15 Discontinued Cookies You'll Never Eat Again
It's like a bad dream. You're in the cookie aisle of your local grocery store, ready to stock up on your favorite cookies, only to discover ... they've been discontinued! All good things must come to an end, and sadly that's also true for some of our favorite baked goods. While we may not understand why bad things happen to good cookies, we can still look back and remember them fondly, keeping their memory alive by honoring their chocolatey coatings, creamy fillings, nut clusters, and delightfully messy crumbs. It's what the cookies would have wanted.
Over the last several decades we've seen tons of great cookies come and go, all for various reasons. Keep reading to discover which cookies broke our hearts by loving us and leaving us wanting more. And if nothing else, remember to hug your favorite cookies a little closer today. You never know when it could be your last chance to snack.
Oreo Big Stuf cookies
"Mr. Big Stuf, who do you think you are?" Such is the question posed by this 1980s Oreo commercial for its new (at the time) product, the Oreo Big Stuf. This cookie was just like the original Oreos we all know and love, but bigger. A good 3 inches in diameter, the Oreo Big Stuf was a giant, individually wrapped Oreo cookie. What could possibly be bad about a bigger Oreo?
Unfortunately, the Big Stuf didn't hit the spot, and it was discontinued after about seven years on the market. It's not 100% clear why the giant cookie didn't last longer, but Fast Company's Sandie Glass surmises it might have been too big for kids' appetites. Glass also suggests that perhaps it required people to completely rework how they eat an Oreo. After all, the Oreo Big Stuf was too big for dunking in a glass of milk or twisting apart to get straight to the cream filling. Still, it seems there are some nostalgic folks out there who want these oversized cookies to make a comeback. Kim Kardashian herself even made a plea to Nabisco on Twitter to bring the Oreo Big Stuf back. Considering she got several people freed from prison, if she can't revive these cookies, it's likely that no one can.
Juliettes Girl Scout cookies
The Juliettes Girl Scout Cookies actually had two lives — and subsequently, two deaths. Likely named for the Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low, whose nickname was "Daisy," the first iteration of the Juliettes lasted from 1984 to 1985. Each package contained two types of daisy-shaped shortbread cookies: One sleeve of cookies had a lemon icing on the bottom and the other sleeve featured a pecan praline coating. Sadly, they were not long for this world.
But then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Juliettes made a shocking comeback in 1993 as a completely reimagined cookie. This time, instead of a lightly coated shortbread, these '90s-revamped Juliettes had a caramel pecan crunch filling coated in fudge chocolate. This version of the Juliettes lasted slightly longer, until 1996. While the cookies in her name may not have lasted long, the Girl Scouts organization has been thriving since Juliette Gordon Low held the first Girl Scouts meeting in Savannah, Georgia, in 1912, ensuring her legacy lives on, even if not in cookie form.
Keebler Magic Middles
Picture this: a chocolate chip cookie stuffed with a gooey, fudge filling. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? Well in the late '80s and early '90s, it was a reality. Keebler Magic Middles cookies came in a few varieties, including a chocolate chip cookie with chocolate filling, and a sugar cookie with either chocolate or peanut butter filling. And as the commercial from the early '90s points out, they were "a work of genius."
It's unclear why Keebler quietly discontinued these cookies, and the company has been pretty mum on the topic. USA Today reports that Keebler supposedly phased them out to use the equipment for a different product, but unfortunately this may remain one of life's great mysteries. Luckily, there are some truly dedicated Magic Middles stans out there putting in the hard work on social media to try to get these magical cookies back on our shelves. Let's hope Keebler is taking notice!
Savannah Smiles Girl Scout cookies
Every ounce of these bite-size, lemony morsels were an homage to the history of the Girl Scouts, from their name to their smiley, wedge shape. Released in 2011, the Savannah Smiles cookies were created to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Girls Scouts organization, which was founded in — you guessed it — Savannah, Georgia. Founder Juliette Gordon Low was inspired by the Boy Scouts organization and knew that girls in America needed a program just for them. And the rest is history!
The Savannah Smiles cookies contained lemon chips to give them a bold lemon flavor and were coated in powdered sugar. If held just right, the cookies resembled the iconic "Brownie Smile." What is the "Brownie Smile," you ask? It's the smile only a Brownie Girl Scout girl can have, according to the iconic "Brownie Smile Song." Sadly, these delicious-sounding cookies were discontinued in 2019. If you ask us, maybe they should replace them with a "Brownie Smile" cookie?
Nabisco Giggles
Reminiscent of the Oreo, the Nabisco Giggles sandwich cookies that were popular in the 1980s featured both vanilla and chocolate cream filling sandwiched between two shortbread cookies, which also came in either vanilla or chocolate. But the Nabisco Giggles also had a gimmick: Each cookie had a (slightly creepy) smiley face cut into them. Why? Because you couldn't eat a Nabisco Giggles cookie without bursting into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. Or at least that's what the Giggles commercials would have you believe.
