290707 Fri Nov 01 12:22:10 -0800 2002 18 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1579082 I can't even track down Sunshine's website. My husband and I love these and can't find them anywhere. When I was a kid, my brother (12 years older) would cause a stir at his (now) in-law's house because my brother's favorite food was oreos (he's pretty limited) and his wife's family (she was still in college) kept kosher and only ever had Hydrox to offer him. But my husband and I love Hydrox. And can't find them neither high nor low. We're in Brooklyn, if that matters. I'd sleep better just knowing they still make them. We see plenty of other Sunshine products in the supermarket... Thanks, Judith Fri Nov 01 12:22:10 -0800 2002 0 cypressstylepie 1 1579086 Sunshine got swallowed up by one of the large processed food conglomerates (maybe Keebler). I think if you search this board you will find a thread about it. Sunshine Hydrox were always much better than Oreos, but I don't think they make them anymore. Fri Nov 01 12:38:36 -0800 2002 1579082 0 Chino Wayne 2 1579088 Bad news, girlfriend -- they're history. It was Keebler, all right. They discontinued a bunch of Sunshine cookies, maybe all of them. They still make some of the crackers. They're putting out a product called "Droxies" which is a travesty of the original. I still get a craving for Hydrox cookies every now and again...sigh... Fri Nov 01 12:49:02 -0800 2002 1579086 0 C. Fox 3 1579090 Grrr. It was one of the great treasons of the cookie world. Fri Nov 01 12:49:48 -0800 2002 1579088 0 Karl S. 4 1579104 Positively criminal what Keebler did to Hydrox; they wer much superior to Oreos. A victim of marketing stupidity and branding idiocy. Fri Nov 01 13:53:28 -0800 2002 1579090 0 Rich Pawlak 5 1579110 Hydrox had a big following among Jews who kept kosher. Oreos were made with lard--Hydrox with veg oil. A major taste and consistancy difference. I always preferred Oreos--still do like them every now and then. Fri Nov 01 14:50:15 -0800 2002 1579104 0 micki 6 1579111 That also explains the more intense chocolate flavor of Hydrox, whence its cult following. Fri Nov 01 14:51:29 -0800 2002 1579110 0 Karl S. 6 1579142 Micki, You say that oreos were made with lard. I just opened a bag and read the ingredients - no lard, only partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. The oreo package also has the big U on it. Sat Nov 02 02:09:55 -0800 2002 1579110 0 Ron Rosenbaum 7 1579143 I think the reference was to the past; tallow and lard were used a lot before the present generation. Sat Nov 02 06:20:45 -0800 2002 1579142 0 Karl S. 8 1579158 Nabisco eliminated the "may contain lard" (and therefore the lard) from its labels less than ten years ago. Sat Nov 02 13:44:44 -0800 2002 1579143 0 Caitlin McGrath 7 1579146 The operative word in the sentence is 'were'. They cut it out-- much to the detriment of my older, more beloved lard-ridden Oreo. Ah, well. Sat Nov 02 09:02:12 -0800 2002 1579142 0 micki 7 1579147 It is sad that so many companies gave in to the cholesterol police. McDonalds in particular. No more beef fat for the fries and no butter for my occasional egg mcmuffin, only margerine. Sat Nov 02 10:41:27 -0800 2002 1579142 0 Ron Rosenbaum 6 1579178 I'm torn over the changes that have taken place in the sandwich cookie world. (Where in the world would you find someone saying that other than Chowhound?) One of the hardest things to give up when I became a vegetarian was Oreos, which I'd always prefered to Hydrox. I liked the heavy, dense flavor, which came in part from the lard the cookies were made with. Now, they've changed the formula. The Oreos are no longer made with lard, so I can eat them, but they are slightly different. They're still okay but not Oreos as I remember them. Jim wrote about this a year or so ago - the slow slipping of standards in commercial cookies. Most of the major manufacturers have been switching from butter or lard to vegetable oil and from sugar to corn syrup. My only hope is that this is opening up a niche market for new products with old-fashioned ingredients. (Anyone remember the concept of "retro-snacking" from Thirty Something?) Sun Nov 03 05:43:47 -0800 2002 1579110 0 fladd 7 1579182 "My only hope is that this is opening up a niche market for new products with old-fashioned