Attentive readers will remember that frosted sugar cookies, especially with whimsical designs, are one of my (many) weaknesses. They will also recall that I was disappointed in the frosted mummy cookie from DecoCookies. Well, my search for a tasty Halloween sugar cookie continues, and I’ve nabbed a Frankenstein cookie from Hyde and Eek. Hyde and Eek appears to be the house brand of a line of Halloween decorations at Target. But a quick internet search finds Amazon also carries this line. Given that it’s already mid-October, the Hyde and Eek section of Target is getting pretty picked over, and most of the packaged sugar cookies looked the worse for wear. I nabbed the one with the least damage.
- Packaging. We’ve got the now-familiar cellophane package, with the Hyde and Eek logo and the usual descriptive wording. I’m still willing to give it a point for transparency. Without it, I would have come home with one of the shopworn, cracked and crumbly messes that were on the same shelf.
- Appearance of the Treat. Whoever “hand decorated” this cookie admittedly showed more care than the person working on those pumpkins at See’s. They’ve created a goofy Frankenstein face with googly eyes, a twisty mouth, and a Lurch haircut. The green icing is generously and evenly applied. Overall, it’s a pretty cute job. 3 points.
3. Taste. Curses! Foiled again! It seems that it’s an impossible dream to find a tasty, soft-baked sugar cookie with rich icing…that’s also shelf-stable enough to be pre-packaged and sit on a shelf at Target for a month or two. This cookie is pretty dry and crumbly, and so is the icing. The cookie doesn’t have much flavor either, tasting mainly like floury cardboard. The icing is slightly sweet, but not enough to save the cookie. I’m left wishing that the Target employees had been able to better “Hyde” this cookie from me. No points.
4. Value. It was a buck, which isn’t unreasonable for a passable sugar cookie. The thing is, though, this isn’t a passable sugar cookie. 1 point.
Steve’s Sweetoberfest Score: 5 out of 12 points, which makes it a modest TRICK. I’m really hoping I can find a good Halloween sugar cookie before the month is out…
Chasing Phantoms 