I saw the tin, I grabbed one, started eating them in the car, then realized I just needed to get an entire box of tins (12) for the home.
I had no idea what I was going to do with the box of tins, I just knew that I needed to have them because the chances of them reappearing after that drought of not seeing them for a while was just too long…
I took my excitement to Threads, and over 100 people chimed in with their love for the cookies as well.
The History of St. Michel Cookies
Before we get into the contents of the tin and what the different textures, tastes, and flavor profiles of each cookie are, let’s get into a little bit about the history of St. Michel Biscuiterie Familiale.
This French cookie brand was actually founded in 1905 by Joseph Grellier, a pastry chef out in Saint Michel, France. The simple bakery at the time was creating his signature La Grande Galette (which is now stamped with the 1905 marking right in the center to indicate its origins) French cookie, which was sold by his wife, Constance, to wealthy ladies in Paris who came to visit the seaside.
Eventually, they became industrially processed, so families like mine and yours would be able to enjoy them across the world. At the time of this writing, that gives a legacy of 120 years that these French cookies have been able to satisfy the deepest cravings of cookie aficianodos across the world.
Pros
- The taste is luxurious and will keep you coming back for more.
- Perfect as a gift or for the home.
- Comes with a beautiful tin container that could be used for other things afterward, like sewing kits.
- There are no seed oils in the cookies without chocolate.
Cons
- Most of the cookies are wrapped in transparent plastic, which some could find as being cheaply made.
- There are no separators in the tin, so people have reported that the cookies sometimes come broken when shipped from Amazon (however you could purchase each cookie individually and not face the issue of them being in a tin).
- The cookies with chocolate include rapeseed oils, which for the health conscious, is a seed oil that a lot of TikTokers recommend avoiding.
St. Michel Biscuiterie Familiale — French Cookie Collection and What Is Inside
Inside the tin, you will find the following:
- 8 Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tartlets.
- 15 French Button Cookies.
- 12 Butter Petite Palmiers.
- 9 La Grande Galettes.
St. Michel Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tartlet Review
When I used to be married, my ex wife randomly picked up a box of cookies with a little boy on it from France. It had a milk chocolate implant that looked like a stamp called Lu Petit Ecolier. It was a great cookie, but I never really went back to purchase them again after my divorce ended.
This cookie in comparison carries the essence of that rich, deep, chocolate taste you get in Lu Petit Ecolier, but with a bit more of a luxurious sensation to it. In addition, a layer of caramel lies in between the outer ridge and the chocolate, giving a creamy filling that just brings such a nice combination to this delicate treat. My friend Steve said this was his favorite cookie of the bunch.
8 out of 10.
St. Michel French Button Cookie Review
While I haven’t gone back to purchase Lu Petit Ecolier again, this French Button Cookie would get an additional purchase. Much like the caramel tartlet reviewed above, this has that rich, deep chocolate taste, with a bit more of a luxurious flavor to it as well. I would say that this cookie is something worth having around the home. You could even tell that this is a signature piece by the St. Michel brand, as they do stamp the words Galette St. Michel Grellier around the exterior.
9 out of 10.
St. Michel Butter Petite Palmier Review
When you bite into one of these petite palmiers, you don’t get the traditional notes that you would expect from a typical palmier you find at the grocery store. Instead, you get a much deeper and richer buttery texture with a flavor profile that just brings a sense of satisfaction to each bite.
While I do love palmiers, and the butteriness of this one, I would say that out of the entire cookie collection, this is potentially the least desirable. However, that doesn’t mean that this cookie is a sleeper. Instead, compared to other palmiers, this is a solid choice.
7 out of 10.
St. Michel La Grande Galette Review
The La Grande Galette is such a significant cookie to the legacy of St. Michel that the year the original bakery began is stamped right in the center of the cookie. The first time I bit into this delicate treat, the buttery flavors just filled my palette and I couldn’t stop eating them. I went through the entire box of galettes in just one sitting and I knew I had found the best packaged cookie I have ever eaten in my entire life — and I’ve tried so many that it might be a bit ridiculous.
This is definitely the cookie to get that would leave you, your family, and your friends in awe of just how such a rich and complex flavor profile could be in one simple little cookie.
10 out of 10.
Nutrition Facts and Ingredients for St. Michel Cookies
This picture shows you the nutrition facts and ingredients for each of the cookies in the St. Michel French Cookie Collection:
Where to Buy St. Michel French Cookie Collection Tins
You can buy St. Michel French Cookie Collection Tins here:
St. Michel French Cookies
Are St. Michel Cookies From France Better Than the Local Bakery?
Let’s back to the question that started this review. Are these cookies better than the bakeries out there?
If you just so happen to get to a bakery and are able to get a cookie when it just was released from the oven, then no. Not even the La Grande Galette could compete with a cookie that was just released from the oven.
However, if you’re buying a cookie that’s been sitting on the shelf for a few hours, or maybe until the end of the day, then there definitely is a reason that this cookie factory has been making cookies for 120 years and counting.
Each of us has our own unique palette when it comes to taste, with some being more defined than others. Due to that, I would implore you to go out there and try some of St. Michel’s cookies on your own and decide. Because in my expert opinion, this is a true contender and definitely a leader in taste and quality, compared to the cookies you’ll find in a bakery or on a shelf at any store.
