Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Weird World of the Sandwich Cookie

I'm all for the sandwich cookie - two cookies with a layer of something between them (peanut butter, cream, caramel - heck, the possibilities are almost endless!).  What a great idea! But, really, I think they should be called cookie sandwiches instead of sandwich cookies.

There are some sandwich cookies featuring our old friend shortbread.  This one is by Sweet's Bakery in El Salvador:


They are made by sandwiching caramel between two shortbread (they call them shortpastry) cookies:

I thought this was like the greatest idea EVAH!  But, actually, they are kind of bland.  I think they need better caramel.  Maybe some chocolate - I dunno - they need something.

I found these in A Southern Season and they are made by a baker based in North Carolina - Mistti.  The bakery specializes in Latino cookies and they look fabulous:




But these were kind of dry - especially the chocolate one - it was downright terrible.  The others were better and the addition of the chocolate helps a lot, but these just weren't as good as I thought they should be.  That could be a cultural preference.  I purchased several Mexican baked items and I thought they were bland and dry compared to their American counterparts.
Damn - they look sooooo good!!!  And they were NOT cheap - $7.00 for the four cookies.  Totally not worth it.  : (   Yet again, appearances are deceiving.

Let's look at some good ol' cheap sandwich cookies.  These are by Basil's Bavarian Bakery (parent company Biscomerica.  My buddy Gorden hooked me up after Candy Expo - sending a whole case of these!!!  Woohoo!!!).  These are peanut butter:




The problem here is the competition - the Nutter Butter.  The Nutter Butter is so good, no other peanut butter sandwich cookie stands a chance.

These are all perfectly good, cheap sandwich cookies:







Again, the competition is the Oreo - unbeatable in the category.  More chocolately, creamier filling.

I'd never seen strawberry sandwich cookies before:



These are okay - all the flavors are okay.  Nothing extraordinary, but good and, for some reason I keep eating them.  The peanut butter and the strawberry keep sucking me in!

This is a new limited edition Oreo:



I have to say - EWWW! to this.  The strawberry is too sickly sweet and overpowering - I don't like it, don't like it at all.  But if you really like that funky fake strawberry taste of some milkshakes they have captured it pretty well and you may really like these.  Glacck! 

But summer IS time for milkshakes and ice cream!  So soon we'll discuss Godiva's and Lindt's summer flavors - involving ice cream and yogurt.  Life is good!!!

6 comments:

Kris, in New England said...

No No No ... and again No.

Oreos should stay with what they started with - the nice original chocolate cookie with the cream filling. Double Stuf is OK. The ones covered in white chocolate are pretty good too (you nibble off a tiny bit then dip in milk until it gets heavy...heavenly).

Why oh why do these classics have to mess with their original creations? Did the world learn nothing from New Coke???

Denise Ryan said...

Amen, my sistah, amen!!! I like it when you preach the sermon. : )

Ben Z said...

...That being said though,I will always try a new oreo creation, just as I will always try a new Reese's creation.

Denise Ryan said...

Ben - thanks for the comment and I have to say, "Oh hell yeah!" They are all totally worth trying! And so cheap you can't lose even if once in a while they suck. : ) I'm still bitter I didn't try the peanut butter and banana Reese's.

theflippist said...

The question now becomes...do you trust a 3 year old Reese's, and is 5 bucks worth it?

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Lot-Reeses-Reeses-Peanut-Butter-Banana-Elvis-LE-MINT-/160460694126?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255c33e26e

Seeing as how your taste tests are so very scientific, it might not be fair to sample and rate something that expired...but really, I'm guessing it still tastes about the same. I remember it being decent, hovering on the edge of 'not so good'. But I tend to enjoy any candy that is thrown my way so I may not be the best judge.

Denise Ryan said...

Bwah, ha, ha - yeah, Ben, I got no science. But in the world of taste, it's really pretty unscientific anyway. Even as low as my standards are, three years is too scary. One, I'd totally go for, but not three. Peanut butter can get a little rancid, and God knows what happens to bananas. I can't get the damn things to last longer than a few days. But you rock for finding one!!