"The lady doth protest too much, methinks" is a line from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. We are equating the line of “too much” to Maxine’s Heavenly cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookies.

One may think there is no such a thing as too much flavor. But when it blows your palate or makes you wish you hadn’t taken a bite, it’s a sign that more doesn’t always mean better.

That’s what we found with Maxine’s Heavenly Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin soft-baked cookies. Too much cinnamon! Furthermore, these are touted as soft-“baked” cookies. The term baked is used loosely; perhaps barely baked would be more on par with the doughy, crumbly nature of these cookies.

If you don’t like dates, it’s another reason to stay away from these cookies. You can smell the dates when you open the bag. Whoever dreamed up using dates as a sweetener should resign from the job of a creative thinker. Using dates is not creative, and rarely works. Dates have a very intense flavor profile, and when paired incorrectly, can create the most horrible eating experience.

Editor’s Note: My sister makes an excellent date pinwheel cookie, a recipe handed down from her mother-in-law. This is the one and only time I’ve enjoyed eating dates as an ingredient in a baked good.

Another ingredient that often ruins the flavor profile of baked goods, imbho, is coconut sugar. It has an intense flavor of caramel or brown sugar, a little on the burnt side. It’s easy to use this ingredient wrong, especially when too much is used as in this instance.

So we have the overloaded amount of cinnamon, the raisins (which are good), the dates (too sweet) and the coconut sugar (too much), that create a less than heavenly eating experience. Thank goodness the bag only has eight cookies. We would hate to toss a bag of say… 20 cookies. But seriously, eight cookies per bag adds another level of why you may not want to purchase this product. Eight small-ish cookies for $5.89.

There are three flavors we didn’t try. Perhaps one of these would be better: Chocolate Chocolate Chunk, Pumpkin Pecan Spice, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk.

While we don’t care for Maxine’s oatmeal raisin cookie, we do like the story behind the brand. It’s about a son who loved his mom’s cookies and recognized most processed cookies have questionable ingredients. Therefore, Tim Miller, Maxine’s son, set out on a quest to create a healthier version of family favorites.

Another thing we love about the company is its give-back philosophy. Maxine’s Heavenly “teamed up with the Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) and Sunbox Market “to bring healthy snacks to corner markets” in LA. Currently the program is piloting with Lupita’s Market. Watch the video below to learn more… and IMBHO-yes for Lupita’s Market! #SmallBusiness #MakingADifference