I review a lot of cookies over here at Snackology. There’s a thrill in hunting down and trying an Oreo that tastes like Coca-Cola or S’mores. (I can’t say the same about the Oreo Thanksgiving Dinner Cookie Tin, though. At least I got to terrorize a bunch of my friends and their children with them over Thanksgiving.) But sometimes, you want a classier cookie. A more refined cookie.
That’s where the Pepperidge Farm Holiday Exclusive cookie collection comes into play.
Pepperidge Farm has released at least seven of their classic and seasonal cookies in “festive seasonal packaging,” making it easier for you (or, let’s not kid ourselves, me) to load up your shopping cart with a ridiculous number of bags of cookies.
Because I not only love cookies in forms but love bringing Snackology readers news about cookies, we’re about to dive into my thoughts on six of those seven (I’m missing the Gingerman cookies) along with two bonus cookies that serve a special role ...
To celebrate National Cookie Day, Pepperidge Farm also launched PepperidgeFarmHoliday.com this morning, giving you the chance to send a free cookie gram — boxes of Chessmen and Milano Mint Chocolate — to someone special in your life.
But wait! Like Steve Jobs selling cookies instead of iPhones, there’s one more thing! Goldfish Snoopy Peppermint Cocoa Grahams.
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Weirdly, many of these Pepperidge Farm cookies are new to me. Like I said earlier, I’ve eaten a lot of Oreos in my life, but the Pepperidge Farm cookies always carried another level of prestige as we went through the cookie aisle in the grocery store.
I’ve been missing out on pretty much all of these fantastic cookies, now available in fun holiday packaging.
Chessmen Holiday Nog
Right off the bat, Chessman Holiday cookies smelled fantastic. As someone who finds himself at some point during the holidays drinking an inappropriate amount of egg nog, I was very much looking forward to trying these cookies — and they nailed the egg nog taste that I love.
Snack score
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 (5 out of 5 cookies)
Milano Slices Peppermint
Milano Slices Peppermint is basically an open-face Milano cookie, skipping the traditional second cookie and exposing the chocolate center. In this case, the peppermint comes from crushed up peppermint candy sprinkled across that layer of chocolate. I would’ve liked the peppermint flavor to be amped up just a touch, but that’s not a dealbreaker here.
Snack score
🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)
Pepperidge Farm Brussels Mint
Pepperidge Farm Brussels Mint cookies, I was unfamiliar with your game. “You’ve never had those?!” my wife asked me when I mentioned that this was the first time I’ve eaten a Pepperidge Farm Brussels cookie. It won’t be the last. They’re light, minty and have a satisfying crunch when you bite into them.
Snack score
🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)
Pepperidge Farm Linzer Raspberry
While much of the Pepperidge Farm Holiday Exclusive cookie collection zigs in the mint direction, the Linzer Raspberry cookies zag, adding a raspberry filling between two soft cookies. The balance between cookie and raspberry is good, but I wouldn’t say no to a smidge more of the latter.
Snack score
🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)
Pepperidge Farm Thin & Crispy Peppermint Cocoa
Pepperidge Farm isn’t lying when it comes to calling these peppermint cocoa cookies thin and crispy. They’re chocolatey. They’re minty. And they shatter when you bite into them. I could easily keep eating these until the festive bag is empty.
Snack score
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 (5 out of 5 cookies)
Milano Amaretto Hot Cocoa
When I first bit into a Milano Amaretto Hot Cocoa cookie, I found myself wondering where the amaretto flavor was. Then it rolled in, that almond-esque taste taking a second to join the cookie party.
Snack score
🍪🍪🍪 (3 out of 5 cookies)
Milano Mint Chocolate Cookies
The Milano Mint Chocolate Cookies were the only disappointment among the Pepperidge Farm Holiday Exclusive cookie collection for me. Not nearly enough mint flavor to combat the overwhelming power of the two sandwich cookies that make up a Milano cookie.
Snack score
🍪🍪 (2 out of 5 cookies)
Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Butter Cookies
The Chessman Butter Cookies are classics. Simple yet effective when it comes to delivering a super snackable cookie. These are absolutely the MVP of the standard line of Pepperidge Farm cookies.
Snack score
🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)
Goldfish Snoopy Peppermint Cocoa Grahams
Is there a better way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Peanuts than curling up the couch with a bag (or two) of peppermint cocoa-flavored Goldfish graham crackers in the shape of Snoopy while watching A Charlie Brown Christmas?
Full disclosure: These two bags of Goldfish Snoopy Peppermint Cocoa weren’t the first ones consumed in our household this season. After they scored an endorsement from one of our nephews, we bought a pack of our own a few weeks back, and our daughter proceeded to commandeer the bag and walk around the house offering them to my wife and me.
Snack score
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 (5 out of 5 cookies)
The Pepperidge Farm Holiday Exclusive cookie collection and Goldfish Snoopy Peppermint Cocoa Grahams were provided to Snackology for this independent review.
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Snackology is written and produced by Bill Kuchman. Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
The Omnicosm founder. Popculturology, Deep SNL Thoughts and Snackology writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
