BISCOTTI PRODUCER ENTERS KING SOOPERS

DENVER -- A fledgling cookie producer will test the demand for its own Americanized version of biscotti when it brings the line of cookies to three King Soopers markets.

ers marks the first conventional supermarket company to carry the cookies, said Wally Friedlander, who founded the company with his wife, Sharon, not quite two years ago.

The four-packs retail for $4, and single-wraps retail for $1.25 to $1.50, Friedlander said. Popular among coffee drinkers who like to dunk them in their brews, biscotti are simple Italian cookies, known for their dry, crunchy consistency. The founders of Wally Biscotti, who aim to develop the first nationally known brand of the biscuit, worked to develop a flavor profile that would appeal to Americans, said Sharon Friedlander.

Flavors include Bada-Bings, a semi-sweet chocolate and roasted almond combination; The Lemon Sisters, made with European lemon curd; 3-D Fudge, which combines Dutch cocoa and premium dark chocolate; and Wally Specials, which blend white chocolate, cranberries and roasted almonds.

Wally Biscotti's biggest customer is Whole Foods, Friedlander said. Some Wild Oats stores carry the cookies, and they're also sold in a handful of independent coffee shops in the Denver area.