Coooooookie.jpg

Your student days may be long behind you, but there’s still an excellent excuse to head into the UCLA-centric district of Westwood the next time you’re in Los Angeles: the cookies.

Oh go on, do I have to twist your arm?

Iconic stalwart Diddy Riese---fondly dubbed Diddy’s by those in the know---has been churning out sweet treats since 1983, but it’s the ice cream sandwiches that have reached near-national acclaim. You pick the cookie---choosing a different variety for each side is practically de rigueur---and an ice cream flavor for the filling, and a Diddy’s employee slaps the whole thing together in three seconds flat. The grand total? Just a buck fifty. Including tax.

The cookies themselves, of course, are droolworthy on their own---choose from white chocolate chip macadamia, double chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and a whole host of others---and at just three dollars for a half dozen, they’re not going to blow the vacation budget. But it’s the ice cream sandwiches that are truly worth lining up for---and you will have to line up, so be prepared for a wait.

The crowd moves quickly, though, and when the end result is an out-of-this-world treat bought with change from two bucks? Well, that’s what I'd call a pretty good deal.