Snack Attack

I had a conversation with The Boss last night that started out extolling the deliciousness of Ring Dings and became a discussion of the various chocolate/cream cakes on the market.  We agreed that Ring Dings are the best snack in this category and Devil Dogs are the worst but we had some trouble recalling the treats that corresponded with the other names we managed to recall.  After doing a little investigating, I realize that the reason for our confusion is that Drakes Cakes and Hostess have their own versions of several different chocolate cakes.  Little Debbie has a version of most of these too, but I lost interest by the time I started looking at a third brand.  So here's a quick (and obviously very important) primer:

Ring Dings (Drakes Cakes ) / Ding Dongs (Hostess)

Not only are these products pretty much identical, they also have the match-y rhyming names.  Little cream-filled chocolate cakes coated in chocolate.  They are super delicious, and this is coming from someone who isn't a big chocolate enthusiast.  

Yodels (Drakes Cakes) / Ho Hos (Hostess)

Strange that we forgot about the Swiss rolls when Hostess named theirs after The Boss's paternal grandmother.  Although they contain the exact same three components as Ring Dings/Ding Dongs, I prefer the hockey pucks above to these cylinders.  

Devil Dogs (Drakes Cakes) / Suzie Q’s (Hostess)

These treats lack the crucial chocolate coating and suffer mightily for it.  I never made the connection, but The Boss pointed out that these are garbage whoopie pies-- chocolate cake and frosting sandwiches.  Real whoopie pies are so much better.  (Especially pumpkin whoopie pies.  Mmmm.)

 

And while I'm strolling down fat kid memory lane, here are two treats that remind me of my grandparents' homes.  

The first are wafer cookies that The Boss's maternal grandparents (my great-grandparents) used to serve.  You don't see a lot of these nowadays, but I enjoyed them.  The pinks were the best.

And then there are Lemon Coolers, which my mum used to buy when we visited her parents.  I don't know if they were easier to find in Western Massachusetts or if being home reminded her to look for them.  Our cousins' dachshund got his head stuck in a box of these once.  Neither the dog nor the cookies have been seen since the mid '90s.  (RIP Pogo.)