Jackson’s Old Fashioned Vanilla Wafers, crispy vanilla-flavored round cookies first produced at a North Little Rock baking facility in 1933, are leaving the store shelves.
The popular cookies have been discontinued by Murray Foods, a division of Ferrero Rocher, as of this month, ending the history of an Arkansas company’s famed line of sweet fare.
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Jackson’s Cookie Company began in downtown North Little Rock in 1933. Over the years, it produced a number of popular cookies, from peanut butter and oatmeal varieties to chocolate and chocolate fudge. It became best known for its Jackson Jumbles, a soft yet crisp lemon cookie with a small hole in the center.
The company produced its baked goods in North Little Rock until after its acquisition by Murray Foods and the closing of its second North Little Rock plant in January 2004. The brand was absorbed into the Kellogg’s family of foods. Over time, different Jackson’s cookie lines were discontinued, with Jackson Jumbles disappearing in 2013.
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The popular vanilla wafers are a necessary component for banana pudding for many Arkansas families. Variations on the recipe found in cookbooks from across the 20th century in Arkansas specifically call for Jackson’s Vanilla Wafers instead of other brands. The crispness and size of the cookie is noted for its ability to both stand up in consistency and absorb the flavors of the pudding. The cookies are also used in many pie crust recipes.
Little Rock native Elizabeth Scott says the cookies are irreplaceable.
“Those that know flavor for our desserts know Jackson’s Vanilla Wafers are the only choice when we make banana pudding,” Scott says. “It’s the only one that blends with the flavors without sacrificing quality. Without them we lose a staple to a Southern dish.”
Several calls to representatives for Ferrero Rocher confirm the company ceased manufacture of the cookies at the beginning of December. Despite requests to continue the product or sell the recipe to another company, a representative says Ferrero Rocher’s decision is final.
Many are heartbroken over the outcome.
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“My mom worked at Jackson’s Cookie Company for a long time, up until they closed,” Jessica Liles O’Baugh posted to Facebook. “These cookies were a part of my childhood. We always had vanilla wafers and lemon jumbles at home. I remember getting fresh cookies off of the line when my mom had to go up to work for something. In the meantime, I will be calling to plead for their return.”
For North Little Rock residents and people who traveled through the area, the scent of baking cookies was ever present before the facility’s closing.
“You could smell those cookies being baked as you came over the I-30 bridge to North Little Rock. Sad story of their demise,” says Walter Rognrud.
The last of the cookies was distributed in Arkansas over the past two weeks. A few bags can be found in Walmart, Kroger and Piggly Wiggly stores throughout the state.
Kat Robinson is a blogger, an author, a food historian and a longtime food influencer in Arkansas. Email her at [email protected] or visit her website at TieDyeTravels.com.
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