ingredients." Since Hydrox cookies are no longer called the same or made with the original recipe, I will start making offerings to the Chowhound Gods that someone finds the old recipe and starts making the real thing once again. I *vastly* preferred Hydrox to Oreos and for the last several years would wander by the cookie section in grocery stores when I traveled hoping I would find some. This is an opportunity for someone! Sun Nov 03 14:22:52 -0800 2002 1579178 0 Paul Homchick 1 1579093 I'm a huge Hydrox partisan and a journalist, the upshot of which is that I've written a *lot* about Hydrox over the years. Here's the deal: Sunshine Bakeries was purchased by Keebler several years ago. Keebler left the Sunshine brand/logo on certain products that were doing well, like Cheez-Its, but Hydrox were always seen as the poor cousin to Oreos (even though Hydrox actually came first, and Oreos are the copycat product -- nobody realizes this, but it's true) and its miserable market share was slipping from bad to worse, so Keebler decided to shake things up. First, Sunshine Hydrox became Keebler Hydrox Droxies (a lame name, but it could have been worse -- other names under consideration were Hydunks, Hy-D-Hos, and Choco-Twists). The brand/name changed and the shape of the cookie mold was altered a bit, but the flavor recipe remained the same. Then, after a few months, they did away with the word 'Hydrox' (always seen as a liability -- focus groups indicated that most people thought it sounded like a cleaning product), so now the cookies were Keebler Droxies. Then -- and this is the big part -- they fucked around with the flavor formula. So even though Droxies are theoretically the heir to the Hydrox heritage, they're really a completely different product. Too bad. -- Paul Fri Nov 01 12:57:06 -0800 2002 1579082 0 Paul Lukas 2 1579101 Thanks for the info, Paul, and boo hoo. Hydrox cookies were a favorite in our house when I was growing up. I've never cared much for Oreos. Fri Nov 01 13:47:40 -0800 2002 1579093 0 Seattle Rose 3 1581818 Thanks Paul; I've been looking for my Hydrox cookies for ages and frankly, I've been blaming their absence from the shelves, on the grocery stores in my area; Many of them have been bought out by consortiums of foreign investors, and they've stopped carrying a lot of 'old & familiar standbys' since they changed hands; And when I've asked their onsite personnel about them, they don't know anything. In fact, they seem to be surprised that someone actually thinks they might. That's why I finally decided to see if there is any info online, about where I can get them....Now I know I can't.. which makes me sad.... I really liked them! And anybody who thinks that Oreos are a reasonable substitute or taste about the same, must have dead taste buds. Leanne (Glen Burnie, Maryland) Sat Sep 17 22:37:00 -0700 2005 1579101 0 Leanne Martin 2 1579238 Thanks for the info. When I read it to my husband, he froze in disbelief for about an entire minute. Maybe we should experiment with the various supermarket brands to see if anyone has come close? Also, for all those who hated Oreos as a kid, sounds like they're not what they used to be. Maybe it's time for a re-try? I thought I remembered not lard, but that "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and/or beef fat." That was always a tricky one. But that might have been Hostess cupcakes that did that (among others). Mon Nov 04 15:23:34 -0800 2002 1579093 0 cypressstylepie 2 1581819 Chanks Paul; I've been looking for my Hydrox cookies for ages and frankly, I've been blaming their absence from the shelves, on the grocery stores in my area; Many of them have been bought out by consortiums of foreign investors, and they've stopped carrying a lot of 'old & familiar standbys' since they changed hands; And when I've asked their onsite personnel about them, they don't know anything. In fact, they seem to be surprised that someone actually thinks they might. That's why I finally decided to see if there is any info online, about where I can get them....Now I know I can't.. which makes me sad.... I really liked them! And anybody who thinks that Oreos are a reasonable substitute or taste about the same, must have dead taste buds. Leanne (Glen Burnie, Maryland) Sat Sep 17 22:49:09 -0700 2005 1579093 0 Leanne Martin