Hydrox

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Hydrox was a brand name for a successful cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie which debuted in 1908 and was manufactured by Sunshine Biscuits (Lukas, 1999).

Some accounts report that the Oreo — introduced in 1912 — was inspired by the Hydrox cookie.

Sunshine Biscuits was purchased by Keebler, which phased out the Hydrox by 1996. A similar, but somewhat reformulated product named Droxies, was introduced by Keebler in 1999 (Lukas, 1999).

Note that the Carvel ice-cream franchise (USA) still sells ice-cream goods manufactured with so-called "Hydrox" cookies and crumbs thereof. Carvel uses all-kosher status as a selling point, so these cookies are presumably made with the same recipe as the original. The cookies are not specifically mentioned by name on the Carvel website, but they are identified as hydrox (note the lower-case 'h') on the in-store posters. For example, they make a car cake wherein the tires are hydrox on their sides, and you can have hydrox sprinkles on your ice-cream sundae. Visually, these cookies are almost impossible to differentiate from Oreos (except for the different molded shapes on the outer sides); the taste is difficult to assess, since both flavor and texture are affected by the temperature and humidity to be found inside an ice-cream freezer.

Keebler does still market a chocolate sandwich cookie under the Famous Amos brand.