Country Ma’am – Rum Raisin Cookies

I have to admit that I have yet to have a really good or memorable pre-packaged cookie in Japan. The good cookies I’ve had were all either fresh or made by a bakery. Though in all fairness, out of all the pre-packaged cookies we get here, I am also left quite unimpressed with very few exceptions. So maybe I’m just a cookie snob who looks down on pre-packaged or processed cookies?

I must say the packaging is pretty great, and everything about the unboxing experience, all the way down to the individually drawn wrappers for each of the 7 cookies makes this a cute and whimsical experience. It’s all the little attentions to detail that make you appreciate something so small. It’s also how they sucker people like me into paying a premium.

Unwrapping the cookie reveals a petite sized cookie enrobed in chocolate. The smell is distinctly rum, and there’s a bit of sweetness that some may be reminded of raisin. The form factor of the cookie reminds me of a thin mint. Except these are more adult, due to how expensive they are, and the nature of the flavour.

These cookies have a bit of alcohol content to them (label indicates 0.8%) which won’t do much then to give it that slightly alcoholic flavour to really round out the experience of rum. The chocolate has a very rich cocoa flavour, and the rum comes through quite strongly as well. The raisin is noticeable, but the rum is really what shines through here and pairs well with the chocolate.

The outer layer is quite soft, and I was expecting the inside to be a bit firm and crumbly. Instead, I’m met with a very soft cookie centre, which reminds me more of a very cakey brownie. It’s surprisingly soft and has an almost moist mouth feel to it. It’s got small bits of raisin and chocolate inside, but overall it’s like eating a chocolate covered cake pop. I imagine a lot of people would enjoy this, but I tend to prefer crispier or chewier cookies. As far as pre-packaged cookies go though, these are pretty solid in terms of quality.

While it’s not what I was expecting out of a cookie, it is a pleasant departure and the flavour does mix well. It has piqued my interest in trying other Country Ma’am cookies, though I may want to try some of their other offerings before coming back to this one. Something we should be able to agree on though, is the packaging is top notch.