The Pepperidge Farm Cookie Topic

[M.X.Hassett]

Gotta love the orange milanos

[Malawry]

Has anybody tried the new French vanilla Milanos?

I love the vanilla flavor, but I thought they were too sweet.

[jgm]

Does PF still make the butter cookies with the jam in the middle? I haven't seen these in AGES and I miss them terribly. If they're still made, anybody know where I can get some????

[I_call_the_duck]

Do I have to pick a favorite?

[Pontormo]

Nice little piece of trivia:

The Milano cookie was "invented" by Guy Mermier, Professor Emeritus of French, The University of Michigan, during a summer job at Pepperidge Farm when he was a student.

He and his wife purchased a lovely summer home in Michigan with the profits he earned.

[mukki]

The cream-filled ones are nice--but I really like the unfilled ones--especially to serve with ice cream or an iced coffee.  It got harder and harder to find those awhile back.  Not sure if they even make them anymore.  First it seems the plain unfilled ones disappeared as they added chocolate bits to the dough.  Then came the cream-filled...

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I also miss the unfilled pirouettes -- I remember the chocolate-flecked ones in particular. I don't think they're made anymore, as I haven't found them for years.

[Randi]

Had anyone tried "Whims"?

They are (taken from their website): "a scrumptious fusion between cookie sweetness and crunchy texture, providing a delightfully delicious munchable snack. Their poppable, small size makes them easy to eat at work, at home, or on the go. Whims come in two different product forms, Crispy Waves, crispy-thin snacks with just the right amount of chocolate or toffee; and, Crunchy Clusters, combinations of favorite cookie ingredients — chocolate, nuts and crispy bits — all rolled up into bite-sized poppable clusters."

I tried the toffee Crispy Waves. Not bad. Very small, light crispy bits.

[jgm]

Had anyone tried "Whims"? 

They are (taken from their website): "a scrumptious fusion between cookie sweetness and crunchy texture, providing a delightfully delicious munchable snack. Their poppable, small size makes them easy to eat at work, at home, or on the go. Whims come in two different product forms, Crispy Waves, crispy-thin snacks with just the right amount of chocolate or toffee; and, Crunchy Clusters, combinations of favorite cookie ingredients — chocolate, nuts and crispy bits — all rolled up into bite-sized poppable clusters."

I tried the toffee Crispy Waves.  Not bad.  Very small, light crispy bits.

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We've seen them on the shelf at the grocery store. I took one look at the calorie count, and put them back on the shelf. Snacks like this often become an addiction with me, and I just don't need another addiction!

[Pan]

Has anybody tried the new French vanilla Milanos?

I love the vanilla flavor, but I thought they were too sweet.

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Yeah, I don't like them either. Overall, I like the Raspberry Milanos best. My standby used to be Orange Milanos, and the various chocolate ones are also good.

[Giagie]

I'm fortunate enough to work less than a min away from Pepperidge Farm HQ in Norwalk, CT; which also means that there is a Pepperidge Discount store nearby. But I don't frequent the store because I would devour any trace of Milano's; especially the double chocolate ones

[*Deborah*]

One more thing I miss about living in the US: the Pepperidge Farm we get here tend to be rather stale.

I used to be a Milano and Orange Milano devotee, and those Chesapeakes...PECANS! YES!

Now, back in Canada, PF stands for Peek Freans, not Pepperidge Farms.

I miss those little loaves of square bread, too, wrapped in white paper...

[lorilei1170]

Dark chocolate Milanos, the soft Oatmeal raisin (even my cat likes these...)

and they used to make a coconut cookie called Zanzibar mmmmmmmmmm

[bookluvingbabe]

Lido cookies. Mom used to put them in my lunch box....

[Jason Perlow]

Good lord do I love Chessmen and Brussels.

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Brussels are great. As are Milanos. Chessmen I really don't have stong opinions on.

These days, however, when perusing the cookie aisle at Wallgreens when I am on a business trip or something (when Rachel is around I get the "no you don't" look and I have to put them back) more often than not I am reaching for LU Le Petit Ecolier Extra Dark (also known in the Netherlands, LU's country of origin as Pim's Scholiertje) if I am going to shell out the bucks.

[Pan]

Jason, have you tried Bahlsen's Afrika cookies?

[M.X.Hassett]

Good lord do I love Chessmen and Brussels.

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These days, however, when perusing the cookie aisle at Wallgreens when I am on a business trip or something (when Rachel is around I get the "no you don't" look and I have to put them back) more often than not I am reaching for LU Le Petit Ecolier Extra Dark (also known in the Netherlands, LU's country of origin as Pim's Scholiertje) if I am going to shell out the bucks.

