I think I’ve mentioned before that I enjoy trying things from other countries that Aldi carries. Yes, most of them are probably “Americanized” to some degree, but it’s still a fun way to try some flavor combinations that I otherwise wouldn’t really be interested in trying. It’s resulted in some weird things (Deutsche Kuche’s Peanut Puffs), some terrible things (Deutsche Kuche’s Dominoes), and some good things (Journey to Greece Rosemary and Feta Kettle Chips), but no matter the outcome, I like to think that I’m a better man for having tried the experience.

And so I hesitated only momentarily when I saw Benton’s Delights on the shelves of our newly-remodeled Aldi store. A triple chocolate cookie? I’m in. An Australian triple-chocolate cookie? Why, how would that be any different from the junk food that lines our own supermarket shelves? I also noticed the price: $1.99. Seemed a little expensive for some cookies that would probably be pretty standard, but I wanted something sweet, and these were in the right place at the right time. My wife’s surprising indifference to them (she’s usually more into these kinds of things than I am, and didn’t care if we got them at all) gave me yet another moment’s pause for thought; I quickly swiped away all doubts and added them to the cart.

Intrigued, and more than a little hungry, I cracked these open the moment I got into my wife’s brand new (well, to her) 2013 Nissan Murano. I popped one in my mouth, knowing exactly what to expect…and I got it. And then some.

Holy mother of shit these things are ridiculously delicious. Have you ever had a product that you swear was made solely for you? That’s what these cookies are to me. In case you are unfamiliar (as I was before seeing them for the first time), these consist of a cocoa cookie, filled with cocoa creme, and covered in a layer of milk chocolate on the outside. But even though I like chocolate, there are a large number of ways such an overly chocolated product can miss the mark: being too sweet, or having overly cheap, plasticky chocolate are but two of them. Benton’s cookies avoid both of those issues, at least as far as my palate is concerned: they’re sweet, no doubt, but to me, the semi-sweet cocoa helps to neutralize the rich, melty extra-sweet milk chocolate layer that finishes everything off, effectively preventing it from being too overbearing. (As a counterpoint, my wife did not share the same affection for these as I did, even challenging my own viewpoint by simply saying they were “too sweet”; she’s wrong.)

The appearance of the cookie reminds me of double-stacked chocolate covered graham crackers, with an initial taste that’s reminiscent of those, before the layer of crème filling adds another dimension of richness. A serving size is two cookies, which might seem a little small on paper, but considering these cookies are actually pretty big, and considering how much chocolate is packed into each one, that will turn out to be just the right amount for most.

The only drawback is that each 7 oz. package has an odd 11 cookies inside, meaning someone’s either going to have to sacrifice one cookie from a serving size, or someone else is going to have to eat an extra one. And I’d be pissed if I was the one in the former position.

Overall: 10/10. Dear Lord this just might be an example of a perfect mass-produced cookie, courtesy of our Australian friends. A cocoa cookie is covered in milk chocolate with a layer of chocolate crème in the middle: on paper, sounds like a chocolate overdose…and it is. But it’s an overload in the best way possible: the semi-sweetness of the cocoa helps to taper the headstrong sweetness of the milk chocolate coating, perfectly balancing things out. I like cookies and chocolate—there’s no doubt about that—but I generally have no problems bypassing them at the store, or limiting myself to one or two pieces when I do get the craving for one. These, though, rank right up there with thin mints and peanut butter cups as examples of sweets that almost possess me once I eat one, forcing me to continue eating them until I either get sick of them, or run out. And at $1.99 for an 11-count package (the odd number being the only true complaint), it’s an addiction that’s sadly all-too-affordable.