Maryland Choc Chip, Oatmeal & Honey

Product name: Maryland Choc Chip, Oatmeal & Honey
Purchase details: £1.00 for a 200g packet or two for £1.00 (Poundworld)
Calories: 51 per biscuit
Country of origin: UK

I must confess that I only bought these Maryland Choc Chip, Oatmeal & Honey cookies to make use of the multibuy offer when I was buying some other biscuits! Initially, I didn’t think they looked that exciting, but on noticing the magical word ‘new’ in the corner of the golden wrapper, I realised I couldn’t remember having had any cookies with honey in them before.

The packaging contained inviting images of oats and honey which, unusually, looked more enticing than the photos of the biscuits themselves which looked like standard chocolate chip cookies. However, the treat was described as being ‘choc full of yumminess’ and contained 6% oatmeal and 3% honey, in addition to the 16% chocolate chips.

The cookies were made by Burton’s Foods and contained no artificial flavours or colours, no GM ingredients and no hydrogenated fats and oils. They were quite dark in appearance, inside and out, compared to other cookies, particularly when considering another Maryland offering – Strawberry & White Choc.

I quickly realised that the scent was a cross between that of a standard cookie and flapjack. The latter seemed to be caused by the honey and oats and I was kicking myself for not having thought of the connection earlier!

Despite the quantity of chocolate chips varying in each biscuit, their taste was pretty strong in every bite and it was far and away the main flavour element. There was also a baked aspect to the taste which wasn’t usual for this type of cookie. However, neither the oats nor honey seemed particularly noticeable in themselves as additional flavours, at first. I did then find, though, that the honey released a delicate and almost floral sweetness which created a nice contrast with the comparatively bitter chocolate. I found that dipping the biscuits in tea also released more of the honey’s juices, although I preferred to eat them au natural.

These really crunchy cookies didn’t provide an obviously ground-breaking experience but they were different enough for me to choose them over standard chocolate chip cookies in future. Apart from anything else, the flapjack-like element meant they tasted a little more homemade than most mass-produced biscuits.

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 7.38/10

Subway Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Product name: Subway Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Purchase details: £0.50 for a 47g cookie (Subway)
Calories: 196 per cookie 

I still remember how nervous I was the first time I tried a Subway Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. I was so used to my beloved White Chip Macadamia Nut that I didn’t dare ruin the magic of Subway cookies...but I didn’t have enough calories spare for one of those! I needn’t have worried about wasting my daily treat on that occasion because it turned out to be delicious and I’ve eaten plenty more since. 

I was lucky enough to receive this particular cookie for free with a voucher I was sent for my birthday – thanks Subway! Once again, I obtained he nutritional information from the website and, like the White Chip Macadamia Nut, the knobbly cookie was soft enough to be torn apart. It was quite a deep shade of brown and it was even darker in the centre where it was greasiest. The large raisins were clearly visible and the overall product provided a lovely cinnamon smell. 

As previously, I ate the crunchy edges of the cookie first, and I actually found that they tasted quite oily but with a hint of cinnamon at the end of each bite. The middle had a much stronger cinnamon flavour, though, and its incredibly soft texture really was like eating cookie dough! There was a slight chewiness thrown in too, from the oats, and the juicy raisins provided a bit of resistance. I have to say that I prefer crunchy pieces in my cookies but, even so, the texture was excellent. 

I certainly wasn’t disappointed by this Subway Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and I’m sure it will continue to be my most-purchased variety due to it, technically, being the healthiest. However, despite containing fruit, I found this cookie felt greasier and, therefore, not as good for me, as the White Chip Macadamia Nut. I’ve never noticed this before, though, so I’m not sure if I had a ‘dud’ or whether I’ve just not really thought about it before! 

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 7.88/10