Tag: Cookies

REVIEW: Limited Edition Oreo Mint Chip Cookies

Sean 1 Comment

After finally letting its freak flag fly again with spring’s divisive Sour Patch Kids Oreo, Nabisco is back to playing it safe with a creamy crowd-pleaser for the summer — Limited Edition Mint Chip.

Sure, mint as a dessert can cause some controversy in its own right, but most Oreo fans have been clamoring for more fruity or experimental and unique flavors, so a slight twist on an already existing flavor from the permanent lineup seems kind of…underwhelming? But that doesn’t mean they are bad! In fact, the new Mint Chip Oreo with mint chip-flavored creme and chocolatey chips is actually pretty good.

It should go without saying, because why else would I pay nearly SIX dollars for a bag of Oreo cookies, that chocolate and mint is a favorite combination of mine. Specifically, as a kid, I loved mint chip ice cream, and while it doesn’t take precedence over chocolate and peanut butter or most things sweet and salty, I still love it as an adult. This brings me to a point I want to make before digging into the meat of this review.

If you’re feeling a sense of deja vu, yes, there was a Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo five years ago that was a branded collaboration with Baskin Robbins. But that featured a dual layer of mint and chocolate creme, whereas this only has one. Both flavors came out in July to celebrate International Ice Cream Month, and this new one drops the BR tie-in in favor of a more generic “mint chip” moniker. While this 2024 spin wisely excludes the layer of chocolate creme, it also adds some waffle cone design to one side of the cookie. Does it change the flavor at all? Nope, but it sure looks cool!

The taste of the creme is definitely minty, but it’s also quite creamy and almost vanilla-y. There’s a chance the branding is playing a trick on my brain, but I get much more of a mint ice cream feeling than the regular mint Oreo. This filling is milder in mint, and surprisingly, I can taste and feel the little chocolate flecks. The type of mint is almost identical to that of a Thin Mint but a bit more subdued — not a strong peppermint or anything aggressive. The hints of chocolate impart an additional creaminess and sweetness without any additional crunch the way a chocolate chip does, similar to the shavings of chocolate in a BR or Jeni’s ice cream. The creme is also very soft, and that pronounced creamy squish against the firm chocolate crunch of the wafer really does emulate a scoop in a waffle bowl.

I am a mint chocolate fan, so I like these cookies. If you are a frequent purchaser or general enthusiast of the Mint Oreo, I think these are juuuust different enough to warrant a pickup for curiosity and pleasure’s sake. I went into these with decently mid-level-to-low expectations and I’m surprised by how much these creme-filled cookies remind me of an ice cream-filled cone.

Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: 10.68 oz pack
Purchased at: Nob Hill
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Chips Ahoy Limited Edition Hershey’s S’mores Cookies

Marvo 4 Comments

When making s’mores, the only chocolate that comes to mind is a Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar. The thought of constructing a graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate masterpiece with a Ghirardelli Chocolate Square, Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar, or, heaven forbid, a Palmer Milk Chocolate Gold Coin. So it seems right, at least to me, that these new Chips Ahoy Limited Edition Hershey’s S’mores Cookies have that famous Pennsylvania chocolate in them, along with marshmallow-flavored chips and Chips Ahoy’s usual chocolatey pieces.

The Hershey’s chocolate comes in the form of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Mini Bar Pieces. They are tiny and, I think, even have “Hershey’s” stamped into them. I didn’t know bars came in this size. That’s some extreme portion control and must not be very satisfying unless you eat dozens of them. But in these cookies, they are extremely satisfying, and along with the vanilla marshmallow-flavored chips, they make me forget the usual chocolate is even there. It’s as if the three morsels are in a production of Romeo and Juliet, and while the Hershey’s chocolate and white chips are in the two leading roles, the usual chips have been relegated to the roles of servants of the Capulet and Montague houses.

However, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate has a distinct taste, and I don’t notice it here. Its flavor might be skewed by the regular and marshmallow morsels. But those chunks make the cookies taste much more chocolatey than regular Chips Ahoy. As for the white chips, they have an enticing artificial marshmallow flavor, and if there’s ever a Chips Ahoy Peeps Cookie, these will do the trick nicely.

