Archway

While in the cooking aisle of my grocery store checking out packaged cookies, I was reminded of how much I miss Circus Animal Cookies, which got discontinued last year when Mother's Cookies filed for bankruptcy (although Kellogg's has said it plans to reintroduce some favorites). In hard times, many products — from Archway Cookies to Zima coolers — have gone the way of Crystal Pepsi. What discontinued products do you still crave?

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The economy continues to tumble, yet there's no end in sight when it comes to the pattern of reviving extinguished store-bought cookie brands. Following the rebirth of Mother's cookies by Kellogg's, snack company Lance is bailing out Archway, the sister company to Mother's that also collapsed this October. Before its demise, Archway was known nationwide for its soft-batch cookies in various flavors such as oatmeal and nougat. When Archway filed for Chapter 11, nearly 300 workers were left displaced and without jobs. Last week, Lance stunned former employees by giving many of them their old jobs back and presenting each full-time employee with a $1,500 gift card. The Charlotte, NC-based company resumed operations at Archway this week.

I'm glad to hear that these cookies are coming back, and even more thrilled to hear of people getting their jobs back. At a time when layoffs seem to be the only news making headlines, I'm relieved that at least some people are happily returning to their jobs. Are you excited for the return of Archway cookies?

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This year was a turbulent year for all, and the traditional snack cookie was no exception. Snack companies took fans on a roller coaster ride, discontinuing cookies and then announcing their revival. In January of this year, cookie classicists reeled from the loss of the Hydrox cookie, the crispy, chocolate sandwiches the preceded the Oreo. Consumers raised such ruckus over the death of Hydrox that Kellogg's, the cookie's manufacturer, agreed to bring it back. The catch? Kellogg's stated that the cookie's overall future was contingent on whether "it sells a lot."So far, Hydrox has remained on shelves. Mother's cookies, however, were not so lucky. After nearly 100 years of baking, Mother's Cookies crumbled, leaving lovers of Circus Animal Cookies and Taffy Sandwiches up in arms. Archway, which bought out Mother's cookies in 2005, also dissolved.

This month, Kellogg's announced it would be acquiring the rights to Mother's recipes, too. The company didn't reveal too many details, but did say it plans to rekindle the most popular of Mother's snacks. Did you find this year's cookie drama unsettling? Are you worried that any of these sweet Kellogg's deals will sour?

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After 94 years, cookie company Mother's Cookies has closed its doors.

The Michigan-based company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, told its workers last Friday that cookies would no longer be made as of Monday.

The reason cited was the economic climate. Chief Restructuring Officer Jeffrey Granger explained that the company has been "operating at a loss due largely to the significant increases in raw material costs and the record high fuel costs across the country."

I'm saddened by the collapse of another company and more job loss, but the hardest part is the sudden parting I have to make with iconic cookies such as circus animals and taffy sandwiches. And there will be no holiday frosted cookies for us this season, either.

Are you surprised to hear of this? What Mother's cookies will you miss?

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