Cookies n’ cream ice cream is a choice that feels too obvious and not obvious all at once. I asked friends and family to name their favorite frozen flavors and only one said cookies n’ cream, yet the International Dairy Foods Association says it’s America’s third favorite behind only vanilla and chocolate.
Perhaps it’s like when you ask someone their favorite movie; chances are they’re going to name the flick they’ve seen a handful of times that’s creatively stimulating, not the comfort film they’ve put on every single time it’s been on cable. No one thinks of Grease 2, and no one thought of cookies ‘n cream, including me. However, once I mentioned the flavor, most recognized it was a favorite, with many then naming a version that included Oreo. So, a lot of you may be latently excited to hear Oreo has released new frozen dairy dessert bars and sandwiches.
The Oreo Bars come in a box of five and, to my delight, include Per Container nutrition facts alongside the Per Serving. Want to eat all five in a row? Oreo knows you do and doesn’t judge. They’re wrapped up in cute little sleeves reminiscent of Oreo cookie packaging, but the bars themselves aren’t the cutest.
The outside of each treat is lumpy and dull, but it communicates it’s going to taste like an Oreo wafer. While they could’ve rolled the bar in Oreo crumbles, I appreciate that cookie chunks are instead mixed into the chocolate coating. The texture was unlike any I’ve experienced. If there was a more delicious way to say sandy I would, but please take my word that it’s incredibly satisfying sand. The coating didn’t have the crack many may be seeking, but with the crunch of the cookie I didn’t mind it being a bit softer.
The ice cream was a sweet and thin cookies n’ cream. This is definitely not America’s bronze medal wearing variety since it lacked velvety depth, but paired with the Oreo cookie pieces it made perfect sense as a stand in for the crème. I went back and forth wishing it was richer but enjoying that it tasted like its namesake. Though if that’s what they were going for, I think a nut milk-based ice cream would’ve fared similarly and it felt like a missed opportunity to make these dairy-free like the cookies.
The Oreo Sandwiches are a delight! I couldn’t help but feel like a kid holding what looked like a giant Oreo sandwich cookie. No “Per Container” here (all four are 840 calories for those interested), but that may be because they’re more substantial. The wafers tasted just like an Oreo cookie wafer. Not as crunchy, but crunchy for an ice cream sandwich. They didn’t soften as I munched through them, yet I was able to eat the whole thing without the wafers smushing down the ice cream and pushing it out the sides.
The sandwiches held the same ice cream as the bars and I felt the same about it in this format, but it was more at home against the bitter cocoa taste of the wafers than the sweet chocolate coating on the bar. Here it made the whole bite taste like an Oreo dipped in milk. And yes, the sandwiches will twist open.
Both boxes tease that each frozen treat is an Oreo playfully reimagined, and I would say each one was exactly that and would recommend either. But if you want the unquestionable “you’d still know it’s Oreo flavored with a blindfold on” experience, go for the sandwiches.
All in all, Oreo has put out some spectacular cookies n’ cream ice cream novelties that may just have me more likely to name the flavor as my favorite.
Purchased Price: $4.99 each
Size: 5-pack box (Bars), 4-pack box (Sandwiches)
Purchased at: Ralphs
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Bars), 9 out of 10 (Sandwiches)
Nutrition Facts: Oreo Bars – (1 bar) 190 calories, 11 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 5 mg of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of total carbohydrates, 15 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein. Oreo Sandwiches – (1 sandwich) 210 calories, 6 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, less than 5 mg of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of total carbohydrates, 17 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.
The cookies n’ cream flavor is likely towards the top of the list alongside vanilla and chocolate as I believe they go by popularity and these flavors are used frequently in mix-ins, etc.
Although Oreo *cookies are not my jam, those bars look fantastic. The coating is a bit unique as compared to some of the other bars I’ve seen.
I’m already planning on picking up another box of the bars during my next big shop because I can’t stop thinking about that coating, haha. Definitely unique and one of the better textural experiences I’ve encountered in frozen novelties.
Thanks for the review. The words “ice cream” and “ice cream sandwich” are used quite a bit in the review, However these two products do not contain real ice cream — they’re the less creamy, cheaper-to-manufacture products known as “frozen desserts”. For example, the manufacturer itself describes the sandwich as “vanilla dessert mixed with cookie pieces”. Fat Boy and Blue Bell are two brands which still make honest-to-goodness ice cream sandwiches.
Hi John, thanks for reading! I appreciate you mentioning this. You are correct, these are frozen dairy desserts, the airier and less milkfatty relative of ice cream, and that may be worth considering when deciding to buy these products. While I did note this in the beginning of my review, I may have been playing a little fast and loose with my colloquial use of “ice cream” later on.
I know it says new but I’ve been eating the ice cream sandwich-looking ones for years now! How peculiar!
I noticed this as well. Perhaps they’re no longer partnering with Klondike and re-labeling them as “new”?
Could be! I don’t have an actual box in my freezer (just one lone survivor) so I can’t check.
They at least used to sell the sandwiches at Superamerica/Speedway! They were so good, the cookie was soft and did kinda crumble by the end, but held up through most of it, and I always wished they would sell those cookies alone.
Correct. This product is made in partnership with the parent company of Dreyers and Edys. As such, it’s surely a different product from the old Klondike partnership. I just hope I can find them. For some reason, these companies seem very slow to expand frozen offerings to the New Orleans area. One example I really hate is how the cookies and cream twix ice cream bars just aren’t available down here. I tried them in Texas once and they’re fantastic but no dice here. So I hope these make an appearance somewhere.
Seems like you’re a bit generous in your rating of the bar when you described the coating as sandy? I’m confused…though you did say that it was incredibly satisfying sand…
it is like satisfying sand. I’ve tried it, its like if you ground up oreo wafers to a fine black dust and then compressed said dust on the icecream, so it feels like a solid layer (like chocolate) but in your mouth it “dissolves”. it’s brilliant
Hmmm, just never heard cookie dust describes as sandy.
If I think of an Oreo cookie pie crust, I would say it’s sandy. Given that these fine crumbs are moistened by the faux ice cream, I can see it.
Thank you Maiah and Joe for stepping in and explaining this a bit better! I tried my hardest to think of a more delicious way to say sandy (though pecan sandies *are* pretty delicious), but grainy and granular implied a grittier texture than it actually had. I think the closest comparison would be the graham cracker crust on a cheesecake.
I think I’m starting to get it, hehe. I guess I’ll just have to find these and try them to achieve an “ah, now I see!” moment. 🙂