I can’t argue with anything you’ve said, but somehow these cookies are indelibly linked to my memories of New York, along with other (more conventionally delicious) foods. Something about the size and design of the cookie just communicates “rightness”, even if the cookie itself is pretty average.

Side note: it’s common to find a green-and-white variation on St. Patrick’s day, which I will also confess to enjoying more than it deserves.