Nabisco's "SnackWells" line of products includes cinnamon graham snacks, crackers and cookies that are reduced-fat or fat-free. Our testers tried out the cookie offerings: oatmeal raisin, devil's food and creme sandwich. The cookies cost $1.85 for a 6.75-ounce package.
Don Russell (married, five children at home, ages 14-4): "We tried the devil's-food cookies and were not impressed. In fact, I wouldn't pay 50 for another box. It seems Nabisco forgot to add more than just the fat. They have plenty of sugar and chocolate in them, but the resultant taste isn't too hot. SnackWells don't seem to have much zip to them. The box contains just 12 cookies."Edyth Jensen (married, two children and two grandchildren at home): "We had the oatmeal raisin cookies and liked them. They were crisp, a harder cookie, but the raisins were chewy. They're not very sweet, good to snack. I probably will buy these again."
Nihla Lake (married, four children at home): "The devil's food cake tasted kind of rubbery. I was expecting a cake-like texture but these were more like foam rubber. When you'd think about all the fat and calories that weren't there, they were pretty good. It's a pretty guilt-free snack."
Linda C. Tingey (single mother, four teenage boys at home): "The devil's-food cookies are moist and chewy - but they are too rich for my taste. I love the fact that they are fat-free, but I won't be buying them again."
Rich Firmage (married, three children, oldest 8 years old): "Compared to the Raisin Ruckus cookies of last week, these were hard as a rock. They're still sitting here, so no one was too crazy about them at this house."
Bill Allred (single): "I decided to give these a good test by having four or five cookies for breakfast every morning until the box was gone. They went down easy with milk but, like many reduced-fat content items, they seemed a little too sweet. And if we're going to eat cookies in the first place, for breakfast or otherwise, do we really care if they're reduced fat?
"The full-fat creme sandwiches really do taste better. If the reduced fat claim on the label makes you think you're doing something healthy, then go ahead and buy these cookies. They're not bad."
Conclusion: Back to the drawing board, Nabisco. SnackWell doesn't necessarily mean TasteWell.