Feds ban school’s beloved "pink cookie"

School children in Elyria, Ohio are mourning the demise of a 40-year tradition – the loss of their beloved pink cookie. The fabled cookie, long served in local school cafeterias, was done in by a pound of butter, six cups of powdered sugar and the Obama administration’s food police. “It no longer meets the national school lunch program guidelines for snacks,” said Amy Higgins, the spokesperson for Elyria City Schools. “It has too many calories.” The USDA “Smart Snacks in School” standards mandate that all snacks must contain less than 200 calories. It’s not exactly clear how many calories are in the pink cookie but the recipe for the frosting calls for a pound of butter. The cookie was banished to comply with the federal guidelines. “We can’t have them in the cafeteria for sale, period,” food services director Scott Teaman told The Chronicle Telegram. “The guidelines for snacks are very strict, and there is no wiggle room.” Thus marks the end of a longtime lunchroom tradition and sparking disappointment across the city. “It’s a tradition,” Higgins told me. “It’s not only a tradition it’s one that tastes really, really good. You’d be surprised by how many people are upset about the pink cookie going away. Anyone who’s gone to Elyria schools in the last 40 years knows the pink cookie.” Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda remembered tasting her first pink cookie when she was just a little girl. “I grew up eating them,” said Brinda. “They are a comfort food. It’s one of those things that’s special to our community.” The mayor says the cookie’s demise is the talk of the town. “This cookie has a cult following,” she said. In 2009 the cookie was crowned “Best Cafeteria Cookie” by Cleveland Magazine...more