It is amazing how many choices of cookies you find at the store. There is at least a half an aisle of all sorts of colorful packages and interesting names.

When I was growing up in Mitchell County, probabilities were the store-bought cookie at our house was going to be Pecan Sandies. They’re made by Keebler these days, but I think they were Nabisco in the old days.

Why Pecan Sandies? Don’t know exactly, but I would place odds on it that my daddy wanted Pecan Sandies. There was a time, long ago and far away, where children did not rule the roost!

Like so many, I made that vow “When I get old, I’m never going to do so-and-so.” It’s not that the cookie tasted bad; it’s just that I might have appreciated another kind of cookie every now and then.

Well, wouldn’t you know it? I was hanging out in the cookie aisle this past week, pondering what kind of cookie I might want. I have written about my sweet tooth. It’s not as prominent as some people’s, but I do like something sweet before I stop grazing.

I looked up the most popular store-bought cookie in the country. Store-bought means, of course, that it is not a package of Tollhouse chocolate chips that are made-at-home chocolate chip cookies. Eating those jewels, while hot, beats any other kind of cookie.

What would you think the most popular store-bought cookie would be? It did not surprise me, but Oreo was at the top of the list. I like them okay, but they’re not my favorite. I bought some Chips Ahoy! the other day just to have a chocolate chip cookie around, but it was a chore to eat them all.

Many of the favorites listed were not favorites of mine at all, but I did notice one familiar name. Nilla Vanilla Wafers was on the list. I like those in banana pudding, but for a snack, no. Unless there’s some peanut butter to put on them, but that’s cheating. Peanut butter makes even cardboard taste good.

One thing is for sure. If “Fiber” is in the title of the cookie, I don’t want any part of it. Plus, I will stay away from any cookie that advertises itself as a “healthy” cookie. “Healthy” sort of defeats the purpose of a cookie, doesn’t it?

Back to Pecan Sandies. First of all, they were on no favorites list whatsoever. Secondly, I was sort of surprised that they still exist, but a nice lady who saw me looking at cookies told me they were one of her favorites.

I told her the story of growing up and how they were my daddy’s favorite and how I had sworn not to ever, ever buy them. She was as old as I am and said “I’ll bet when your daddy bought them, the package was about twice the size and at least half the price.”

I thought, well, what wasn’t twice the size and half the price in the old days? She assured me the taste was still the same and I felt I had to return to that place of comfort where I used to live. I was looking forward to getting home and eating a cookie from the past.

So, what did I think when I ate the cookie? Not bad. It was still shortbread and pecans and it hit the spot, doubly. First, it satisfied my taste for something sweet, but even better, it took me back to that place long ago and far away. Not bad for a simple cookie.