Let me start this review by saying I don’t like to do reviews. No, that isn’t true. I do like to write reviews, but I generally like to write them on my own terms. Call it journalistic integrity, but it’s hard for me to promise someone a review of their product knowing that I might not like what they send me and my choices will be to either lie, or tell this person that their hard work was wasted on me. If you know me, you know I’m honest to a fault. I can’t rightfully tell you to eat or buy anything that’s sucky.

That being said, these are not sucky cookies. In fact, they’re pretty good cookies. The problem I’ve found with most packaged vegan cookies is that they taste like they came out of a package – and not in a delicious way like Trader Joe’s Joe-Joes. In a Chewy Chips Ahoy, this tastes like cookie-flavored Play Doh way. That’s what I liked about these – they tasted really home made.

I was pretty happy to accept Mary’s offer to send me some cookies for my review, I’ll be honest – but I’ll also admit to being a bit panicked when I opened the box and saw something called Intention Cookies looking back at me. See, at Bountiful Vegan, there’s something else besides cookie-baking going on. There’s some kind of interactive, fortune cookie action happening.

I tend to kind of space out when people start to talk about their feelings and stuff. Tell me about the dream you had last night and you are guaranteed to lose me (unless it involved machetes or hot ladies.) I’m not really one for spiritual stuff, I don’t like to hold hands and even though my yoga teacher Kim was really cool – I mostly just laid there and thought about dinner. I don’t know how it happened, and I don’t know if I’ve always been this way, but I just kind of… get weirded out by new agey stuff. How I ever managed to be so nihilistic and vegan at the same time I will never know. I even used to go to Krishna temple and just ignore all the weird stuff going on around me and concentrate on shoveling as many free lentils into my mouth as I could.

Um, so anyway… there’s kind of some new agey stuff going on with these cookies. I’m not sure if you’re supposed to do something – like make a wish and close your eyes – or if it’s more like a fortune cookie, but there are phrases – intentions – printed on the inside of each package.

That’s fun, I suppose, but Teno and I really wanted to eat some cookies and we didn’t stop to make any wishes.

The first cookie we destroyed was the choco-chocolate chip “Prosperity” cookie. Actually, I opened this one when Teno’s aunt Leslie and his grandma Jo were still hanging out, and I’m glad I did. I think they were both a little leery of vegan cookies and the reassuring “mmmm!” and “this tastes just like a brownie” assured me that these were cookies anyone would like. Not just vegans.

Before they were even out the door Teno and I had a lemon snickerdoodle “Harmony” cookie mostly in our mouths. I was really pleasantly surprised to find that the different flavors also had different textures. Whereas the Prosperity was soft and chewy in the middle the Harmony was crisp and crunchy all the way through. Perfect with tea, or in the case of Teno and I, for hovering over the kitchen sink.

The next day Teno and I split a “Love” chocolate chip orange, which I think is the official Slater family favorite. I really liked that the orange didn’t hit me over the head – it wasn’t bitter or artificial and the cookie’s soft texture and delicate crumb was exactly what I wanted. Because I’m particular about the vegan cookies I eat while I give Teno a bath, you know?

I saved the “Well-Being” coconut pineapple for the week end, and ate it on my pack porch with the sun on my face and a family of dog-sized rats running through my alley. Another crunchy one – I thought it would be nice with a scoop of vegan coconut ice cream, but instead I ate it all by itself while I spaced out on the El running back and forth in my back yard.

I almost forgot to look at the intentions on all four, I admit, and twice I dug the wrappers out of the garbage to see what they said. They don’t really work with the “in bed” game I like to play with fortune cookies, although I suppose “my income doubles an redoubles – in bed” is a pretty good one.

Regardless, I was happy to see a lot of thought put into the ingredients list and wouldn’t be shy about picking up another “Love” cookie should I find one on the shelf at my local hippy grocery store. All in all, good stuff.

Thanks for the cookies and good intentions, Bountiful Vegan!

I actually have a real-deal baking project lined up for next week, so look for a new recipie in a few days.