@Cerridwyn “Best by” sounds fairly fine? California allows “best if used by” which sounds like “best by” to me. It means the product might taste a bit stale after that date but it’s still usable. It also allows “use by” which means it’s potentially unsafe after that date and you should throw it out. It has banned “sell by” since lots of people were throwing out product on the sell-by date, which is misunderstanding that “sell by” had lots of storage life left. It was directed at retailer who are supposed to sell stuff at maximum freshness. Consumers can instead decide using the dates directed at consumers.

Cookies are cookies, I’m just trying to resist these because I don’t need to gain more weight. If anything, going stale is a virtue. I’ll still eat stale cookies, but maybe fewer at a time, which is good for my waistline. It’s only a problem if they really spoil and it’s usually obvious if that happens.

@Cerridwyn @phr pretty sure these are almost indestructible, like Twinkies. But Chips Ahoy was one of my father’s favorite cookies, many years ago. And some Pepperidge Farm ( never was really a farm) cookies.

Would almost buy for nostalgia, and like the small bags for road trips. But too many of them!
Also, serious question, is there real chocolate in these chocolate chips? You may heard there were shortages of ingredients used to make “real” chocolate and supply prices went way up. So some MegaFood switched to terms like “chocolate flavored.” You may have Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with sprayed-on chocolate substance had to bow to pressure and will go back to real chocolate by 2027. Allegedly.

@Cerridwyn @phr @pmarin
Chips Ahoy are not indestructible. They become quite rancid after a few years. (I joined a PR team by Nabisco to give out a truck of cookies; we only got rid of half so we started looking for friends and family to come by and take stuff by the crate. A crate of cookies lasts a long long time.)

Also, why don’t companies use carob more? It’s just as expensive as chocolate, but no caffeine and it can be grown in (slightly) more places.

@Cerridwyn it’s “sell by” that California is eliminating, which is for retailers, not consumers.

“Best by” and “use by” are still allowed.

@Cerridwyn @pakopako @phr @pmarin Unfortunately, carob tastes like shit. Us old people learned that back in the 70s, when “health foods” contained it as a substitute for chocolate.

@catgrrl @Cerridwyn @pakopako @phr exactly. I was remembering the time, yes it would have been the 1970s. We had local kind-of “health food” stores and one common item was “trail mix” with carob chips. Or you could buy them to make your own cookies.

I don’t remember them as being that bad, but what the Hell were they even? I do remember at that age (maybe 10-15) that there was this corporate party game of “shortages” and price hikes that went way up and slowly, if ever, came down. Coffee, chocolate, sugar were among the items that did this. That might be part of the carob thing, but seriously, what was it and where did it go?

@catgrrl @Cerridwyn @phr @pmarin carob, like cacao, is a bean. Cacao is fatter (33% by volume) and is only in very hot regions. Carob is 33% sugar and is from around the Mediterranean (so slightly less hot).

Carob is used a lot in foods as locust bean gum (similar to beans, oats, bread, or potatoes, they are often added as a thickening agent - really: add bread to thicken soup, or oatmeal to solidify a beef patty).

@Cerridwyn @pakopako @phr @pmarin Some of us would prefer unchipped cookies over carob chip.

@medz they’re mini sized, so yes (but they’re in bags which use air as a cushion)

@pakopako true, that is a good point about saving plastic bags.

Price per pound is also good. Does not include the cost of GLP-1 drugs you may need. That’s a lot of pounds of cookies.

@pakopako
These things are beyond nasty. Enjoy! Just make some f’ing cookies

@ArmchairGamer It worked! Your order number is: paltry-muscular-shark

/showme paltry muscular shark

@mediocrebot Here’s the image you requested for “paltry muscular shark”

@mediocrebot he was great in Suicide Squad movie!

