Long ago, when I was new to the internet, I fell in with a batch of Canadians. 

No one is really sure how it happened, but this one particular role-playing/fanfic USENET newsgroup was at least 50% Canadian.  Maybe more like 80% depending on who was active and who had gone away for a few months.

At the time, I knew virtually nothing about Canada, much less about Canadians.  But they schooled me, oh yes they did. 

In hindsight, this was a valuable and relatively rare experience.  The Canadian domination was firm, yet kind, and frequently instructive.  

It gave me a much better feel for our Neighbors to the North.  Even though I was reasonably in favor of Canada in the first place, having grown up in Alaska, where we had more in common with Canada than with the rest of the United States.

As with so many online communities, swaps and mailing gifts were sort of an ongoing thing.  At one point I received a care package from my best friend on the newsgroup, who happened to be the most pro-Canada of all the pro-Canadians.  She was hardcore, trust me.

The care package included a box of maple crème cookies.  Not only had I never had these before, I had never even known of their existence.  And yet she assured me that they were terribly popular in Canada.  An assertion which was later borne out when I noticed that in any collection of "Canadian things," a box of maple crème cookies was always included.  You can also buy maple crème cookies in the British/Canadian section of specialty food stores, like Cost Plus Imports.

Imagine my surprise, then, to learn that Safeway's premium in house brand "Safeway Select" had started offering its own version of the maple crème cookie.

I am cautiously optimistic about Safeway Select items.  They usually fall somewhere in between quality, not as good as the original they are knocking off, but a far sight better than the other run of the mill items.  Their cookie selection has been a real mixed bag.  Many of their cookies are far too dry and crumbly, like eating cakes of dust.  But their caramel-filled chocolates and peanut butter cups are so delicious that I have forbidden myself from buying them.

I was thrilled when I opened the package and discovered that the cookies were in the correct size and shape.  Formed as a maple leaf, with the leaf vein detailing, the appearance of the cookies is iconic.  I suppose you could make maple crème cookies that were just circular like Oreos, but what would be the point?

As with other Safeway Select cookies, the mix was a little dry.  This meant that several of the cookies separated from their crème filling, and had to be picked up and eaten together carefully.  But the texture of the crème filling (not at all gritty) and the texture of the cookies (a nice graham cracker-like crunch and grit) was spot on.

The flavor was just right, too.  It would be easy to make these too sweet.  They toe that line pretty closely, but don't cross it.  

All in all, one of my best grocery store finds of the year!  So delicious, I wish I hadn't tried them, because now I will want to buy them every time I go to the store.