Wednesday, May 16, 2018

The Elusive Lemon Cookie

I've been on the search for a tart and sweet lemon cookie. 
It has to be tart. 
There are plenty of sweet, lemon cookies but I fail to see the point unless there is a degree of piquant tartness. 


My favorite kind of lemon cookie is no longer in production. It was the Lemon Cooler Cookie made by Sunshine Biscuits.  
 In 1902, Joseph Loose, Jacob Loose and John H. Wiles formed the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company. They named their products Sunshine Biscuits. 
Joseph had been on the board for Nabisco - National Biscuit Company. 
Keebler bought Sunshine in 1996. Kellogg bought Keebler in 2000. 
They discontinued the Lemon Cooler after the acquisition by Keebler. 
Niche Foods Company was making them a few years ago. Cost Plus World Market sold them as did Amazon. 
I can no longer find them, however. 
Sunshine's Cheez It Baked Snack Crackers are still sold. 
Hydrox Cream Filled Chocolate Sandwich Cookie, a counterpart to Oreo was also one of their brands. I preferred the Hydrox Sandwich Cookie to Oreo. 
If you look at the cookie and cracker aisle there is very little space given to anything but Oreo, Cheez It and Chips Ahoy. 
There are dozens and dozens of types of Oreos. The same is true for Cheez It. 

It the race for grocery store shelf space these two brands are king and we as the consumer miss out on flavors other than chocolate and cheese. 


I was excited when I saw these Lemon Nilla Wafers. They have the same shape, texture and crunch of the Lemon Cooler but they are missing the zesty tang. 
The Lemon Cooler was similar to a wedding cookie in that it was rolled or sprinkled in powdered sugar after baking. The powdered sugar was infused with lemon. 
A violent coughing fit because of inhaled lemony powdered sugar was an experience not to be missed. 


I tried to recreate the effect by rolling these in powdered sugar and lemon but it didn't quite work. 


Archway has these soft lemon cookies but they aren't tart enough for me. 

You may find this hard to believe but I preferred lemon flavor over chocolate. 
I may be alone in that judging by the varied and bizarre flavors of Oreo Cookies - Pumpkin Spice, Watermelon, Root Beer Float, Swedish Fish, Peeps, Waffles and Syrup to name a few. 
Really? 
Just save a little room on the shelf for a tangy and sweet, not too buttery lemon cookie. 
Have a great day. 
What are you craving? 
Katie 

5 comments :

  1. I love lemon = and my husband says the same thing - he cannot get them tart enough. I keep trying (well sometimes) to find the perfect recipe, so far haven't. You aren't along! : - )

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  2. Katie, I prefer both lemon and vanilla over chocolate. The only Oreos I like are the white ones. :) I loved those lemon cookies as well. I think I've got to try a box of the lemon vanilla wafers, just to see.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  3. I am with you! I love a good tart lemon anything....but lemon bars seem to be the only thing that is tart. I have a recipe for Italian lemon cookies but I don't think they are tart. Try a tart lemon something with chocolate frosting...yum!

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  4. Katie I am right there with you! I love lemon, but I want the perfect blend of sweet and tart. I feel the same way about limeades. I rarely have them because they are either too sweet or too tart. While I will occasionally eat chocolate, I'm not a big fan at all. Now I'm craving lemon cookies too....

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  5. I don't find that hard to believe at all. I just had that conversation last night about lemon over chocolate. And I want tart! Do you read "The Painted Apron?" Jenna featured Sarah's Lemon Pie -- easy and super tart but super delicious! I'll probably be linking to it when I get the pix uploaded!

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