Hydrox

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Hydrox is the brand name for an early and successful creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookie which debuted in 1908 and was manufactured by Sunshine Biscuits. Its unusual name was formed from those of the atomic elements which make up pure water: hydrogen and oxygen.[1] Some accounts report the Oreo—introduced later, in 1912—was inspired by the Hydrox, yet Hydrox suffered from the misimpression it was a knockoff. Compared to the Oreo, the Hydrox had a "tangy, less-sweet filling."[2]

[edit] Production

Sunshine Biscuits was purchased by Keebler in 1996, and in 1999, Keebler replaced Hydrox with a similar but reformulated product named Droxies.[3] Keebler was later acquired by Kellogg's in 2001. Kellogg's removed Droxies from the market in 2003. Kellogg's now markets a chocolate sandwich cookie under the Famous Amos brand, and some fans of the original Hydrox suspect this may be Hydrox reborn, while others find solace in Newman-O's and various house branded cookies. Kellogg's says the Hydrox recipe is unique.[4]

Kellogg's plans to offer Hydrox again starting in August 2008. Hydrox aficionados bombarded Kellogg's with thousands of phone calls and an on-line petition asking for production to resume. The cookies will be available nationally for a limited time, but good sales might lead to continued production. The recipe will be slightly altered from the original; trans-fats are removed.[5]

The Carvel ice-cream franchise still sells ice-cream goods manufactured with "Hydrox" cookie crumbs. Carvel uses the cookies' all-kosher status as a selling point,[6] 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 (lower-case 'h') on the in-store posters.[7]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Lukas, Paul. "Oreos to Hydrox: Resistance Is Futile." Business 2.0, March 1999, a copy of which was retrieved January 2008
  2. ^ Rhoads, Christopher. "The Hydrox Cookie Is Dead, and Fans Won't Get Over It." Wall Street Journal, January 19 2008
  3. ^ Lukas
  4. ^ Rhoads
  5. ^ Rhoads, Christopher. "Hydrox Redux: Cookie Duels Oreo, Again." Wall Street Journal, May 28 2008
  6. ^ Rhoads, January 19 2008. The original Oreo recipe used lard (pork fat).
  7. ^ Carvel web site

[edit] External links

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