@TheFLP Well, we had the mini-stroopwafels for a while. Just more mini. They showed putting them into a serving of ice cream. But being mini they could not fit on top of a Hot cup of coffee, which is a recommended use scenario. There was even a Jumbo.
But mini chips-ahoy I think juat eat them or put into ice cream or yogurt.

@pmarin @TheFLP or add milk like cookie crisp

@TheFLP From what I remember the ones that my sister left at my mom’s apartment, they were slightly bigger than a quarter.

@TheFLP ok, they are a little bigger than a quarter. Banana and quarter for scale.

@craigthom I was thinking the same thing…

@craigthom
No matter when you eat them they will be awful. Its not food, not even close

@craigthom My first thought was why don’t they sell this before halloween!

@craigthom @retro603 Once upon a time, this brand was good. That was decades ago. Now, the typical store brand is usually better, at least around here.

@Mandamm I do indeed agree. I started seeing No High Fructose Corn Syrup proudly mentioned almost everywhere, including corporate MegaFood. Makes you wonder why it’s here. Or maybe explains why these toxic waste packs are being dumped here. Thanks for pointing it out.

@Mandamm So the statement “HFCS is banned in Canada and Europe” is a myth. It is legal in both places, although Europe generally uses less of it than the United States for historical and economic reasons.

In Canada, it may be labeled as glucose-fructose or fructose-glucose, depending on the proportion of each sugar.

HFCS is also legal in the European Union, though it’s usually called isoglucose rather than high-fructose corn syrup.

Historically, the EU imposed production quotas on isoglucose to protect the sugar beet industry. Those quotas, in place until 2017, kept its use relatively low compared with the U.S. Since the quotas were abolished, production has increased, but sucrose (table sugar) remains the dominant sweetener in many European foods.

Is it healthier or worse than sugar?

The scientific consensus is that HFCS and table sugar are metabolically very similar when consumed in comparable amounts.

Table sugar (sucrose) is about 50% glucose and 50% fructose.
The most common HFCS used in soft drinks (HFCS-55) is about 55% fructose and 45% glucose.
Another common formulation (HFCS-42) is about 42% fructose and 58% glucose.

For most practical purposes, research has found little evidence that HFCS is uniquely harmful compared with consuming the same amount of regular sugar. The bigger concern is excess intake of added sugars of any kind, which is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and tooth decay.

Source: The internet - try it!

@Mandamm And to clarify what I said about table sugar - Table sugar = sucrose
Each sucrose molecule consists of:
1 glucose molecule
1 fructose molecule

So by weight, sucrose is about:

50% glucose
50% fructose

However, those sugars are chemically bonded together. When you eat sucrose, enzymes in your small intestine quickly split it into free glucose and fructose before they’re absorbed.

@Mandamm @Trinityscrew That’s the main difference, that the disaccharide sucrose needs to be split into the monosaccharides fructose and glucose by an enzyme before being used by the body. Otherwise HFCS is functionally the same.

OK, the real main difference is that HFCS is cheap in the US because of farm subsidies, and cane sugar has an inflated price due to import tariffs.

Also, from a manufacturing point of view, a liquid is easier to work with than a solid.

But, you’re right, there’s no difference once it’s in the body. HFCS is legal in Canada and in the EU; they just call it something different.

@Mandamm @Trinityscrew well. I do remember when the HFCS thing really got going here (as mentioned, supported by subsidies and also by factories preferring tanks of liquid) and an initial selling point was that fructose is “fruit sugar” and therefore it’s “healthy” and so just like giving your kids an apple or bunch of grapes. Kind-of but not really. Also we saw lots of “healthy” kids drinks sweetened with apple or grape juice, the idea being fruit is healthy and good for a growing kid. Problem is that parents would just hand them juice cans or the juice boxes with straws with no limit… like a pacifier to suck on. In many cases way too much sugar intake. So it led to hyperactivity, ADHD, and also the “growing” was largely around the waist leading to increased childhood obesity.

