I like seeing “weird” foreign foods come into our Aldi. More specifically, I love it when it’s “German week” inside their stores. While many of their foods are good, the fact the store itself hails from Germany just makes me feel like the products are more “authentic”. They’re probably not but hey, let me think what I want.

There have been some weird ones, and some good ones, but I don’t think any of them approach the lofty heights set by Doppelinos. I would have never tried them had someone not brought them into my work one day. I’m the type of person that will eat anything as long as it’s in front of me. (In a brief digression, have you ever noticed how things taste better at work? It’s probably a combination of appreciation, because we never get anything on a regular basis there, and because free stuff already tastes better anyway.) I thought that was the whole reason these appealed to me so much: I was bored at work and eating them gave me something to do. I mean, I knew they were good, but like I said, free stuff can always heighten those senses.

Well, to test this theory, I bought some solely for home consumption. And that’s when I discovered the whole work/free thing had nothing to do with it. These are some excellent cookies; a perfect example of something that American companies would never make. They even refer to themselves as “biscuits”, which is a surefire sign we’re dealing with an authentic foreign product. American cookies are generally more in-your-face, upping the sweetness quotient to absurd heights. Other countries seem to favor more muted flavors in their desserts, typically with a combination of lightly sweet and/or slightly bitter (or some other taste profile separate from sweet).

Here, the exterior of the biscuit/cookie itself is semi-sweet. According to the packaging it’s a “chocolate flavored cookie”, which I probably wouldn’t have gathered just from tasting it. I get more of a mild sweetness from it…kind of similar to a Goya. The inside has a chocolate creme filling that, once again, doesn’t try to overwhelm your senses. In fact, I’d describe it more as a “cocoa” flavor; somewhere in between dark and milk chocolates.

These are just addicting, no matter where you eat them, or how much (or little) you pay for them. Once you start digging in, it’s almost impossible to stop. And the $2.99 asking price is more than reasonable, considering there are four sleeves in the package. The cookies are kind of small, but not that small; no matter how you look at it, there’s a ton of cookie here.

But maybe the biggest key to their addicting nature is just how…”light” these cookies are. The taste, the texture…nothing about them overwhelm the senses. They’re not too crunchy and they’re not too flavorful, but they’re also not too soft or bland. I’m trying to think of an American cookie with the same characteristics as these, and I’m coming up empty. I’m also probably doing a poor job of describing them; they’re one of those things you just have to try for yourself to truly understand.

For us Americans, it always seems like more is more. These cookies dial everything back and prove that, sometimes, you can get just as much, with far less.

Overall: 9/10. I think I might prefer the hazelnut, but these are some damn good cookies. The semi-sweet chocolate filling matches well with the lightly-sweetened cookie, delivering a combo that’s potent because of its restraint. The flavor is light enough to not burn out tastebuds, while the texture isn’t too crunchy, nor too soft. It’s an amazing union that should be experienced by anyone who considers themselves a fan of…well, sweets in general. And the $2.99 price for four, individually-wrapped sleeves is more than reasonable. Once you get started, it’s hard to stop before the entire sleeve is gone. And then it’s hard not to turn your attention to the next one…