Sophomore Josephine Herman scanned the library and stealthily uncovered a recycled bag of six crumbled magic cookie bars. The four girls sitting at her table all reached for the broken pieces. Herman does not normally eat desserts — but magic cookie bars are an exception. Though her love for the chewy sweet has only prompted dining hall theft on that single occasion, the bars are Herman's Achilles' heel.
They aren't exactly diet food, as they are comprised of butter, graham crackers, coconut, chocolate and sweetened condensed milk, but that doesn't stop Herman.
"When there are magic bars, I'll eat four," she said.
Herman's love for the treat is not uncommon within the Tufts community. According to Director of Dining and Business Services Patti Klos, Tufts Dining Services doubled its original order of 50 trays to 100 after demand far outstripped supply.
Zachary Michel, a freshman, fondly remembers his first encounter with the delicacy earlier this semester.
"I think I had them on a Thursday night," he said. "It was choosing between magic cookie bars and a Thursday sundae and I went with the magic cookie bars and it was totally worth it."
Michel estimates that he keeps four or five bars in his room at any given time to offer to guests. He gets them from both Dewick and Hodgdon, but prefers Dewick bars, noting that the crumb is more consistent. Though he likes to keep a constant supply, Michel usually only takes two to three bars at a time.
"I don't want to be too obvious," Michel said.
The magic cookie bars may be tough on waistlines but the treat benefits a charitable cause. The bars are a product of the Fresh Roots Culinary Program of the United Teen Equality Center (UTEC). Fresh Roots offers skill development and community building through UTEC, which works with high−risk youth in Lowell, Mass. The sale of the baked goods, which are delivered to Tufts on Friday mornings, helps the program offset a stipend awarded to teen participants.
"For them to make positive life choices, they also need some money in their pocket," Derek Mitchell, the workforce development director at UTEC, said.
Tufts Dining Services forged their original connection with the UTEC program at this fall's weekly on−campus farmers' market. UTEC partners with the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and helped run the farmers' market on the Medford−Somerville campus.
Junior Charley Teng feels a fervent passion for the baked good. This past Sunday, Teng spotted a tray of the treat being sliced at brunch in Dewick. While they were not yet available for consumption, Teng specially requested a clandestine early sample. After a brief debate, the Dewick worker acquiesced. Teng describes magic cookie bars, which he discovered last semester, as his "favorite dessert ever."
"I'm a big pastry person, but [magic cookie bars] stand out," he said. "If someone offered me them, I would never turn them down."
Klos agrees that the treats are top notch, but is taken aback by the cult following they seem to be inspiring.
"We do know that students love sweets and these are really delicious," Klos said. "We are a little surprised at how much [students] like them."
From what Trish O'Brien, a customer service assistant and cashier at Hodgdon Good−to−Go, has witnessed, some students are practically developing an addiction to the sugary vice.
"A couple people have come in and bought ten at a time," O'Brien said. "They really like them, [and] they don't even know what's in them."
O'Brien noted that the magic cookie bars are actually not a completely new item, adding an additional level of uncertainty as to why they've suddenly acquired popularity. Dining Services previously served a seven−layer dessert that was similar to the current treats. (O'Brien said that she actually preferred the original item better because it contained nuts.)
Immacula Desroses, another customer service assistant at Hodgdon, cuts the trays of cookie bars each morning. She puts out two trays each day and, once in a blue moon, she'll put out four based on popular demand, she said.
"They do go fast," Desroses said. "A lot of people go for them."
The bars, which are now available at both dining halls, Tower Café, Brown and Brew, Hodgdon, Hotung and the Commons, are a success for Dining Services in multiple ways. The treat satisfies many a student's sweet tooth and benefits other teens at UTEC.
"We wanted to keep the students [at UTEC] engaged throughout the year," Klos said. "It was a win on a lot of levels."
