I’ve got s’more s’mores for you guys…
Pepperidge Farm S’mores Cookies
This will never end, and I don’t want it to. Oft-forgotten because we’re too lazy to make our own, the s’mores are getting a resurgence in the junk food market. 2014 brought us S’mores Oreos, and I thought they were terrific. 2015 saw the return of Kellogg’s Smorz cereal, a fantastic cereal that Kellogg’s was dumb to let go a few years ago. 2015 has already brought us the incredibly addictive Snyder’s of Hanover S’mores Sweet & Salty Pretzel Pieces, a creative spin on everybody’s favorite combination of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker. Now, another popular cookie manufacturer is getting in the game with these new Pepperidge Farm S’mores cookies.
This seems like a logical addition to their Dessert Shop line, which transforms more complex desserts like brownies, cinnamon buns, and pies into cookies. I’ve only tried two; the Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies and the Pepperidge Farm Pecan Pie Cookies. I thought they were both good, not great, so I’m hoping for something greater from the s’mores version.
Pepperidge Farm S’mores Cookies are billed as “soft dessert cookies” and appear to have some large chocolate chunks, white chips that I assume are marshmallow flavored, and little caramel-colored morsels that I assume are the graham component. The ingredient list reveals milk chocolate, some honey that could help evoke the graham, and vanilla extract that could conjure up marshmallow. Opening the package, the aroma is something unique. I mostly got a buttery scent with faint traces of marshmallow. Not really getting much chocolate, I was hoping for s’more (God I hate myself).
First things first – Pepperidge Farm S’mores Cookies are some the softest, chewiest cookies I’ve ever eaten from a package. I know they’re billed as soft-dessert cookies, but it is a little weird trying to imagine “s’mores” (which are crunchy and sloppy) with something this… mushy. The flavors didn’t do a much better job getting me to “s’mores,” either. The cookie base is tasty enough – it reminds me of a holiday sugar cookie with traces of vanilla or honey. Another good comparison is shortbread/butter cookies with a much softer texture.
The glaring issue in Pepperidge Farm S’mores cookies is a simple and obvious one – dispersion of the components. There aren’t enough chocolate chips or marshmallow thingies or graham-flavored morsels in any one cookie, and they’re all spaced out so far from one another that no bite tastes like a s’mores. The chocolate is sweet and tasty, and the marshmallow-ish blobs taste true enough if you happen to get one of adequate size to make an impact. But most aren’t of adequate size; an even bigger issue for the crunchy graham nuggets.
Bottom Line: Pepperidge Farm S’mores cookies need some work. They taste more like holiday sugar cookies than they do s’mores. I think I would have really enjoyed these if they were more heavy-handed on chocolate chips and marshmallow thingamajigs. Heating them up in the microwave helped a bit – the cookie base took on more of a graham flavor (magic) and melty chocolate chips are appropriate for s’mores. But much like the other cookies in this line, these won’t be a repeat buy for me.
Needs S’more Ingredients Rating: 7.5 out of 10
How Screwed I Am When I Run Out of Puns Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 out of 10
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