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Berger Cookies


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My dear Baltimoreans -

How come none of you have told me about Berger cookies until now? Did I wrong you in a past life? Or is it because I come from Those-Other-Suburbs and you're hoarding the good stuff in Charm City?

Sincerely,

Cookie-Deprived-Marylander ;)

You don't have to go to Bawlmer to get Berger cookies. They are also sold at the Chevy Chase Supermarket. Go to the deli. There is a shelf in front of the deli cases where they sell baked goods, including Berger cookies. Directions from the Beltway: exit onto Connecticut Avenue, going southbound (towards the city). Go through the big intersection with Jones Bridge Road (no turns!) to the next light - Manor Road. There is a BP on the right-hand corner and a Smith&Hawkens on the left corner. Turn left onto Manor and the grocery store is on your immediate right.

Ellen

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My dear Baltimoreans -

How come none of you have told me about Berger cookies until now? Did I wrong you in a past life? Or is it because I come from Those-Other-Suburbs and you're hoarding the good stuff in Charm City?

I think we tried to tell you back on eGullet ;) Best place to get fresh ones is at Berger's Bakery in Lexington Market.
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As a born-and-raised Baltimoron I have a confession to make: I don't really like Berger cookies. I think I liked them enough as a kid, but recently I've found myself turning them down. Too sweet for my current tastes I guess, and there's something about the texture of the fudge-y topping that makes me think I'm eating spackle, even with fresh ones.

I know this is blasphemous to some, but there it is.

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As a born-and-raised Baltimoron I have a confession to make: I don't really like Berger cookies. I think I liked them enough as a kid, but recently I've found myself turning them down. Too sweet for my current tastes I guess, and there's something about the texture of the fudge-y topping that makes me think I'm eating spackle, even with fresh ones.

I know this is blasphemous to some, but there it is.

What he said.

Ellen

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Berger cookies finally get their due in Saveur this month (the issue with crabs on the cover). No recipe included, of course. A blogger has her version here.

I think some editor at Saveur threw a bone to Baltimore re: Berger Cookies because the big artcle in this issue about crabs never once mentions the Chesapeake Bay.

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Funny. I was just talking about Berger cookies yesterday. My mom got some maple cookies and I, being the ungrateful son that I am, told her I prefer Berger's. I love them. She said that when she gets them, she picks them up at Snider's in Silver Spring.

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Edible Chesapeake did a brief profile on Berger Cookies in their Winter '07 edition. It's this free quarterly focused on local foods and such. Waaay to focused on the local thing, if you ask me, but the writing is pretty good and they do cover lots of cool MD food topics. They can usually be found at Whole Foods-type stores and such, so perhaps a Saveur contributor/editor was "inspired" by this little periodical after grocery shopping?

I worked with a woman named Amy who was irredeemably obsessed with Berger's cookies. She ate at least a two-pack every single day, which by my rough calculation would be 500 cookies a year. Personally, I can definitely appreciate the blatant over-the-top-ness of them, but after one I'm off sugar for at least a couple days. But then my savory tooth has always eclipsed my sweet tooth in terms of influence. Someone needs to invent a steak-topped cookie.

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As a born-and-raised Baltimoron I have a confession to make: I don't really like Berger cookies. I think I liked them enough as a kid, but recently I've found myself turning them down. Too sweet for my current tastes I guess, and there's something about the texture of the fudge-y topping that makes me think I'm eating spackle, even with fresh ones.

I know this is blasphemous to some, but there it is.

I've started to fall into this category as well. However, I've found that a nice big glass of milk with a berger cookie really seems to help fight off the massive sugar rush. I still think I just have to admire the ridiculous amount of over-the-top thick chocolately frosting-like thing.

Also, I always say that I can taste the difference between cookies bought at the lexington market versus outside vendors (I get my outside ones from Graul's). What do you guys think?

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I've started to fall into this category as well. However, I've found that a nice big glass of milk with a berger cookie really seems to help fight off the massive sugar rush. I still think I just have to admire the ridiculous amount of over-the-top thick chocolately frosting-like thing.

Also, I always say that I can taste the difference between cookies bought at the lexington market versus outside vendors (I get my outside ones from Graul's). What do you guys think?

I agree with both of these points. 1) the glass of milk is a requirement to truly appreciate all that is the Berger's cookie and 2) only the Berger's cookie in the package that says "Berger's cookie" is a Berger's cookie. There are other fudgy-topped shortbreadish cookies in the markets, but they may not be true Berger's cookies.

Has anyone seen the pie truck in DC, called something like "Dangerously Delicious Pies" or something like that. He makes a pie called the Baltimore Blast that is a chess pie with crumbled Berger's cookies mixed in. I saw this mentioned by Duff, the cake decorator, on a Food Network show a year or two ago. We asked the pie truck-guy about it and he used to work with the guy who developed that pie in Baltimore. Good stuff, unless you're one of these non-sweet elitists this thread is pulling out of the woodwork:-)

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Good stuff, unless you're one of these non-sweet elitists this thread is pulling out of the woodwork:-)

How apropos.

Elitist, mon oeil. When you're my age you have to pick and choose your calories, Bubba. B):( I've done the drunken "whole family-sized bag of Doritos" thing in my day, too; now, it's a matter of paying proper respect to hard-working pastry cooks doing creative work [lame piece of writing, Donster].

And I found a giant fuckin' pencil eraser in the bottom of the bag when I was done and about vomited.

I'm with you two on the milk, but that goes with most chocolate-rich desserts.

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Don- I have total respect for our local pastry chefs. But enjoying what they have to offer is not possible on a regular basis. Berger cookies are as much about accessibility as anything else. I can get Berger cookies at my local grocery store and in a pinch, I find them a perfect option for satisfying a craving for something sweet. If you compare them to what's available in your average grocery store, they are elevated to another level.

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Having visited DeBaufre Bakeries and bought their small, fresh Berger cookies, I finally "get" it. While I still think they're sugar bombs, the fresh ones are leaps and bounds tastier. Their other "normal" cookies are probably even tastier than the Berger cookies though. It's a great stall with some really gorgeous looking layer cakes that remind me of cookbooks from the 50s.

...now, it's a matter of paying proper respect to hard-working pastry cooks doing creative work.

And I have a slight bone to pick with this comment in that these folks are hard working bakers, who continue to promote a family tradition. It may not be "creative", but I don't think we should devalue their work. (Granted I would say the Berger cookies you buy in the grocery store are now mostly mass produced money makers.)

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And I have a slight bone to pick with this comment in that these folks are hard working bakers, who continue to promote a family tradition. It may not be "creative", but I don't think we should devalue their work.

Agreed - I'm going to "unwrite" that sentence if I may.

Don- I have total respect for our local pastry chefs. But enjoying what they have to offer is not possible on a regular basis. Berger cookies are as much about accessibility as anything else. I can get Berger cookies at my local grocery store and in a pinch, I find them a perfect option for satisfying a craving for something sweet. If you compare them to what's available in your average grocery store, they are elevated to another level.

Pim's Cakes! Le Petit Ecolier!

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