Friday, June 26, 2015

Pepperidge Farm Cookies

What do you do when you are bored in an American Airline's Admiral's Club?  I dunno about you, but I sample the food.  Of course, there isn't really much offered in most Admiral's Clubs.  But in LAX, the lounge is divided into two sections, and the Flagship Lounge has Pepperidge Farm Cookies.  I guess they are considered premium?  I am not really much of a cookie fan, at least compared to other desserts, and these didn't look great, but, I was bored, so I decided to try them all.

I'm not one who grew up with packaged cookies, Pepperidge Farm or otherwise, so I don't have fond childhood memories of these cookies, although I know many people do.  That isn't to say that I didn't have cookies, I just had fresh baked cookies at all times, because my mother was a baker.  But all those classic packaged cookies, Pepperidge Farm, Chips Ahoy!, Keebler ... they never found their way into our house.

Of course, somehow over the years I've encountered Pepperidge Farm cookies a few times, perhaps at parties or friends houses.  When I started my job, our microkitchens were filled with Milanos.  I remember always thinking the bags looked fancy.  But I still had no real memory of what these cookies were like.

It turns out, there was a reason for that.  They are just not memorable cookies!  My curiosity has been satisfied, but I won't be going out to buy any of these anytime soon.  Speaking of curiosity, I always look up information about a company when I write a post, and I learned that Pepperidge Farm is owned by the Campbells Soup company.  Random, right?  But maybe that is why people think of pairing Goldfish crackers and tomato soup?

Anyway, the assortment placed out in the lounge seemed to be the "Classic Favorites" assortment featuring 6 different cookies.  I tried them all.
Chessmen.
I started with a Chessmen.

I guess Chessmen are just simple shortbread?  But this wasn't nearly as buttery or decadent as a shortbread should be.  It crumbled very easily.

Plain and boring, my 3rd pick of the 6.
Bordeaux.
Next the "bordeaux".  The name told me nothing about it, so I had no idea what to expect.

What on earth is this thing?  It was super thin and crispy.  It almost seemed burnt, but perhaps this is the desired taste and texture?  Why on earth would you ever want such a plain, crispy cookie?  I'd promptly turn these into a tart crust, or at least slather them with ... something.

Probably my least favorite.
Lisbon.
Next I went for the "Lisbon".  It seemed to be a chocolate chip cookie, dipped in dark chocolate on one edge.  It isn't listed on the Pepperidge Farm website, so I think it only comes as part of the collection.

It was ... a plain, boring, crispy cookie, with bits of chocolate inside that were too small to taste.  Definitely not for me, my second to least favorite.
Milano.
"Ah, the classic Milano cookie. Simple. Elegant. The perfect balance of exquisite cookies and luxuriously rich chocolate—in irresistible varieties to match any mood."

Just slightly better than the Lisbon was the Milano.  Seriously, all these cookies are just so boring.  The chocolate filling placed the Milano above the Lisbon for me, but even then, there wasn't nearly enough chocolate to really taste or be interesting.
Brussels Cookie.
"A Brussels cookie is a celebration of contrasting textures. Lace-thin, crisp cookies embrace a layer of smooth, luxurious, dark chocolate"

Ok, this one was at least interesting.  It was super crispy in a good way, and almost seemed ... fried?  It was fairly decadent.  My second pick.
Lido.
The Lido is another one not listed on the Pepperidge Farm website, no longer available on its own, but still part of some samplers.  It seems to be buttery shortbread cookies filled with chocolate.  Sorta like a Milano, but round, and with better cookies.

My favorite of all that I tried, but I don't really have any interest in having more of these.

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