Another week, another installment of Tastykake Face-Off, where Philadelphia’s hometown hero snack product goes up against the competition in a fight for top snack bragging rights. The winner will be carefully selected via analysis of several key criteria discussed below. Today it’s the battle of the chocolate chip cookies, as the Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie goes up against Tastykake Soft Cookie Bars. Let’s take it to the ring…

1) Packaging: The Tastykake uses a fitted plastic wrapper with clear portions allowing potential consumers to see the cookie through the packaging, a strategy that has worked successfully in the past. The see-through parts are at the top and bottom of the bar; in the middle, the Tastykake logo arches above the words “Cookie Bars” in a thick, rounded white typeface against a dull striped red background, with a cursive “Soft” hovering above. At the bottom, “Chocolate Chip” appears in a wide tan rectangle. Eeking out from the corners are splashes of milk. The Mrs. Fields sports the traditional cursive Mrs. Fields logo against a deep red background. The bottom two-thirds of the package are taken up by a picture of the cookie, with “milk CHOCOLATE CHIP” appearing in a brown rectangle at the very bottom. In the lower right-hand corner is a proclamation that the cookie has 0 grams of trans fat. Hoorah! This round goes to Mrs. Fields, primarily because the see-through packaging of the Tastykake shows the cookie, which looks rather dry, particularly the chips. The delicious-looking picture of the Mrs. Fields cookie does not even need to be enlarged to show texture!

2) Price: The Tastykake is priced at 65 cents. Due to a lost receipt, the true cost of the Mrs. Fields is in doubt, but is believed to be 99 cents; regardless, it is more expensive than the Tastykake. This round goes to Tastykake.

3) Appearance: As mentioned earlier, the Tastykake has a rather dry look to it. The Mrs. Fields looks almost exactly like it does on the picture, except the chocolate chips do not look quite as melty. Also, the Tastykake wrapper says “Cookie Bars.” There is only one bar inside! Now perhaps the packaging simply means to bring attention to the fact that Tastykake offers a whole series of cookie bar flavors, not only chocolate chip. The point is moot, however, as Mrs. Fields takes this round decisively.

4) Taste: The Mrs. Fields cookie has a very rich taste with a distinct note of caramel. The texture is soft on the inside and slightly doughy, but firm on the outside. The chips are sufficiently chocolaty. Very satisfying overall. The Tastykake is also soft, but a bit too dry. The chips are sweet but not necessarily chocolaty, and the cookie part itself is nearly flavorless. Mrs. Fields nearly lands a knockout in this round.

5) Nutrition: Each cookie weighs in at about 2 ounces, making for an even comparison. The Mrs. Fields contains 15 grams of fat and 7 grams of saturated fat. The Tastykake has a svelte 11 grams of fat and 3 grams of saturated fat. Though the packaging doesn’t advertise it as a selling point as does the Mrs. Fields wrapper, the Tastykake also contains 0 grams of trans fat. Tastykake takes this round.

Victory: Mrs. Fields. Though the rounds were split 3-2 in favor of Mrs. Fields, that score doesn’t adequately capture how much better the Mrs. Fields cookie truly is. It is downright delicious, the kind of dessert that one could try to pass off as a homemade cookie and probably succeed. This first-ever Tastykake defeat comes as a shock, but fear not: It will be back next week ready to take on a new opponent.

Read more Tastykake Face-Off here.