@Mandamm - Side info - Trader Joe’s branded products never contain HFCS (or artificial dyes, flavors, or preservatives).

@Mandamm @pmarin @Trinityscrew Fructose is metabolized in the liver, and one of the products is VLDL, widely tagged as a primary actor in arterial plaques. Excess glucose just spikes insulin levels and shuts down the normal fat metabolism in favor of storage, arguably still not ideal but maybe less bad overall?

@catgrrl hmmm, yes. But it’s amazing what “ kids these days” can figure out based on info they find on their own. They won’t listen to anyone older for a while. Problem is, some info is really good healthy nutrition information, and other might be dangerous TikTok challenges that go viral.
But I do have two friends whose late teenage daughters got into doing their own cooking, occasionally vegan, and baking things like cookies and cakes. You can bet those cookies only had organic sugar from the local expensive natural food store, no HFCS.
But as their parents which include my age group, and of course even they age naturally in their 20s, you become aware if the incredible cost od health care and medications, and realize spending more time and money on quality food turns out to be a bargain.

@catgrrl Okay, agree to disagree on the taste last millennium. But the originals have gotten much worse in the last 10-15 years. Crumblier and often under-baked. They also lost those white sleeves, which means the freshness meter starts running for all the cookies when you open the box, not just half. Fail. (Though obviously not for these landfill-fillers.)

But the “candy blast” and mini varieties are typically baked more thoroughly and taste a bit better (imo, ymmv).

They’re not Famous Amos, but on sale they’re not bad. Which is why I’m staying away. B/c they’d be gone in a week.

@catgrrl @pmarin there’s also more variety on shelves now

@catgrrl @stinks Famous Amos isn’t what it originally was, either.

@catgrrl @pakopako @pmarin Actually, my experience has been that there are fewer cookie choices available today than there were a couple of decades back. There are entire classes of thing that have either shrunk or vanished. Sixteen variations on a theme of chocolate chip is not real variety.

@catgrrl @werehatrack I may have had a few Amoses today.

/image not too shabby sandler

@Bumplepimp I personally like the Family Guy variant (at the end)

@retro603 What do you really think of these, though? Your repeated comments are all over the place!!

@macphoenix @retro603 if by “all over the place,” you mean “consistently derogatory and oft-repeated,” then yes. Anecdotal, sure, but good enough for me in this case. Really, tho, it’s just way too many.

@macphoenix @mehvid1

Wow!

It pains me that the comments on here every day are nothing but trolls.

Forgive me for subtly trolling chemical cookies. My bad

@macphoenix @retro603 lol. I wasn’t trolling you, so piss off. Admitted “subtle troll” attacks the “real trolls.”
To be clear about my earlier comment, by “way too many,” I was referring to the number of cookies, not the # of comments. I couldn’t give a shit how many times you post and how much you put down any product, unless I personally made it.

@macphoenix @retro603 I was just trying to subtly point out that usually “all over the place” means one is being inconsistent in one’s words/actions. Credit to @retro603 for being consistent, if somewhat redundant. Whatever, y’all….

@mehvid1 I used the phrase to be ambiguous. I’m super clever. But not sarcastic. Sarcasm is for cowards.

@macphoenix I think Retro may have had one too many chemical cookies, but I’m not here for a fight. I’m a sarcastic coward myself.

@zachdecker It worked! Your order number is: deranged-disillusioned-place

/showme deranged disillusioned place

@mediocrebot Here’s the image you requested for “deranged disillusioned place”

@zachdecker Thanks for your purchase, I’ll never sleep again.

@dave @zachdecker … at least not there!

@macphoenix Are they better? I ask because the full size ones are nothing to get excited about. In fact, I haven’t bought a package of them in a long time because I get a sample every once in awhile at a party, and it’s always extremely disappointing.

@werehatrack Good question. I would say no. They have a completely different texture than other packaged cookie, and the “chips” are just tiny spots of chocolate.