Now, this wouldn’t be a “s’mores” cookie if it didn’t have any graham cracker flavor, and I’m happy to report that it’s there…I think. The cookie part definitely doesn’t taste like a standard Chips Ahoy, but I wouldn’t say it’s like honey-kissed Honey Maid or Teddy Grahams. But there’s something about it that evokes the essence of graham. There’s no graham flour or graham anything. But it does complete the whole s’mores vibe these cookies have.

If there was one thing that irritated me about these, it was how quickly they disappeared from the packaging. I mean, that’s obviously my fault because I lack self-control sometimes, and sometimes I want to make ice cream sandwiches with the cookies I buy. But I wish this limited edition offering came in a weight that went beyond double digits.

Chips Ahoy Limited Edition Hershey’s S’mores Cookies are outstanding and worth a purchase during this s’mores season.

Purchased Price: $5.29*
Size: 9.58 oz package
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 20 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.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Marvo 3 Comments

Dunkin’ has a new chocolate chip cookie, but this time it’s not giving us the recipe. The new Chocolate Chunk Cookie comes pre-packaged and measures four inches wide.

The coffee and donut chain says the treat is loaded with a generous amount of chocolate and has pretzel bits and notes of savory brown butter. Dunkin’ ain’t kidding when it says “loaded.” Unless you’re a bird or eat like a bird, I guarantee you’ll get a bit of chocolate with every bite. There are huge morsels spotted all over it, but split it in half, and it appears there’s a chocolate layer within it. Generous, indeed, Dunkin’.

While munching my way through it, my molars came upon cereal-sized bits of something crunchy. Since I didn’t read the ingredients or the press release before biting into the cookie because I thought there were just choco chunks baked into them, I was pleasantly surprised by the crunchy bits. After learning they were pretzel bites, I was then confused by them because I didn’t notice a pretzel flavor, just a hearty crunch.

While there’s ample chocolate, the snack seems to be 50-50 cookie and chocolate, so it doesn’t seem like I’m eating a candy bar. It has a chewy texture that reminded me of fudge brownies. Oddly, some bites were noticeably salty. I’m pretty sure it’s from the savory brown butter and not the pretzel bits because I detected more saltiness with bites that didn’t include them. It bothered me a little, but I imagine some might find it to be a little too savory to their liking for a sweet cookie.

Dunkin’s Chocolate Chunk Cookie is an okay pre-packaged offering that has the same amount of saturated fat as a Big Mac if you eat the whole thing. I love the amount of chocolate in it, my sweet tooth enjoyed it, and I was pleasantly surprised by the crunch of the pretzel bits, but it’s not a must buy.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 370 calories, 18 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 440 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar (including 26 grams of added sugar), and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Sour Patch Kids Oreo Cookies

Vin 6 Comments

Oreo cookies? Great.

Sour Patch Kids? Great.

Frosted Flakes? They’re gr-r-reat, but they have nothing to do with this review. This review is for Sour Patch Kids Oreo. Surely, that combo couldn’t possibly be great, right?

We’ve reached the “dart throwing” phase of Oreo flavor variants. While those kids from the sour patch have invaded cereal and ice cream recently, I didn’t have Oreo on my Sour Patch Bingo card.

These bizarre confections are starting to pop up in stores. I was able to snag a 4-pack at 7-Eleven, and I’m thankful that’s all I got. Like actual kids, I think four is the absolute max anyone can handle.

Both the cookies and the crème are speckled with colorful Sour Patch Kid-flavored dots, which, unfortunately, aren’t chewy. They mimic the crystalized sugar that coats the kids.

The sour batch of sour patch smells really good fresh from the package, but nothing like a cookie. It’s Sour Patch by way of Pixie Stick. If you’re wondering why I know the distinct smell of Pixie Sticks… let’s just say I was a Very Dumb Kid, and some Pixie Sticks may have made their way into my nasal cavity.

The Oreo cookie has a bit of a graham flavor, but I don’t think the SPK flecks really come through with much flavor. It’s a hint –- the ghost of a Sour Patch Kid. Innocence lost.

