As the leaves change colors (unless you live somewhere mostly devoid of leaves AND four seasons, like I do), autumn flavors increase their annual grip on our collective consciousness.
I have seen more maple-flavored offerings in the last few years, but it feels underrepresented compared to pumpkin spice anything. But Keebler is doing its part to keep the cookie field diverse with its new Special Batch Fudge Stripes Maple Crème Cookies.
Upon opening the package, I am hit with a friendly aroma of maple. It is warm and sweet without being overbearing. Maple flavoring must be difficult to properly implement because I have had some maple-oriented foods that were far too strong. The smell is a good sign.
The cookies are somewhat difficult to pry apart, which I do not remember being the case with traditional Fudge Stripes. This bears no real impact on the product, but it feels worth mentioning. It is likely an effect of the maple crème melting during shipping and then re-solidifying.
The cookies have the same pleasant shortbread base as the original Fudge Stripes. Biting into them yields a rewarding crunch. The maple-flavored crème immediately hits my taste buds, and I am pleasantly surprised. It is not overly strong at all. If anything, it is a bit too subdued, but being able to taste the shortbread cookie beyond the maple crème is welcome.
Compared to an average maple donut, these are considerably milder. The crème is smooth and sweet, acting as an appropriate vessel for the maple. It has the same consistency as Fudge Stripes’ usual fudge.
My mother makes a “cookie salad,” which is like a form of ambrosia-style fruit salad with crushed up Fudge Stripes. I can see the maple crème version being a nice addition for a dessert dish in a similar manner. The flavor is restrained enough to add a hint of maple goodness without taking over.
Keebler Fudge Stripes Maple Crème Cookies are a solid seasonal offering and did a fine job bringing the familiar fall flavor to my mouth. While the maple could stand to be a little stronger, these cookies are well-rounded and offer some much-needed seasonal comfort.
DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Keebler. (Thanks, Keebler!) Doing so did not influence my review.
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11.5 oz.
Purchased at: Received from Keebler
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.
Sounds like another solid seasonal addition to this lineup that I will miss once it’s not available, assuming I can find it in the first place.
I wonder if milk would have much of an impact on these, as dunking them in some maple syrup is probably too out there.
Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the review. The question I have is whether this product is artificial maple or real maple? The label appears to say “naturally and artificially flavored” which also doesn’t answer the question. I personally have zero interest in consuming “Log Cabin” type artificial maple products.
Cookie salad you say? I had to google and I do declare, that’s something I may try making soon. Weird but seems like it works!
They are real, and they are fantastic 😉
MUST GOOGLE COOKIE SALAD NOW
Two things I absolutely despise; shortbread and maple flavored anything unless it’s pancake syrup. I’ll give these a hard miss!!!!!
So…where are these available? I’ve been checking Meijer, Target, Walmart, and Kroger regularly for the last two weeks, and haven’t seen a hint of them.
Same! Nowhere to be found!
Found them today. Kroger has an aisle display, and I think I was the second person to buy a pack. I kinda wish I wasn’t. They’re…slightly sweet with an indecipherable hint of a flavor. They do have “natural flavor” of some sort, but they also have artificial flavor. Neither one really lends it a maple taste. It definitely smells like maple.