My Favorite Cookies

In keeping with a mellow, laid-back weekend set of posts (no global warming, homelessness, etc.) I hereby present a list of my favorite cookies, in no particular order except number 1:

1. Mint Milanos: Pepperidge Farm's delicate blend of chocolate and mint, tucked neatly between a crunchy cookie that gives with just the right amount of resistance. Heaven. They come in little paper containers. Bet you can't restrict yourself to just one package. I have been know to parcel out three and then go back five more times for "just one more." Note: There are now lots of other Milano variants, including the original mintless variety, milk chocolate, orange, raspberry, chocolate (cookie)...

2. Mother's Animal Cookies: These small snacks have white icing and jimmies and are perfect for eating sequentially for an extended period of time until you burst. I haven't had any for a while, and that's probably a good thing.

3. Le Petit Ecolier. The little schoolboy cookies by Lu have the best chocolate of any cookie--perhaps even #1 above. MMMMMMM. I eat each one in several bites so I can let the chocolate melt in my mouth.

4. Double Stuf Oreos. These improve on Nabisco's original timeless recipe by doubling (tripling?) the white cream filling. I still eat them by twisting them apart and eating the icing first. It sometimes all sticks to one side and sometimes remains attached partially to both. No big deal. The best part? You get a lot of cookies for the price.

5. Pinwheels. Oh my--the world's best use of marshmallow. The crack of the chocolate coating as you sink your teeth into it is quite addictive. Lucky they sell them in packages of (I think?) a dozen (carefully separated by plastic). That limits the number you eat--because you won't stop because you're "full."

6. Any other cookies by Pepperidge Farm. They know how to do it--and their packaging, with enlarged photos of the contents front and center, is very effective. Tearing open the package feels like receiving a present.

Oh, I've left a lot of them out! I like the chocolate chip (chunk) cookies at Starbucks and Peet's, especially at 3 p.m. with coffee. And Girl Scout cookies are always fun--but seasonal (fortunately).