REVIEW: Firecracker Pop Oreo Cookies

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Firecracker Pop Oreo patriotic packaging.

During this semiquincentennial summer, there are a number of new red, white, and blue products, and one of the most intriguing is this Firecracker Pop Oreo. Designed to mimic a patriotic ice pop, it features layers of cherry, lemon, and blue raspberry creme between vanilla cookies.

I think the name is a bit peculiar. Both “firecracker” and “pop” sound like there will be popping candy, as was done for previous years’ Firework Oreo. There’s no popping candy here, just as an ice pop does not pop. Also, “Firecracker” sounds like it could be an official collaboration with the Popsicle brand. (Most companies opt for a more generic name, like “rocket pop” or “summer ice pop.”)

This is not the first time we’ve seen Fourth of July colors for Oreos. In 2012, it had vanilla Oreos with blue and red creme, and in 2020, they had unfortunately timed Olympics Oreos with red, white, and blue creme between chocolate cookies. This 2026 version is unique, though, because there are flavors to go with the colors.

Am I supposed to say the Pledge of Allegiance while looking at this picture of the red, white and blue cremes?

When I open the package, I smell a fruity scent, maybe dominated by raspberry. And the cookies are gorgeous to look at.

The classic vanilla Oreo cookie on a spoon.

I like looking at them, but I also like tasting them! The vanilla wafer was a good choice: It’s sweet and crunchy without an overpowering flavor that would clash with the creme.

Red, a peeking white, and blue cremes.

And about that creme: The layers have a distinct, almost refreshing, artificial fruit flavor, just like an actual “firecracker pop” or a chewy candy. I can’t say that any of the individual flavors dominate when eaten all together.

An ice pop is inherently very sweet, and since there are three creme layers in this cookie, there’s more sweetness than a typical Oreo has. Even so, I don’t think it’s excessively sweet. (I mean, if you’re buying Oreos, you already know what you’re getting into.) Also, the thickness means there’s a lot more squishing than with a regular or Double Stuf Oreo. Opening the cookie and isolating the creme seems more satisfying in this Firecracker Pop edition.

Aargh! Poor white creme!

I attempted to separate the layers to see if each color is a different flavor. This was challenging to do, especially for the white layer, but I can confirm that each layer tastes different. Red is an especially vibrant cherry, like a red snow cone.

And since it’s Oreo we’re talking about, I had to try the cookies in milk. The milk neither enhanced nor ruined the flavor; it’s purely a textural difference.

I am delighted that Firecracker Pop Oreos exist and that they were executed so well. I worry these are a one-summer wonder, and we won’t see them again, but I really hope we do.

Purchased Price: $4.49
Purchased at: Smith’s (Kroger)
Size: 11.46 oz
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 180 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugar (includes 15 grams of added sugar), and less than 1 gram of protein.

Chips Ahoy Brookie Baked Bites Review

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Chips Ahoy Brookie Baked Bites box

It feels as though we’re at a point evolutionarily where it’s odd when new foods are introduced. I’m not talking about when a pizza chain stuffs its crust with a new meat, or Taco Bell assembles four ingredients in a revolutionary way. I mean, when food scientists introduce a totally new, never-before-seen product.

Desserts have had a couple of notable ones over the last decade or so. You all probably remember the cronut craze that started in 2013 when NY pastry chef Dominique Ansel mated a donut with a croissant. And around that same time—either slightly before or slightly after (internet records are sketchy)—somebody somewhere bred a brownie with a cookie. You might know it as a brookie.

Why did it take thousands of years for this delightful abomination to happen? I have no idea. But once it did, the horses were out of the barn. Now, the gluttonously sugared bricks are available essentially wherever desserts are found. That said, not all brookies are created equal. For every Killer Brownie version, there are, well, whatever the hell Chips Ahoy is doing here.

While I didn’t have the highest of hopes—Chips Ahoy is a middling pre-packaged cookie, after all—I guess I was expecting something better than this.

There are 5-7 Chips Ahoy Brookie Baked Bites per pack

There are 5-7 irregularly sized squares in each package and several packages within the box. There is no discernible difference that I could taste between the brownie and the cookie. They have a pleasantly soft texture with a slight amount of chew, but that’s where the positive notes end. The taste itself is bland. It is vaguely chocolate-like in nature, but there’s no nuance. The best chocolate chip cookies have a hint of salt, but there’s none of that here. It barely tastes like there’s even any sugar. The first thing I thought when I took a bite was, “Are these diet?” And I don’t mean diet as though they’ve been infused with an artificial sweetener. I mean diet as in it tastes like half the sugar was cut out of it.