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The little school boy cookies are great I like the extra dark too, but they also have a very good hazelnut version out similar to lindt truffles(The free ones they used to give out at Marriots).

Jason, have you tried Bahlsen's Afrika cookies?

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Do they still make these? They used to be one of my favorites but I have had trouble finding them in N. Jersey

[Jason Perlow]

Jason, have you tried Bahlsen's Afrika cookies?

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No, I don't beleive I have, although I recall having something similar from Switzerland.

You are referring to these?

http://www.germandeli.com/4017100311000.html

[Pan]

Jason, have you tried Bahlsen's Afrika cookies?

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Do they still make these? They used to be one of my favorites but I have had trouble finding them in N. Jersey

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They sell them at some of my local convenience stores, so I think they're still being made. Nice dark chocolate.

[Pan]

Jason, have you tried Bahlsen's Afrika cookies?

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No, I don't beleive I have, although I recall having something similar from Switzerland.

You are referring to these?

http://www.germandeli.com/4017100311000.html

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I think the ones I get are dark chocolate, not milk chocolate, but otherwise, they're the same. Same box, etc.

[racheld]

Chessmen!!! They taste like a crispy, crunchy version of licking the Eagle Brand can lid.

And I think Miss Paula makes a Gucci version of Banana Pudding with them, instead of Nilla Wafers. Gotta try it.

[Toliver]

Chessmen!!!    They taste like a crispy, crunchy version of licking the Eagle Brand can lid.   

And I think Miss Paula makes a Gucci version of Banana Pudding with them, instead of Nilla Wafers.  Gotta try it.

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Paula Deen's "Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding"

Really good stuff, Maynard.

[chemprof]

My grandmama used to always have Bordeaux in the pantry. So they remind me of her. Milanos are my husband's weakness...but then he lives on chocolate.

I know there is a PF discount store around here someplace....I'm not sure I want to know where though.

Anne

[MHarney]

I also miss the unfilled Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes -- I remember the chocolate-flecked ones in particular. I don't think they're made anymore, as I haven't found them for years.

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I haven't seen the unfilled Pirouettes for four or five years now. I always bought those when I planned to make vanilla ice cream as they were the perfect combination. I have no interest in the filled ones because I like them filled with slightly melty ice cream. Trader Joe's carries a very similar unfilled pirouline cookie, but the PF ones were much better, in my opinion (and were bigger by perhaps 50%). My own attempts at making piroulines (aka Russian Cigars, I think) have produced mixed results. I don't find them easy to make. Per Julia, I've made it a point to develop asbestos hands over the years ("The trick is not minding" - G. Liddy), but those things are danged hot straight off the cookie sheet, and you only have a minute or two to work with them before they set up and won't roll, and I think any kind of protective glove would be too cumbersome. I'd love to see PF's manufacturing process for them.

The semi-discontinued Pepperidge Farm cookie I miss the most, however, is the Tahiti, a coconut and chocolate delight. They dropped off the shelves at least a year or two before the unfilled Pirouettes became extinct. Tahitis aren't sold individually any longer, but they're still included one of the large PF chocolate cookie collections -- in which you get four Tahitis for your six or seven bucks. T'huh.

A couple of years ago, I noted Trader Joe's carries unsweetened shredded coconut. A bit of further shredding and toasting of that, some melted bittersweet chocolate for coating, and elements of two or three recipes enabled me to come up with a solution to my small gastroeconomic problem. The results of my first attempt were a bit bland, so the second time I made them, I doubled the amount of coconut and increased the sugar by a third. They ain't Tahitis, but they're pretty good.

I remember reading a few years ago of a pastry chef who had spent a weekend or so duplicating every Pepperidge Farm cookie then extant -- just to keep his chops up, if I recall correctly. I can't remember where I read it, but this mention may have been in one of Steingarten's books. Anybody know who that was? Say...maybe he has a better Tahiti recipe.

[lia]

I still can't forgive PF for discontinuing Molasses Crisp and that was years and years ago. What a perfect cookie.

I'll still eat an original Brussels or Bordeaux.

[MHarney]

I still can't forgive PF for discontinuing Molasses Crisp and that was years and years ago.  What a perfect cookie.

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Prolly won't be exactly the same, but Gale Gand has a recipe for Molasses Crisps. Sounds good, and I haven't used molasses in anything since I made a 7-hour wheyed (on purpose) Indian Pudding from a very old recipe a few months back, so I think I'll try it tomorrow.