Is Jenny Bakery Worth The Hype?

The heavenly Jenny Bakery 珍妮曲奇 cookies are oh-so-worth a separate dedicated post.

Writing about my buying experiences here, there was no intention for a separate review post back then. But hey, this Asian-region famous butter cookies (accord to Mai, a friend) soooo deserve an additional posting.

The funny thing was I approached the cookies-eating, like a ‘media evaluation‘ process. To non-industry peers, ‘media evaluation’ is one of  media planners’ job scope. More often than not, it falls under junior’s responsibility. New media, are being reviewed and evaluated, for our clients’ considerations.

The ‘4 Mix Butter Cookies‘ that we bought, consists of 4 types of cookies:

1. Flower (soft butter)
2. Shortbread (hard butter)
3. Coffee 
4. Raisin Oat

Opening up the tin for the first time, a strong whiff of coffee aroma hit my nostrils. I savored it in a group of 4, a piece of each type. Bf also entertained my nonsense, and did the same.

Taking my first bite of the cookie, I was expecting to be blown away. That’s the problem when a cookie is being worship like no others. My reaction? Hmmmm …. it’s a good butter cookie definitely, but it’s still just a butter cookie. Bf, whom has a better taste palette, said he understands why people are crazy about it.

The #1 butter cookie (also known as soft butter) is our favorite, sooo light and airy.

My other favorite is #2 shortbread cookie. Well, I like anything-butter, that’s why.

#3 Coffee has the same texture as #1, but with coffee flavor. Never like anything-coffee-that-is-not-a-coffee … coffee ice cream, coffee cake, etc are just not my thing. I am your traditional coffee-in-a-cup type of girl. Bf’s dad likes this one, so it’s very much depending on own preference.

#4 raisin and oat cookie is just so-so. Honestly, I think they shouldn’t even bother. Texture-wise, it doesn’t blend in with the rest of raisin-and-oat’s siblings. This poor ugly duckling has a more rough texture.

The raisin and oat cookie reminds me of Danish Butter Cookies.

When I was a small kid, a tin of Danish Butter Cookies is a luxury. My siblings and I always finished off all types, except for the raisin ones. Perhaps Jenny Bakery’s raisin and oat cookie is the long lost sister of Danish Butter Cookies’s raisin cookie. What do ya’ reckon?

Secretly, I think my bf enjoyed the cookies more than I do. And I was the one who wanted to buy the cookies at the first place. Go figure.

I asked him if he would queue for it, if ever we travel to Hong Kong again. He said, “Yes, if the queue is short” … Hear, hear!!

After my first round of cookie, I wasn’t in a rush to eat more. But I did, and I am glad that I did.

I appreciate the cookies more in my 2nd round, and more & more in the 3rd round. I gotta take my hat off to Jenny Bakery, they do have the winning formulas for epic butter cookies.

But I ain’t in a hurry to get more.

It is easy to see why people are willing to queue for hours for Jenny Bakery. But you can be sure that I won’t be part of the hour-long queue. I will however, collect Jenny Bakery’s signature tins with pictures of teddy bears on them. I read that they change the tin’s design often.

We delivered the cookies to bf’s family. I was ecstatic that his family, his parents especially also enjoyed the cookies.

For ROI (Return Of Investment) calculation,

The cookies are made with good butter, and I understand that it’s an expensive ingredient. So, you pay a premium for a food piece of cookie. I learned from my baker-friend, that baking ingredients are expensive. And the process is labor-intensive and time consuming.

I measured the cookie, haha yes I did. One can easily pop the small piece of cookie 4cm x 4cm into his / her mouth.

After the tasting, I appreciate Jenny Bakery’s quota system (currently 2 small tins or 1 big + 1 small at Sheung Wan). There is a limit to how many tins each customer can buy, to ensure (more) people get a chance to taste their heavenly cookies.

In lieu of the quota system, people need to understand, and do not pressure their friends to get a tin for you. If they choose to buy one for you as a souvenir (from heart, without asking), he / she is a friend to keep. This person needs to prioritize, and must have love you to pieces to include you voluntarily.

The cookies have short shelf live of one month. We bought the cookies on 1st Jan 2016, and expiry date stamped on the back of the tin is 30th Jan 2016. Our 4 tins are meant for our own consumption, and bf’s family.