I couldn’t finish a package, and it probably goes without saying that I damn sure won’t finish the box. These are destined to languish deep within the recesses of my pantry, only to be uncovered upon my death, or my home sale—whichever occurs first.

NOTE: We also reviewed the Blondie version, which was just as bad.

Purchased Price: $4.28
Size: 7 oz box/5 1.4 oz packs
Purchased at: Hy-Vee
Rating: 2 out of 10
Nutrition Facts:(1 pack) 180 calories, 8 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Girl Scouts Exploremores Cookies

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Girl Scouts Exploremores Cookies box

Girl Scout Cookie Season is upon us! The lineup expands to 11 total varieties this year with the addition of Exploremores. Girl Scouts describe this new cookie as Rocky Road ice cream-inspired, featuring chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted almond crème.

First impression: two sleeves in the box. Thin Mints energy, which gets me hype because they’re a classic favorite of mine.

Girl Scouts Exploremores Cookies sleeves

As soon as I open the package, I notice a strong marshmallow aroma. The cookies look just like the photo on the box (love when expectations match reality). They twist apart like an Oreo, which feels intentional given the sandwich-cookie setup.

Girl Scouts Exploremores Cookies wafers

Flavor-wise, the almond stays extremely subtle. I don’t get toasted nuttiness or aggressive almond extract notes. Honestly, I almost wonder if I’m imagining it. Double chocolate dominates. Not deep, dark cacao energy. More of a classic chocolate cookie vibe.

Girl Scouts Exploremores Cookies creme top view

Girl Scouts Exploremores Cookies creme side view

The marshmallow shows up more in the smell than in the taste. The crème layer runs much thinner than an Oreo’s, so don’t expect that thick, fluffy middle.

Sweetness lands right in the standard Girl Scout range. It tastes balanced and actually less sweet than a Samoa, which I appreciate.

Girl Scouts Exploremores Cookies in milk

I dunk one in milk to see if it enhances the almond or unlocks more Rocky Road vibes. It doesn’t. The milk amplifies the marshmallow note instead, and I prefer the cookie plain.

Texture-wise, the cookie feels softer than an Oreo. Think chocolate Teddy Grahams rather than that crisp cookie snap.

Within the full Girl Scout lineup, I like it. Just don’t expect full Rocky Road in cookie form. Go in thinking double chocolate sandwich cookie and you’ll be set. It doesn’t dethrone my personal favorites, but I appreciate what it adds to the roster.

Purchased Price: $6
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies – 26g) 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Oreo Stuf of Legends Cookies

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Oreo Stuf of Legends Cookies package

Greetings, true believers.

Are you ready for one of the biggest crossover events in comic history? Yes, even bigger than Archie vs. Predator! Maybe not quite as big as Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley, but still pretty big. It’s up there.

Earth’s mightiest heroes have assembled once again, but this time in sandwich cookie form for the new “Stuf of Legends.” They’ve made the jump from the printed page and the big screen onto… Oreo wafers.

Does that sound fun? Well, this might be the laziest issue of “What If” ever.

Oreo Stuf of Legends Cookies in sleeves

Stuf of Legends are just regular Oreos with a twist. Not the classic Oreo twist, you can still do that, but these cookies have a gray colored crème that turns blue. That’s essentially it. And here I thought heroes never dye.

Almost 90 years of creative inspiration to pull from the pages of Marvel Comics, and this is what they landed on. Ya know what? Fine. That’s fine. Excelsior!

Who am I to judge? I couldn’t muster even a few “creative” alternatives.

I was trying to think of some Marvel heroes that changed color, and… yeah, don’t bother Googling that, lest you want to hear the worst people’s stupid opinions on which Captain America is better. No, they didn’t ruin your childhood, MagnetoMike73.

Speaking of Cap, he’s joined by a couple dozen of his fellow heroes/anti-heroes/mutants/robots/aliens/I think one dude is just a regular non-powered guy – the whole gang’s here embossed on the cookies, which I guess is the ultimate selling point. It’s cool, but I still wish they did something more interesting flavor-wise.

Oreo Stuf of Legends Cookies embossed cookies

I took a picture of all the characters and team logos represented in my pack. Feel free to see if you can name them all. Hint – they’re all Skrulls!