It's unclear exactly why these cookies faded into oblivion in the '90s. But the fact that they were popular despite ads that featured children laughing in a way that could only be described as terrifying and maniacal is a true testament to how good these vanilla and chocolate sandwich cookies must have been. While it seems unlikely that Giggles cookies actually make people burst into literal fits of laughter, they do sound delicious. And perhaps our world would be just a tiny bit happier if they were to come back.
Van'Chos Girl Scout cookies
A portmanteau of "vanilla" and "chocolate," Van'Chos cookies offered people not one but two flavors of sandwich cookies in one box. Each package of Van'Chos contained one sleeve of vanilla cookies and one sleeve of chocolate cookies, both filled with vanilla cream centers. Imagine opening a box of Girl Scout cookies to find two different flavors. Sounds like heaven, but apparently offering something for both vanilla and chocolate lovers in one box wasn't enough to keep these cookies around forever.
Van'Chos were available from the Girl Scouts from 1974 to 1983, according to the Little Brownie Bakers, one of the two companies licensed to make Girl Scout Cookies still to this day (via GirlScouts.org). While it's unclear why these cookies were discontinued, it does beg the question: Why aren't multi-flavor boxes of cookies more of a thing? Cookie consumers shouldn't have to choose between vanilla and chocolate. The people demand variety, and we demand more Van'Chos!
Burry's Fudgetown cookies
Burry's Fudgetown cookies were yet another sandwich cookie that once enjoyed quite a heyday, only to eventually burn out. They featured two flower-shaped chocolate cookies with a fudgy filling. In fact, according to an old commercial from 1966, they contained so much of their signature fudge filling that it would overflow from the center. Basically, Fudgetown cookies were a chocolate lover's dream. Popular in the 1960s and 1970s, the commercials claimed they were made in an actual place called Fudgetown, and that's why they were so fudge-tastic!
But alas, Fudgetown is not a real place. In reality, Fudgetown cookies were probably made in the great state of New Jersey. Burry's Biscuits' manufacturing plant was a quarter-mile-long factory filling Elizabeth, New Jersey, with the sweet smell of cookies for decades. Sadly, the factory shut down in 2006 and then, adding insult to injury, burned down in 2011 (via NJ.com). Doesn't bode well for anyone hoping to see Fudgetown cookies back on the shelves anytime soon.
Forget-Me-Nots Girl Scout cookies
Another fallen soldier in the long, storied history of great Girl Scout cookies, the Forget-Me-Nots had a pretty ironic name. Only available from 1979 to 1981, these cookies, baked by Little Brownie Bakers, were marketed as an "old-fashioned" oatmeal raisin cookie that also contained granola. The Girl Scouts seemed to be banking on the fact that a little granola would add texture and pizzaz to what was otherwise a standard oatmeal raisin cookie. Could the addition of granola really make these cookies unforgettable? The answer is apparently not.
Turns out, people in the late '70s were not impressed by the crunch of this slightly updated oatmeal raisin cookie, and the Forget-Me-Nots faded into oblivion at the dawn of the new decade. But the Forget-Me-Nots legacy does live on... as one of the worst Girl Scout cookie flavors. Probably not what the Girl Scouts had in mind when they named and developed this seemingly forgettable cookie.
Lunchables Cookies 'n Frosting
Lunchables might have been an iconic DIY schoolyard meal from the '90s, but the Lunchables Cookies 'n Frosting packs have remained popular up until recently. These decorate-your-own-cookie kits came with two cookies and sweet, spreadable icing you could smear on yourself. While a quick Google search will show lots of results for places to buy these cookie packs, you'll see that they're all dead ends, which suggests they were recently discontinued.
In fact, KLTV out of Texas reported that all Lunchables products have been harder to find as the pandemic winds down. Demand for the cafeteria stalwart has increased as kids have returned to school, leading to empty shelves across the country. In response, Kraft Heinz (which makes Lunchables) issued a statement saying it's working hard to ramp up its supply again. And if you're the type of person who likes to put your own icing on your cookies, there's even more good news for you: The Cookies 'n Frosting may be dead, but Lunchables did release their own version of the Dunkaroos in 2020, with the Cookie Dunks and S'mores Dippers.
Moon Pie Crunch
The classic Moon Pie has been around for over 100 years for a reason — they're delicious. Marshmallow filling sandwiched between two soft graham cracker, cake-like cookies, covered in chocolate (or other flavors, like mint, banana, lemon, salted caramel, and vanilla), they're the kind of treat that never goes out of style. Well, except for one type of Moon Pie, the Moon Pie Crunch.
