The Hudson Valley's 'Favorite Cookie' is Back in Stock -- For Now

Hudson Valley cookie fans are rejoicing this week, as a local favorite makes its triumphant return to some select stores.

Even though you know it's coming, the first appearance of that bright yellow box will make anyone smile. Yes, it's officially Mallomars season once again in the Hudson Valley, and this year, stores are offering deep discounts on one of our favorite treats.

The marshmallow and graham cracker cookies, coated with rich, dark chocolate have become a tradition in our area. In fact, 70% of all Mallomars are sold right here in the New York Metropolitan area. The famed cookies first went on sale in New Jersey back in 1913 and were only sold from September through March. The reason was due to warm weather melting the chocolate as it was delivered to stores. Today, refrigerated trucks could easily solve that problem, but the hysteria surrounding "Mallomars Season" has made the summer intermission of sales more of a marketing decision than a practical one.

On Monday I was shopping at Stop & Shop in Poughkeepsie when I spotted the first box of the season. An endcap display held a huge stack of the cookies with a sign announcing a limited-time discount. Right now two boxes are being sold for $4 with a digital coupon.

Over at ShopRite, a 4-day sale begins this Wednesday that will save you even more money. With a coupon, you'll be able to pick up two boxes for just $3. That offer will only last through this Saturday.

Other local stores may have similar deals on boxes of the limited-time cookie, but they were unavailable on their websites. Either way, you're going to need to load up while you can, so shop around for the best deal and enjoy those Mallomars until they disappear again.

Hudson Valley Restaurants With the Most Critical Violations in 2021

Critical violations are those that can cause immediate harm to consumers such as undercooked food and improper storage of ingredients. Other violations like inadequate handwashing facilities or dirty conditions are noted as non-critical violations.

The ten restaurants below all received four or more critical violations during their latest inspection of 2021. In some cases, the restaurants were given the opportunity to correct the violations by inspectors and have done so. Just because a restaurant is on this list doesn't mean that they are currently in violation of the health code. However, the Board of Health does think it's important to be armed with information on how seriously a restaurant takes kitchen cleanliness, food safety and other important rules that affect the food you feed your family.