Do you want me to review an Oreo? These taste exactly the same, although I do believe they are slightly dryer. Perhaps it’s the gray crème with the little white thumbprint of it all.

Oreo Stuf of Legends Cookies grey creme

Oreo Stuf of Legends Cookies blue-ish creme

As far as the crème goes, I dipped it and also did the typical untwist-and-lick technique, and the gray-to-blue transition was uninspired at best. If I had to rank these amongst the myriad of Oreo variants we’ve seen in the past decade, I’d say they are about a Thor: Love in Thunder out of Avengers: Infinity War. I still like ’em, but they aren’t going near the top.

Oreo Stuf of Legends Cookies in milk

While the imagery of the blue crème doesn’t exactly pop off the page, it did make my mouth extremely blue – not even Beast blue, I’m talking navy Nightcrawler blue. I spared you all the pic of my disgusting maw. They didn’t even really turn the milk blue, which I assume was intentional, so as to not run into brand confusion with Disney’s other rapidly declining blockbuster property.

So, we’ve got dressed up O.G. Oreos in one of three “collectable” bags, with various, almost indecipherable characters chiseled on the cookies. They’re worth picking up as a one-time purchase if you’re a fan of the MCU – Mondelez Cookie Umbrella.

That said, if you don’t care, skip ’em. The blue isn’t fun enough to warrant what I fear is coming next. As Uncle Ben says, “With blue power comes green… well, you know.”

Cute, but hopefully DC and Hydrox cook up something a little more creative.

Purchased Price: $4.97
Size: 10.68 oz package
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 Cookies) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Chips Ahoy Chewy Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Cookies

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Chips Ahoy Chewy Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Cookies Packaging

OMG!

What is up with all the puss…I mean, cookiefooting?

First off, there’s the Oreo Cookie Dough Cookies that came out very last year (and are still on shelves as I type this) that could’ve been an Oreo x Chips Ahoy collaboration. And now we have these Chips Ahoy Chewy Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Cookies that could’ve been a Chips Ahoy x Oreo collaboration. Could you imagine if the chocolate cookie pieces in these were actual Oreo wafer pieces, and the morsels were Oreo creme flavored? The ridiculous clickbait headlines of food publications larger than this one would be like:

“Chips Ahoy and Oreo Sitting in a Tree C-O-L-L-A-B-O-R-A-T-I-N-G”

“You Won’t Believe What Oreo and Chips Ahoy Did and Why It’ll Make You Drool Like a Pavlovian Dog”

“When You See What Oreo and Chips Ahoy Have Done, Your Taste Buds Will Hate Nabisco For Not Doing It Sooner”

Instead of some mashup between two iconic products owned by the same company, we get a mashup between two iconic products owned by different companies.

(NOTE: Yes, I remember the Oreo Creme Filled Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies. But that’s not what I want.)

Full disclosure: If someone put a random assortment of Hershey’s candies in a bowl, there’s a 110 percent chance I’m digging out all the Hershey’s Cookies ’n’ Creme ones, and shrugging if someone asks me if there are any in the bowl because I’m not able to talk since my mouth is full of them.

Chips Ahoy Chewy Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Cookies top of cookie

Chips Ahoy Chewy Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Cookies split cookie side shot with two-tone

These Chips Ahoy cookies feature white chips, chocolate cookie chunks, and a cookie base that looks like it’s two-toned, with one being a standard Chips Ahoy and the other being noticeably lighter, like it’s slightly undercooked, which it is definitely not. However, what might’ve been undercooked is the idea of this product, because while they’re okay, they don’t come close to being as satisfying as a Hershey’s Cookies ’n’ Creme bar or my preferred form, Hershey’s Nuggets.

Chips Ahoy Chewy Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Cookies back of cookie

The white chips have a marshmallowy flavor that blends into the rest of the cookie, making them taste like part of the two-toned base rather than something that makes me think white creme. The chocolate cookie chunks did their job, bringing a pleasant chocolatiness and a crunch that contrasts the base’s soft chewiness. However, that crunch isn’t as robust as Oreo wafers or standard Chips Ahoy fresh out of the package, or the cookies in a Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme bar.

My love for Hershey’s white creme candy with chocolate cookie bits doesn’t extend to these Chips Ahoy cookies with white creme morsels and chocolate cookie chunks. I understand how the candy inspired these Chips Ahoy, but the cookies aren’t delicious enough to inspire me to buy another package.

Purchased Price: $7.19* (yikes)
Size: 9.58 oz
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 11 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

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