Everyone loves a confectionery mystery, and it’s the turn of Chips Ahoy! to get in on the action, with a debut competition for fans to guess the variety of its latest cookie series, reports Neill Barston.

The Mondelez brand took its place alongside product stablemates at this year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo in Las Vegas, and has cotinued a significant pipeline of innovation.

Designed to be decoded and devoured, the brand’s Mystery Cookie challenges everything fans think they know about the cookie and tasks them with solving the case.

The packaging was overhauled to feature an unidentifiable cookie wrapped in spooky caution tape, cueing a top-secret flavor. The cookie broke through from another flavor dimension after a glitch occurred and only fans can decode it. The brand’s cookie mascot, Chip, will serve as the ultimate sidekick to help fans crack the case and fix the glitch for good.

“For Gen Z, snacking and gaming aren’t just pastimes, but how they connect, recharge and build community,” said Mili Laddha, Senior Director Marketing, Mondelēz International. “With the CHIPS AHOY! Mystery Cookie, we’re leveling up the snacking experience to match their energy. We’ve turned a simple treat into an interactive side quest, blending IRL flavor with the digital culture they live and breathe.”

The challenge is on from this week, via SnackWorks’ TikTok Shop storefront in limited quantities while supplies last, marking a first for the brand. For shoppers looking to secure their pack in person, the limited-edition cookies will begin rolling out to retailers nationwide starting on August 10.

Significantly, the brand is officially putting its highly engaged fans on the case, giving sweet-toothed sleuths across the nation the opportunity to collaborate and crack the code for a chance to win a $25,000 grand prize, with entries posted via pack-based QR codes, with the flavour reveal subsequently being done via its social media channels.