Comments on: A Spicy Sign of Autumn

By: Cara York

Cara York — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 05:16:55 +0000

These are the greatest cookies. I live in Colorado (originally from Pa.) and miss them immensely! My climate is dry so they last a very long time. I also like to have them on hand because, they are very soothing when someone has an upset stomach. Ginger is known to have a healing effect. They are also the best dunking cookies, especially in tea. I wish I could get them all year long.
Thank you for a great long lasting childhood treat and memory.

By: Louie

Louie — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 06:48:19 +0000

Since we are out of Philly area we ordered online from aruntx.com and got the Sweetzels delivered to our home. Our family loves Sweetzels and ice cream and Sweetzels sounds like a great idea.

By: Harmony

Harmony — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:31:18 +0000

I do not have an ice cream maker of my own, but many friends who do have them swear by the Ben and Jerry’s Cookbook. Even a notoriously ‘who needs a recipe when I can just wing it’ friend says she loves it for inspiration.

By: tvff

tvff — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:48:47 +0000

gansie,

I hear you…the last thing you want is to be chasing shards of cookie and globs of ice cream around the room, but it was more “crunchy” than “crispy” and the sandwiches were fresh out of the freezer, so the insides weren’t too squishy. No muss, no fuss!

By: gansie

gansie — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:09:26 +0000

possible contention surrounding cookie texture:

so the reason i like the softness in the chipwich cookies and ice cream sandwiches is that when i take a bite, the ice cream in the middle doesnt go flying out everywhere. but when an ice cream sandwich like that has too crisp of a cookie, then the middle part spreads out all over and is no longer fun, easy, clean to eat.
no?

By: Don

Don — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:20:14 +0000

Mike: I thought the vanilla ice cream was the perfect choice – a neutral enhancement that brought a nice creaminess to the wafers. This is why we like them with milk – creaminess without fighting the spiciness. They were delicious!
Note to “B.S.”:
Sweetzels are made in Skippack, PA – about 25 miles N/W of center-city Philadelphia. As far as availability, here is a quote from their web site that may be of help locating them: “Sweetzels Spiced Wafers has grown steadily and is now among the top 5 cookie items on a seasonal basis. They are now on the Fall and Winter shelves of outstanding supermarket companies including A&P, Shoprite, Redners, Clemens, Wal-Mart, and many large independent outlets such as Shady Maple. Each year the growth continues outward, now into the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard.“

By: TVFF

TVFF — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:01:19 +0000

BS,

Apparently it’s a Philly thing. Sweetzels is located in Skippack, PA, which is north-west of Philly. They’re not a big company from what I can tell, so their distribution area must not be that large. While they make other products, it looks like the Spiced Wafers may have a wider availability seasonally, so keep your eyes open in stores. Or when you pass through the Delaware Valley, of course.

The funny thing is that, as a kid, I didn’t know they were regional…I just figured they were the same as any other cookie, like Nabisco. When I mentioned them casually to Mrs. TVFF, who comes from way up in the northern corner of New Jersey (near NYC), she had no idea what I was talking about, so that was the first time I even realized they weren’t a national brand.

By: BS

BS — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:37:34 +0000

I love your description of dunking cookies as “like playing a high-stakes game of chicken.” Oh how many times have a lost half a cookie because I pushed the dunking time just one second too far?? But also, why have I never tried these spicy cookies? Why are they only available in Philly?