Merba Cookies

After hearing good things from a friend about 'those cookies which come in aluminum foil-looking plastic with a brand name starts which with an M, I think, or maybe a C, I don't know', I've decided to keep an eye out for them. An import from USA, they are almost never on the shelves of a regular supermarket. The only way to find them is through scouring the off-license shops. (little corner shops selling snacks and essentials... but mostly snacks)

Like a ninja on a mission, I toured London and dashed through every off-license store in sight, before I finally found them.

In real life, I simply wandered into this random off-license shop one evening, which surprisingly existed on an uneventful street about 10 minutes from my house, while in search of a late-afternoon snack. I stumbled upon these 'Merba' cookies which were 'the famous American Chocolate Chip Cookies' and had an aluminum-y wrapping. Bingo!

The cookies were truly American in the way that they were sweet and they weren't afraid to let you know. Healthy eating is irrelevant when it comes to these cookies. Their only mission is to taste good and lure people back for seconds.

Aside from being delightfully sweet, they were generously chock-filled with milky chocolate chips. The cookie is slightly on the hard, crunchy side rather than being the the soft, gooey type, but not to the extent that it feels dry, especially since the multitude of chocolate chips serve to moisten up every bite. Salt can somewhat be tasted in the cookie, which makes it quite impactful on the tongue – quite overwhelming for those who aren't too used to rich sweets. However, if you are an a-chocolate-chip-cookie-is-a-god-damn-chocolate-chip-cookie-there-is-no-holding-back type of person, then these ones are for you.

You look at the picture on the front of the packet and you expect something great.

You definitely get something great with these Nougatelli Cookies, which are my favourite of the lot.

It is pure bliss as you sin your teeth into the cookie and meet the Nutella-like hazelnut filling!

White chocolate and red berries is a popular cookie flavour combination which I enjoy when it is done well. (Lizzie's Food Factory does a good one.) However, these cookies were filled with dried, chewy cranberries which had an over-tangy taste, and I didn't enjoy it. The white chocolate's fragrance was unfortunately killed somewhere in the rubbery, cranberry stampede.

The 'brownie cookies' were certainly appealing, but I was doubtful of 'crispy' as a description on the packet. Aren't the best part about brownies their fudgy, soft texture?

These had the texture of a regular crunchy cookie. The only 'brownie' aspect is probably their rectangular shape, but otherwise, it is no different from a same-old double chocolate cookie. The American sweetness is still there, and there is a satisfying chocolate taste which does the brownie justice.

Aside from that cranberry mess of a cookie, Merba has great cookies which any sweet tooth will definitely enjoy. I've seen them sold in places like Costcutters and several other off-license shops, so nobody really has to go on a ninja-hunt, really.