Maurice Lenell

can’t compare it to the olden days. the owner is really nice, helpful and the store is well maintained. no more pinwheels :-(i live close by and try to stock up every now & then. they are still great cookies! the owner should be on facebook. people are constantly talking about the maurice lenell cookies and where to find them.

Let me preface by saying the low rating is NOT for the store. I was concerned about finding a parking spot. I did, about ½ a block away, only to see the little ‘alley’ right next to the building with a few parking spots. The store was clean and stocked, and the woman was knowledgeable, pleasant & helpful. The low rating is for the cookies.
I am not a big cookie eater — unless they’re Maurice Lenell. I am also one that has fond memories of going to the factory on Harlem/​Montrose for special occasions. As an adult, I would stop in & get some when I went past there. I finally made the ½ hour one-​way trek to get some cookies.
While there, I asked about the buckets of cookies & was told they’re not making them. OK. The only other option is to buy flavors separately. I asked for the ‘star /​jelly’ cookies (the plain cookies with the little red center) & was told they’re not making those anymore (currently?) either, due to an issue with the jelly.
I ended up buying 6 packages (2 of 3 different kinds) to stock up. I just opened them.
— Chocolate chip: These were what I remembered. A little ‘crisper’ (harder?), but the same taste.
— Fudge Brownies: I asked if they were the ones with the sugar on top or without, since I didn’t care for the ones with the sugar. I was told that they were the ones without. Not the case. After opening it, I immediately saw the sugar crystals on top. Since I asked, I didn’t bother reading the package — until now: «sugar sprinkled favorites». I thought I’d get past that if the taste was the same or similar. Same as the chocolate chips, they’re crispier/​harder, but these had virtually no taste.
— Pinwheel Swirls: I thought I’d get a different flavor to offset the chocolate ones. Ditto on the texture and lack of taste. (See attached picture, especially how small these are, and what they look like compared to the ‘perfect’ picture on the packaging.)
I used to get the buckets at Jewel/​Osco, usually around the holidays. Those tasted exactly the same as always. These? In addition to the above, as I’m writing this, I have some kind of unpleasant aftertaste on the roof of my mouth.
I am very disappointed that these are touted as same-​as-​before (the package even says «Try all of the Maurice Lenell Traditional favorites»), and that I was foolish enough to stock up. They are NOT like they used to be. Never again, for me.
P. S. One of the pictures shows «Fudge Brownie Cookies, factory discount $ 1.29». Not sure when that was, but the 10−½ oz packages I bought were each $ 2.99 as of November 2014.

5 stars before I even visit the store :) I look forward to visiting the store and picking up these classic cookies. The Hanover’s Pretzels are a great bonus! Fourteen years ago, I took city buses all the way out to the factory to pick up Christmas cookies and to stand by the cookie belt. The smell was amazing, and the cookies always remind me of my grandparents. It’s too bad that the factory isn’t around, anymore.

I picked up several boxes of Maurice Lenell cookies yesterday. They were terrible. They didn’t taste at all like the original ones. The pinwheels had no taste. They were very small — a little bigger than a quarter. The jelly stars were all different sizes. None of them was circular. In the old days they would be considered «seconds» and never be sold in the regular packages. They had no taste.
Save yourself a trip.

Maurice Lenell has returned to the neighborhood in the form of «The Cookie Store». Located on Harlem, a block south of Irving Park Rd, they have brought back many favorites, but this time in a small storefront.
We stopped here today out of curiosity. The Maurice Lenell Factory has been gone from the area for several years now. As I wandered around gathering a few items, several older folk began to filter in. Lenell was such a presence in this neighborhood for so many years that I think this store with its familiar cheerful logo is kind of like an old friend come home.
I picked up some cookies. They also carry Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzels and a few other brands. They will supposedly be carrying Fanny May products in the future as well.
This is not a big store and they are still getting stock in, but for those of us who grew up with Maurice Lenell, all I can say is «welcome home»!!!