The flecks in the crème, however, definitely pop, but they’re sour, so it’s kind of off-putting. Something about a simulacrum of a dairy product being sour just doesn’t sit right. As far as the actual flavor, it reminded me of sour orange sherbet more than anything, but I think most people would know these are Sour Patch-inspired.

Once I ate the cookie whole, I came up with a weird overall flavor and texture profile in my head. Picture a package of Fun-Dip, but for some reason, the powder got moist and turned into a goopy mud. That. Why that? I don’t know, but even the bland cookie acts as a little bit of a sour neutralizer like the Fun-Dip stick does.

I don’t think these are very successful as a flavor, but as a gimmick… sure, why not? It’s fun. It’s weird.

I definitely think orange is the fruit flavor that comes to the forefront, so just picture orange Sour Patch Kids and bland Teddy Grahams in one bite. A kid would probably like that, no?

I have to add the fact that the aftertaste on these is kinda awful. Malic acid just lingers on the side of your tongue. SPKs are supposed to be sour and THEN sweet, but here, it’s the opposite. The sourness gets more and more pronounced as you chew, and it takes a while to dissipate.

So, not great, but probably the best they could’ve done. If you’re interested, just go to 7-Eleven like I did. Wait until the dart hits Frosted Flake Oreo Cookies to get a family pack.

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 2.40 oz package
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 Pack/4 Cookies) 290 calories, 13 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 24 grams of sugar, and less than 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Churro Oreo Cookies

Marvo 3 Comments

Limited Edition Churro Oreo Cookies have fried dough-flavored wafers and churro-flavored creme with sugar inclusions. That sounds innovative, or as the folks in the Oreo lab might say, innOreovative, and I feel like, with this new flavor, we’re on the cusp of some creative Oreo varieties that will make us forget that the limited edition flavors now have fewer cookies than before. But this Churro variety, while good, doesn’t wow me enough to make me go, “Oreo is back, baby! Let’s go buy some Mondel?z stock!”

Note: I do not own any food industry stocks.

First off, I’m not sure about the whole churro vibe. I mean, a case can be made that this is churro-flavored, but I’m not convinced. Though, I will say this cookie isn’t simply cinnamon sugar flavored, which is what some brands have done to “churro” flavored products. So, brav-Oreo, Oreo!

Let’s start with the fried dough-flavored wafers, which are definitely not your run-of-the-mill Golden Oreo, and help give the cookies an aroma that keeps pulling me back to them, but not for the reason you think. While they do smell pleasing, they also smell so gosh darn familiar. But I can’t pull out what it is from my already snack stuffed subconscious. There’s a hint of cinnamon with a little something something, which I assume is the “fried dough.” I want to say Teddy Grahams, but that’s probably not it. There are also dark bits baked into the wafers, which might be the cinnamon I’m tasting.

The churro-flavored creme wasn’t what I was expecting. If the wafer represents the fried dough, then the creme should bring us the cinnamon sugar, but that’s not quite the case. While there’s some cinnamon flavor, there are also a bunch of other flavors that, I guess, represent the churro beyond fried dough, cinnamon, and sugar. But it really tastes like speculoos cookie butter, but not as swee…OHHHHH!!!! Now I know what these cookies smell like — cookie butter. Thank you, taste buds, for helping your pal, the nose! Okay, now that I have that in my head, I can’t think of these as anything other than cookie butter-flavored Oreo, which has been done before. The sugar inclusions are a nice touch that simulates the crunch of a churro’s cinnamon sugar coating, but they do nothing to convince me that the creme is churro-flavored.

Wait a minute. Let me think here more than one should about a cookie. So there’s a chance that the creme is a slight reformulation of Oreo’s previous cookie butter creme, and the sugar inclusions are basically just the popping candy that Oreo has been putting in Firework Oreo and Space Dunk Oreo, but pop-less. Okay, I take back what I wrote at the beginning of this review. These Limited Edition Churro Oreo Cookies don’t sound as innOreovative as I initially thought, but they are delicious.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 10.68 oz
Purchased at: Target
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, 75 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 12 grams of added sugar), and less than 1 gram of protein.