These were just like the classic Moon Pie, but with crunchy chocolate cookies instead of the signature, soft graham cracker ones. A review from 2010 reveals that the Moon Pie Crunch came in both peanut butter and mint flavors (but not just chocolate, oddly enough). Unlike the original Moon Pie, which featured different flavored outer coatings, it was the cream filling that was flavored inside the Moon Pie Crunch. While it's important for any company to keep innovating, especially after 100 years, it seems Moon Pie missed the mark with these cookies, as they are no longer available. But for the true Moon Pie fanatic, there is still a plethora of other Moon Pie products available to you, like Moon Pie candles, a Moon Pie rug, or even a Moon Pie lip balm, in case you need that sweet Moon Pie taste on your lips at all times.
Golden Yangles
Do not be fooled by the Girl Scout cookie box, or their presence on this list — Golden Yangles were, in fact, not a cookie, but a cheddar cheese cracker sold by the Girl Scouts back in the '80s (via Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan). Golden Yangles had a distinctive fluted fan shape and the familiar yellow-orange color of a Goldfish cracker. The Girl Scouts were probably trying to make a product to appeal to people who lack a sweet tooth (who are those people, anyway?). After all, Goldfish crackers and Cheez-Its are classics within their own right, so why wouldn't the Girl Scouts expand their cookie empire into salty snacks as well? You can't fault them for trying, since experimentation is a crucial part of the innovation process, after all. But much like McDonald's attempt to sell pizza in 1989 or Taco Bell's misguided seafood salad offering in 1986, sometimes when you swing, you miss.
These Girl Scout crackers didn't last long. However, if you're desperate to get your hands on some, the good news is you can buy a half-full box of "vintage" Golden Yangles on eBay ... if you're willing to shell out $59.99.
Yum Yums
Yum Yums were coconut caramel chocolate cookie bars made by a brand called Sunshine Biscuits, and they were popular in the 1970s (via Phoenix New Times). Yum Yums sure do sound groovy, baby, but unfortunately, Sunshine Biscuits was sold to Keebler back in 1996, so it seems the days of the Yum Yums are truly behind us (via The New York Times). Yum Yums' legacy prevails online, with people bemoaning their discontinuation and hoping they'll somehow make their way back onto our grocery store shelves. One fan described them as being similar to the Samoa Girl Scout cookie, for those of us unlucky enough to never have tried a Yum Yum.
We may not have Yum Yums anymore, but something we do have today that didn't exist in the 1970s is the internet, which has fortunately brought forth plenty of recipes to make your own Yum Yum cookie bars at home. All you need is some coconut, brown sugar, chocolate chips, vanilla, flour, eggs, and a little nostalgia for good measure.
Iced Berry Piñatas
While they were decidedly not a papier-mâché animal stuffed with candy, these Iced Berry Piñata Girl Scout cookies sure sounded like a party in your mouth. Shortbread cookies topped with strawberry jam, cinnamon crumbles, and drizzled with icing, the Iced Berry Piñatas resembled a classic Danish pastry, but in cookie form. What's not to love about that?
One would think that a cookie like this would stand the test of time, but according to Eat This, Not That, the Iced Berry Piñatas were only on the market from 2003 to 2005. We'll never know why these cookies went the way of the low rise jean, but luckily one former Girl Scout and Iced Berry Piñata cookie fan over at WhatsJessMaking.com has created a knock-off recipe, so the rest of us can party like it's 2003. Grab your Motorola Razr and a jar of strawberry jelly, and enjoy the fiesta.
Red Velvet Oreos
We all remember the peak red velvet craze of the early-to-mid-2010s. You couldn't walk 10 feet without tripping over a red velvet cupcake, body spray, or scented candle. So it's not a big surprise that Oreo released a limited-edition red velvet cookie in 2015. According to a taste test on Thrillist, the cookies actually tasted like a red velvet cake. What was unusual about these particular Oreos is that not only was the filling in the center a different flavor — cream cheese, to be exact — but the flavor of the cookie itself was changed from Oreo's signature chocolate to a true red velvet flavor.
If you call yourself a fan of the pigmented cake, then these were the cookies for you. But sadly, the Red Velvet Oreos were discontinued in 2020. According to Thrillist, Nabisco claimed the reason was to make room for other new cookie innovations. Maybe it's a sign the red velvet craze has officially died down?
Oreo Magic Dunkers
Way back in the year 2000, a couple of mad scientists (aka cookie developers) at Nabisco had a brilliant idea: What if they could make dunking Oreos in milk even more fun for kids? Enter the Oreo Magic Dunkers, which turned your milk blue when you dunked them. And because they were made with food dye, they also turned your fingers and tongue (and probably clothes) blue as well.
The Magic Dunker cookies were reportedly invented after the marketing team at Nabisco found that more than 30% of Oreo customers liked to dunk their cookies in a glass of milk (via Bakery Online). So they brilliantly found a way to make the experience even more enticing. Nabisco claimed their technologists spent over a year perfecting that blue swirl technology until they got it just right. But sadly, it seems they spent more time developing these cookies than actually selling them, as they didn't stay on the shelves for long. Maybe enough parents got tired of having to wash the stains off their kids' clothes every time they snacked on Magic Dunkers? Tough to say.