Milanos Get Melty

Milano Melts

I Paid: $3.49 for a 5.75-ounce bag (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 3 stars

Marketing: 3 stars

"Skeptical yet intrigued." That's the three-word description of my reaction to the marketing for the new Pepperidge Farm Milano spinoff cookies known as Milano Melts. Skeptical because Milanos are already pretty much perfect for what they are; Mint Milanos are on my own personal no-buy list because these sublime, commercially widespread examples of cookie perfection are so addictive that I'm unable to eat less than a layer of them at a sitting. Intrigued because Pepperidge Farm puts out a consistently good product, and the theory of the new cookie is interesting.

In a nutshell: rather than two oblong cookies with a frosting layer between them, one thicker oblong cookie turgid with creamy filling. I tried two sorts: Dark Classic Crème and Chocolate Dark Classic Crème.

On the taste front, a rare split decision: The Dark Classic Crème (a vaguely sandy vanilla cookie with creamy chocolate filling) was less than the sum of its parts, the chocolate flavor overwhelmed by the volume of bland cookie surrounding it. But the Chocolate Dark Classic Crème boasted a richly cocoa-kicked chocolate cookie around the same sort of chocolate frosting, and supplied a straight-to-the-brain shot of cocoa goodness that would satisfy most chocolate-lovers.

So if you're in the mood for a new Milano, go with chocolate-on-chocolate. If not, good old Mint Milanos are still being made and distributed. Just do your best to keep the munching to a single layer of cookies or less per sitting.

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster Daily videos, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. (Click here to see all of James's previous Supertaster work.) You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook.