It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, I’m not talking about Thanksgiving or the Chanukah / Christmas / Kwanza / Festivus winter holidays. I’m talking about Mallomars.

That’s right: Mallomars. The greatest commercially-produced cookie in the history of the universe.

East Coast readers will know what I’m talking about. For everyone else, let me just say that Mallomars are a seasonally produced product by Nabisco. Their composition is simple: graham crackers toped by marshmallow and all enrobed in dark chocolate. That’s pretty much all there is to it. But a great cookie is more than a collection of ingredients. It’s that certain extra undefinable something that creates cookie goodness.

I’ll always remember the time from my childhood when I visited my father at his workplace and accidentally discovered that he kept a stash of Mallomars in his desk drawer — a true life-changing event. From then on, no visit to my father’s workplace was complete without sneaking a cookie or two out of their hiding place when he stepped out of his office. Ah, memories.

Every year, Nabisco waits until the weather is cool enough to allow Mallomars to be shipped to stores — mostly in and around New York, but also to the West Coast for a particularly limited time. The chocolate melts easily, so I guess it’s important to ensure the cookies ship only when the weather is likely to stay cool. Because of this, I never know when the cookies are going to show up at any of my local markets. And when they do, they’re almost always gone as soon as they arrive. I usually start looking for them in Sepetember and if I don't see them by late October, I all but resign myself to the devastating possibility that I’ve managed to miss them for the year. Fortunately for the past few years, I’ve lucked out and managed to be at the right market at the right time.

And so it was that Lady Luck visited me again this year. This past weekend I was shopping at PW Market with Melody and Julianne, distracted in my dual task of selecting the items we need and entertaining the kiddies with Daddy-ish conversation, when the delightfully familiar and oh-so wonderful yellow of the Mallomar box caught my eye. I greedily snatched up four boxes (mustering up the self-control it takes to keep from completely emptying the shelf takes all the will power I have) and knew that the true holiday season of Mallomar goodness has begun.

For more about Mallomars and what all the fuss is about, check out this page. Extra credit to anyone who understands what I mean by saying I fall into the “dorsal method” camp.