Christmas cookie traditions around the world include peppery papparkakor from Sweden, lemony krumkake from Norway, almond-flavored letterbanket from Holland, pfeffernuessen and spritz and lebkuchen from Germany. One word: Montieris. But Konstanty did deliver one surprise: It turns out that most of Pepperidge Farm’s customers are women, and more specifically, moms. With Sausalitos, Nantuckets, and the rest of the chocolate chunk line—“a different kind of experience from an eating perspective”—it’s more like half. He goes through his guest list: Charlie likes Milanos, Terrence likes Bordeaux, and Gladys likes Genevas. And if one day it is determined that the line needs a shot in the arm, I suspect some genius in the Innovation Center will be able to come up with something. Facing her failure, Rudkin decided she needed to look beyond her kitchen for inspiration. “Our plants are quite pressed for capacity, so every time we dream up a new sweet snack ... we have to stop the production line in one of our plants,” he said. I turned into the driveway and parked. Putting aside the fact that I don’t quite understand how a Milano Slice is really a Milano—it would seem an open-faced Milano would be a contradiction in terms, seeing as the sandwich structure of the original is its defining feature—I’m afraid the new class, though bold and good and occasionally even thrilling, just didn’t pull me in like my old favorites do. By the time I found myself standing in a room full of metal machinery, surrounded by bakers in white aprons and staring at a tray of freshly baked cookie prototypes that I was not even allowed to photograph, it was clear that my task was no longer just a glorified taste test. All rights reserved. Saint Vindicianus, the Bishop of Cambrai, made the first recorded reference to the place Brosella in 695, when it was still a hamlet. You need something unobtrusive: easy-to-eat and not distractingly flavorful. The company has since brought its “exquisite European biscuits” to the American market, and according to Mieke Vansevenant, Delacre’s marketing manager, the Belgian company now considers Pepperidge Farm a competitor. But though there is a five-question, multiple-choice quiz on the official PF website that helps customers decide which cookie they’re in the mood to eat (when I described myself as being into skydiving, alternative rock, Italian leather boots, and traditional Ethiopian cuisine, I was informed I should try a Sausalito) it would seem that PF does not actually possess such granular data on the people who love their cookies. Then, in early 1956, Rudkin showed off her new wares at a New York food convention, and before long, customers throughout the Northeast were seeking out PF’s now-iconic white bags. This is especially important because there is such a thing as cookie extinction in the world of Pepperidge Farm. And though there is definitely a lot of overlap between varieties, there are nevertheless meaningful distinctions to be made, and I suspect all of us have some taxonomy in mind, however subconsciously, when we’re standing in the cookie aisle and deciding which bag to bring home. Also the preparation time of your order can be longer than 3 BUSINESS DAYS up to 1 week right now. The Milano Slices line, an open-faced number dressed with crunchy toppings, is also going to debut new models: Any day now you should see Salted Pretzels ones on shelves, and around Christmastime expect the arrival of crushed peppermint. Inside I found more than 30 varieties of cookies, including all the classics, as well as a bounty of Milano spin-offs—toffee and almond Milano Slices? Belgian cookies shipped to Canada. According to former PF president Pat Callaghan, the cookies in the chunky line are supposed to match the topography of their eponym (the white chocolate chunks of Tahoes = Sierra Nevada snowcaps). My timing turned out to be perfect. After taking a tour of Delacre, Rudkin negotiated a licensing agreement that would allow Pepperidge Farm to make and sell the bakery’s fancy European cookies in America. Invariably, the complaint about Chessmen is that they’re “boring.” But frankly, if you’re bored by these handsome, buttery things, it says more about you than it does about the cookie. Belgian Expat Shop ships worldwide at the lowest shipping rates. You will hesitate to swallow until you remember there are more in the bag—a fact that is easy enough to forget thanks to PF’s unique approach to packaging, with the cookies neatly divided into three vertically stacked paper cups. They aren’t sold separately anymore, so you’re going to have to assemble this little goodie bag by hand after buying up several sampler packs. Some are driven by their use of chocolate (Lisbon, Brussels), while others are built around creative fruitiness (Verona, Montieri). In the next six months, PF is planning to issue a new line of dessert-inspired soft cookies, including a pumpkin cheesecake variety and a caramel apple pie one. With all these new products in mind, I asked Konstanty—who spent his high school summers baking for Pepperidge Farm—if he thought the role that cookies play in people’s lives is changing. Weinstein pointed out the 200-pound mixer into which a team of five R&D people in the company’s cookie division will pour their ingredients; the “forming” apparatus that will be used to give the cookies their shape; and the make-up area where they will be adorned with nuts, chocolate chips, and powdered sugar. This is a tough one because it’s never going to look great, bringing a bag of grocery store cookies to someone’s house when your host has put in the effort to cook a real dinner.