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Chips Ahoy! Made with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

I Paid $3.29 for a 9.5-ounce box (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 4 stars

Marketing: 3 stars

Ah, Chips Ahoy! At one point, these things must have seemed like the next bold wave of chocolate chip cookies: dry but pleasingly crunchy, with tiny little chips that stubbornly refused to melt and ooze like those found in the real-deal homemade version. With their uniform texture and distribution of chocolate, Chips Ahoy! fit in comfortably with Cheetos, Doritos, Oreos, and other things ending in "o" that are best known for their widgetlike interchangeability and shelf stability.

But time has been cruel to Chips Ahoy! They are often the saddest inhabitant of the dessert aisle, offering neither novelty nor substantial flavor. Until now. The brand has timidly stepped forward from the early ’80s into the early ’90s by jamming its popular, market-saturating presence together with that of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Thus: Chips Ahoy! cookies with tiny little peanut butter cups baked into them. Does this radical combination work? Yes. Assuredly. The depth and soul of peanut butter gives these formerly flat and one-dimensional cookies a renewed zest. If you're inclined to like Chips Ahoy!, you'll love these things; and if not, heck, give ’em a chance. There's a lot to like.

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster column, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook. His wife, Becca Dilley, takes the photographs for Supertaster. She specializes in weddings and food photography, and is the coauthor of and photographer for the book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers.

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