There's no denying that Starbucks' new cookie straws are pretty dang exciting. I mean, crispy, rolled-up cookies lined with chocolate with a rush of frozen coffee goodness coming up at you through the middle? Heck. Yes. Today's your last day to grab a free one with the purchase of any Frappuccino flavor you want — but hey, at least if you miss the freebie, they'll still be available for purchase at 95 cents a pop through the end of September.
But what do we do after September? Or if we exhaust our cookie straw supplies before the end of September? How will we live without cookie straws?!
Well, the short answer is this: We'll just keep on going, because our lives don't actually depend on the existence of cookie straws to continue onward. But in case you're worried about the absence of cookie straws leaving a gaping hole in your live five months from now — or if you're just not able to get to a Starbucks anytime soon — don't worry; those delightful sounding confections aren't the only edible straws around. The seven picks seen below have might also be worth a moment of your time, although consider yourselves warned: Not all of them should be used in conjunction with a coffee-based drink. You'll know 'em when you see 'em, mostly because the idea of pairing them with coffee will probably turn your stomach a bit. Just, y'know… FYI.
1. Cereal Straws
Kellogg's released Cereal Straws — edible straws made out of things like Fruit Loops and Cocoa Krispies — in the mid-to-late 2000s. They appear not to have taken off, though, as they're no longer available; maybe the draw just wasn't there for kids. The Impulsive Buy, at any rate, kind of hated them. Oh well — it was a fun idea, at least.
2. Barquillos
Imagine a Pirouline. Now imagine it without the filling. That's a barquillo — a rolled wafer cookie commonly found in the Philippines. The most well-known brand is apparently Deocampo, but they can be hard to find in the U.S.; however, it's definitely doable to make barquillos at home. Interestingly, you don't roll them into the tube shape before baking them — you bake the dough as flat sheets, then roll them up quickly as soon as they come out of the oven. They might fall apart if you stick them in a cup of coffee, but hey, at least it'll be a tasty mess, right?
3. Celery Straws
Not into Frappuccinos, but love Bloody Marys? Grab a celery straw. The Florida-based Duda Fresh Farms actually found a way to grow hollow celery perfect for savory cocktails. Who needs a garnish when you've got one of these?
4. Magic Milk Straws
Technically the straws themselves aren't edible — but apparently if you stick these suckers in a glass of milk and drink through them, they flavor the milk as it goes. I have no idea how well they work, but it's an… interesting spin on chocolate milk.
5. Twizzlers
We've all bitten the ends off of a Twizzler and used it as a straw for soda before, right?
6. Sour Punch Sip-n-Chew
Not going to lie: I think these Sour Punch straws sound kind of gross. But then again, I'm a little out of the target demographic for them, so what do I know? I'm just an old fogey.
7. Candy Straws
Out of all of the options on this list, these rainbow hard candy straws will probably hold up the best when stuck in a beverage. I wouldn't recommend putting them in coffee — but they might work fairly well in seltzer. Or maybe even a gin and tonic. Thoughts?
Images: Starbucks; Brands (6)
