Pepperidge Farm Distinctive Entertaining Cookie Collection

The Pepperidge Farm Distinctive Entertaining Cookie Collection has been a holiday tradition in my family for several years now. It is a collection of nine varieties of Pepperidge Farm cookies, most of them distinctively named after famous European cities: Milano, Orleans, Geneva, Lisbon, Lido, Bordeaux, and Brussels. The Chocolate Pirouette and Chessman are named for their shapes or imprints.

The collection contains a mix of cookies without chocolate and cookies with a rich, dark chocolate. It really has a cookie for everyone. A common theme with several of the cookies is a dark chocolate and many of the cookies taste like shortbread.

Six of the varieties can be purchased separately in bags of only that variety which makes this collection great for sampling a wide selection of cookies before deciding on which to buy a whole bag. The Lido, Lisbon, and Orleans only seem to be available in this collection.

Below is a list of the cookies in this collection with the official Pepperidge Farm description followed by my review of each. First, let's look at a photo (photo #2) of the actual cookies in this collection -- in a clockwise direction starting at the top left we have Milano, Orleans, Geneva, Lisbon, Lido, Chocolate Pirouette, Chessman, Bordeaux, and Brussels in the center.

Chocolate Pirouette: "Crispy cookie curls, flecked with chocolate."

These are wafer-like cookies but a little thicker with small flecks of chocolate throughout and baked to a delicate crisp that really makes the cookie almost melt in your mouth. These cookies are rolled into a hollow tube almost like a flute or bamboo reed.

While Pirouette is not a famous city, it is a French word in ballet that means "to whirl about." It is also the name for a circular movement of horses often used in horse shows.

Brussels: "Rich chocolate, lacey-thin crispy cookies."

These cookies are thin but not too thin. They are crispy with an almost fried texture and filled with a thin layer of dark chocolate. It is similar to the Orleans but thinner and crispier. They are one of the harder cookies in this collection but not too bad.

Brussels is named for the famous city in Belgium.

Lido: "Rich chocolate, elegant swirled cookies."

These cookies look almost like seashells and are quite thick compared to the other cookies in this collection. They are a bit too thick for my liking but once you bite into them, they quickly melt in your mouth, so my discomfort passes quickly. The dark chocolate in the middle balances out the rather bland taste of the cookie, making it much better in my opinion.

Lido is a type of outdoor swimming pool but the cookie is probably named after the famous Italian sandbar island of Lido di Venezia in Venice.

Geneva: "Rich chocolate, crunchy pecan cookies."

These are definitely the hardest cookies in this collection and the main reason it's not a favorite of mine. The oval-shaped cookies themselves are imprinted with a design that gives it a rough texture. It has a thicker layer of dark chocolate than the other cookies and kind of reminds me of Keebler Fudge Shoppe Fudge Stripes. The dark chocolate is on one side of the cookie and sprinkled with pieces of pecans which are a nice touch. It's not a bad cookie and nice to look at but one that might require some drink, such as tea or coffee, to soften it up a bit.

Geneva is named for the famous city in Switzerland.

Lisbon: "Dipped cookies, baked-in chocolate bits."

This cookie is half dipped in dark chocolate and half plain, giving it a very unique appearance. They are another thick cookie but not quite as thick as the Lido. I am rather neutral on this cookie but the chocolate on the outside gives it a unique texture somewhat like a chocolate frosted donut with just a minute layer of chocolate.

Lisbon is named after the capital city of Portugal.

Bordeaux: "Crispy sweet, delicately crunchy cookies."

This is one of the cookies without dark chocolate. It is a crispy cookie but very thin so it is not too hard. Pepperidge Farm describes it as having a caramelized sweetness and I detect a little bit of it. For a plain cookie, it's pretty good and offers an alternative to the cookies containing dark chocolate.

Bordeaux is named for the famous city in France.

Milano: "Deep rich chocolate, exquisite cookies."

This is a favorite cookie of many people and the most popular Pepperidge Farm of this collection and probably of all of their cookies as evidenced by having nine varieties; the original is part of this collection.

This cookie has two slightly thick and smooth cookies with a little bit more flavor than shortbread and a rich dark chocolate in between the layers. It is one of my favorites but right now I am leaning towards Brussels or Orleans.

Milano is the Italian pronunciation of the capital of the Italian region of Lombardy in the province of Milan.

Chessmen: "Rich, velvety butter cookies."

This is a butter cookie named for the different chess piece icons imprinted on each cookie that gives me an image of the Queen of Hearts' card guards in Alice in Wonderland. It kind of tastes like a buttery shortbread and I could be wrong but I also seem to taste a slight bit of coconut. It is another alternative to the cookies containing chocolate and a thicker, less hard option to the Bordeaux.

Orleans: "Thin, delicate cookies with a layer of dark chocolate."

This is a round cookie that reminds me of the Brussels cookie only not as a thick and crispy with a taste and texture that reminds me of the Milano cookie only round instead of oval. This cookie is a tossup for me as being my favorite along with the Brussels.

Orleans is named for either for Orléans, a famous city in France, or New Orleans in Louisiana. I suppose that since New is left out of the name that it refers to the French city.

Nutritional Info

Total weight: 13.25 ounces
Serving size: 3 cookies
Calories: 140
Fat: 7g
Sodium: 75mg
Carbs: 18g
Protein: 2g

Conclusion

As you can see, the Pepperidge Farm Distinctive Entertaining Cookie Collection has a wide variety of cookies in all sorts of shapes, designs, flavors, and textures. It has something for everyone and is perfect for parties and get-togethers during the holidays or just for an afternoon tea.

I have two gripes about this collection. Most cookies in this collection have dark chocolate, which I generally like but it is a very rich chocolate that you cannot eat too many of that one time, kind of like cheesecake. A few cookies with dark chocolate at one time are enough but the Bordeaux and chessmen cookies offer a break from the dark chocolate. My other gripe is that the box contains about 40 cookies with about 4-6 of each variety, so, if you only have one or two favorites in this collection, you will not get very many of that type. The box goes quickly with a few people and you will probably need a few boxes for larger groups of people.

The price is generally around $5.99 a box and seems to be available at every supermarket in my area.

Rating: 4/5