But, I’m buying the box anyway. They’re not bad in a pinch.

@chienfou it’s really tempting with three children that love snacks. These would be perfect for their lunches when school starts. If they even last that long.

@sflesch It worked! Your order number is: dandy-unwilling-yoke

/showme dandy unwilling yoke

@mediocrebot Here’s the image you requested for “dandy unwilling yoke”

@cfg83 CORRECTION: 40, not 60, so 40 for $10 or 40 for $15 ,

@cfg83 how close do you live to @mehvid1?

@dave if @cfg83 can’t see Q2 stadium from their domicile, I ain’t gonna do it.

@dave @mehvid1 I don’t know. I live in the “South Bay” of Los Angeles. Those are cities with the name “Beach” in them.

@cfg83 @dave well, sheeeyit, I guess I can go to Long Beach for a good deal on some tiny, maybe too crispy and not very chocolatey cookies.

@mehvid1 let’s negotiate. How about half the bags for twice the price?

@dave @mehvid1 they want 1/3 so I think you’d have to charge triple.

@dave the corruption goes all the way to the top!

@dave @mehvid1 @sillyheathen
I was told there would be no math.

@dave @mehvid1 @pmarin @sillyheathen

I was told there would be no math.

Ha! That’s what Chloe thought …

@dave @mehvid1 @pmarin there is no math if you just pay the man and don’t ask questions.

@dave @mehvid1 @sillyheathen
/youtube let the man go through super bon

Correction: I was told there would be no cats.

@pmarin Thx. I had that as an earworm for a while back in the day. I had never seen the vid.

@mehvid1 could also think of things to follow after the colon, ellipses. Though not sure it’s valid style-wise either.

… that would bring about permanent world peace
… that would allow us all to levitate
… that would magically convert any cheap tequila into Patron.
… that would work like those phony 3D glasses they used to sell at the back of comic books, that claimed to allow us to see girls’ underwear.

@mehvid1 @pmarin

… that would work like those phony 3D glasses they used to sell at the back of comic books, that claimed to allow us to see girls’ underwear.

$1 and it’s yours!!!

@pmarin so long as the querying sentence ends with a question mark, I’ll be okay.

@mehvid1
Ellipses don’t belong there, while you are at it.

@chienfou Right. I wasn’t suggesting they (ellipses) be included, just using them to indicate that there was text following.

@cfg83 Here’s the image you requested for “painting of Mini Chips Ahoy Snack Pack with words underneath in French Ce n’est pas un cookie aux…”

@cfg83 @mediocrebot Mais non, c’est un biscuit croquant! (Or so L’Academie Française would have it.)

@jfsiv Here’s the image you requested for “pleasant-tenuous-werewolf”

@kyoshii they don’t appear to be sold out. There’s still a chance

@ironcheftoni oh! Maybe I’ll order another box then… altho I just counted out and realized how many 120 is. And I only got 111, lol

@ironcheftoni @kyoshii They do taste pretty fresh, but each bag is so tiny with only 5 or 6 micro cookies. Still this is way cheaper than the equivalent quantity out of the vending machine at work.

KuoH

@ironcheftoni @kuoh yeah! Still yummy! I’m ordering another box, lol

@ironcheftoni @kuoh @kyoshii think you got the last one

@ironcheftoni @kuoh @kyoshii @pakopako We’ve got just a few left, but the meh price is over

@ironcheftoni @kuoh @pakopako @troy I got a second box at the meh price just under the wire! So many cookies heheehheeh

@ironcheftoni @kyoshii @pakopako @troy Ouch, that’s quite the Mehflation. Guess I’ll take my chances the next batch might be at a better value.

KuoH

@janeen oof… I had one pack get exploded but my box was only slightly dented and upside-down. And the tape wasn’t really holding well. Wondering if a few packs fell out…

@janeen I got my second box and it was also kinda crushed. I feel like these boxes weren’t meant for direct shipping, lol