Nabisco’s perpetual announcements of new Oreo flavors elicit varied feelings of jubilation, shock, and disgust from the general public. I, for one, was delighted when I learned they were releasing Carrot Cake Oreo, since carrot cake is my all-time favorite dessert.

Just like everyone else, I was surprised that this seemingly Easter-themed cookie was being released in early January. But if you don’t like that, you don’t have to buy it yet.

When I first opened the package, I got a strong whiff of the “cream cheese frosting flavor creme,” which I will just call “creme cheese.” On second thought, that sounds terrible. Even though the creme doesn’t use any real cream cheese, the aroma is spot on.

When I bit into the first cookie, I was amazed. Nabisco nailed it! It really does taste like carrot cake! There’s a bit of an aftertaste that doesn’t exactly mimic a real cake, but that’s a minor quibble.

Next, I isolated the elements. The creme tastes exactly like cream cheese frosting. I don’t know how they did it without any dairy products, but it works. (If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, stay far, far away.) It’s probably the same filling they use in the Red Velvet variety, but I didn’t compare them side by side.

On its own, the cookie is only vaguely reminiscent of carrot cake. It tastes like a graham cracker with spices; in fact, I’m guessing they took the graham cookie they use for some of the pie flavors and added “spice” to it. (“Spice” is what is named on the ingredient list.) But I’m not complaining, because it’s still a fine cookie, and it works so well with the filling. There might also be some orange-colored specks in there; it’s hard to tell.

Unfortunately, there are no carrots in the ingredients, so the stereotypes don’t apply here. These cookies won’t give you better eyesight, your pet rabbit won’t like them, and you won’t turn orange from eating too many.

Of course, any Oreo must be tried with milk. For this particular flavor, I didn’t much care for it when I dunked it. It made the cream cheese creme far too overpowering. But I did enjoy having the milk on the side.

I like my carrot cakes soft and moist. (I know some of you hate that word, but I don’t care. Moist moist moist!) If, however, you’re craving a carrot cake that is crunchy and dry, this is exactly what you need.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 12.2 oz. package
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 13 grams of total sugars, 13 grams of added sugars, and less than 1 gram of protein.