REVIEW: Orange & Mango Oreo and Grape & Peach Oreo Cookies (China)

Orange  Mango Oreo Cookies and Grape  Peach Oreo Cookies

What are Orange & Mango Oreo and Grape & Peach Oreo Cookies?

To reward myself for braving Chicken Wing and Wasabi Oreo cookies, I also ordered some of China’s Double-Fruit Oreo. These were the standard chocolate cookies with dual-flavored fruit creme fillings. The orange/yellow variety was orange/mango, and the green/pink filling was grape/peach.

Orange  Mango Oreo Cookies and Grape  Peach Oreo Cookies 2 Bags

How are they?

Orange dominated the aroma of the Orange & Mango cookies. The Grape & Peach smelled like a subdued grape Bubble Yum Gum.

Orange  Mango Oreo Cookies and Grape  Peach Oreo Cookies 3 Stacks

I’ll get right to the point, taste-wise. These are not authentic flavors in any way. They were fruit refracted through a prism of candy. If you find American Oreo flavors to be too artificial, these will not appeal to you – stop reading.

Hardcore sugarheads who are still with me: these fillings reminded me of SweeTarts – bright flavors in the neighborhood of the fruit they’re meant to be (orange was a little closer), although not quite as pucker-inducing as the candy. The chocolate cookies did some of the work of toning down the tartness.

Orange  Mango Oreo Cookies and Grape  Peach Oreo Cookies 4 Filling

Both cookies had a dominant flavor – orange won over mango and grape pushed peach out of the frame. I was hoping for the opposite in both cases. I tasted each colored half of the filling separately in search of the missing fruit, but found the color difference is purely cosmetic.

I enjoyed these on the whole – the chocolate and fruit worked together for me, but missed the peach and mango and wished they were a little more exciting in general.

Orange  Mango Oreo Cookies and Grape  Peach Oreo Cookies 6 Designs

Is there anything else you need to know?

The cookies had Chinese designs embossed on one side. They were cute and unexpected since the Hot Chicken Wing and Wasabi flavors were just the standard design. Google translate couldn’t recognize them, so if you know what they say, leave a comment – I’m curious.

Orange  Mango Oreo Cookies and Grape  Peach Oreo Cookies 5 Dunk

Conclusion:

If you like fake fruit, and these end up being released in America, give ‘em a go! Splurging on having them sent from China is probably not worth it, however.

Purchased Price: $9.36 (+ free shipping)
Size: 97g box (10 cookies)
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (both flavors)
Nutrition Facts: (per 100g) 486 calories, 21.5 grams of fat, 380 milligrams of sodium, 67.5 grams of carbohydrates, 4.5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Hot Chicken Wing Oreo Cookies and Wasabi Oreo Cookies (China)

Hot Chicken Wing Oreo Cookies and Wasabi Oreo

There comes a day in all novelty junk food reviewers’ lives when we must make the ultimate sacrifice for our craft. We boldly dash past others’ disgusted faces to taste the impossible snacks. We tackle the foods whose descriptions elicit not a single human response of “that sounds edible.”

Today is that day for me.

Hot Chicken Wing Oreo Cookies and Wasabi Oreo Back Box

Eight months after reading about the release in China of Oreo cookies with Spicy Chicken Wing and Wasabi creme filling, I finally gave in to morbid curiosity and vastly overpaid to have a small box of each flavor make the 7,800-mile journey to my home – just so I could say I’d done it, and of course, to write about it.

Hot Chicken Wing Oreo Cookies and Wasabi Oreo Content

I wasn’t completely convinced these Oreo cookies would be disasters. While most people turn their noses up at chicken-flavored snacks, I am drawn to anything that tastes like it was dipped in pulverized bouillon cubes (see Chicken in a Biskit crackers, Chicken & Waffles Lay’s Chips, and Chicken Pretz sticks).

We’ve also seen enough hot spice creep into candy recently that wasabi isn’t THAT much of a stretch. I had high hopes that these cookies would smash people’s expectations and be delicious. Okay, maybe not high hopes…a glimmer of hope?

Hot Chicken Wing Oreo Cookies and Wasabi Oreo Stacks

I went for the Wasabi Oreo first. The smell inside the package was slightly cocoa – not at the usual Oreo level – and a faint trace of an earthy something. The first flavor to hit my taste buds was the chocolate, and again, not nearly as sweet as the O.G. American Oreo.

The wasabi jumped in immediately after, with a big flavor but just a tinge of heat – around a 3 (keeping in mind I’m a spicy wussy). The biggest problem was that the tastes clashed. It was the food equivalent of playing Slayer and Carpenters songs simultaneously – two things that shouldn’t go together, working independently to make an all-around unpleasant experience. I had no desire to take a second bite.

Hot Chicken Wing Oreo Cookies and Wasabi Oreo Filling

And because one must always save the best for last, it was Spicy Chicken Wing’s turn. I was greeted by the familiar and comforting aroma of powdered poultry, and was ready to be enraptured. A cocoa scent was almost unnoticeable.

The flavor was the expected salty, fake chicken, but like the wasabi cookies, it did not work at all with the chocolate cookie. I usually love a salty/sweet combo, but these were too different to do either taste justice. I wondered if they would be better with a vanilla cookie and less salt. There was heat present, but even less than the wasabi filling. The worst part of the experience, however, was the greasy slick it left behind in my mouth that still haunts me.

Hot Chicken Wing Oreo Cookies and Wasabi Oreo Remains

Saying these cookies were bad doesn’t quite cover it. This was the first time in my life that I ate less than a single Oreo in a sitting. I ate half a package of Swedish Fish Oreo when it came out, fercryinoutloud. Unless you have the neurotic compulsion to try ALL the Oreo flavors (like me), don’t bother with these.

Purchased Price: $9.36 each (+ free shipping)
Size: 97g box (10 cookies)
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 2 out of 10 (Wasabi)
Rating: 1 out of 10 (Spicy Chicken Wing)
Nutrition Facts: (per 100g) Wasabi – 486 calories, 21.6 grams of fat, 580 milligrams of sodium, 66 grams of carbohydrates, and 26 grams of protein. Spicy Chicken Wing – 486 calories, 21.6 grams of fat, 580 milligrams of sodium, 66 grams of carbohydrates, and 26 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Twix Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bars

Twix Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bars

What is the Twix Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bar?

Depending on how you choose to see it, these are either a new twixt (get it?) on the existing Twix ice cream bars or a meltable version of the Twix Triple Chocolate candy bar. The chocolate shell remains the same as the original ice cream bar, but the vanilla ice cream and cookie bits are now chocolate. The filling is not the chocolate caramel of the candy bar, but the same gooey caramel of the O.G. ice cream bar.

Twix Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bars 2

How is it?

I was a tiny bit disappointed that neither iteration of the Twix ice cream bar maintains the classic Twix cookie-on-the-bottom construction. It’s what makes a Twix a Twix. But I didn’t linger long on this because I was won over by its taste on the first bite.

Twix Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bars 3

These were straight up delicious, and the experience was more than the sum of its parts. The fluffy ice cream had a strong hot cocoa essence, which was unexpected in a cold item. The cookie bits brought a nice crunch and a darker chocolate. The coating, while a standard milk chocolate, brought us to three different chocolate profiles, which I loved. The caramel filling wasn’t anything special but was tasty and a little on the thin side, which works well with ice cream.

Twix Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bars 4

Is there anything else you need to know?

Whatever you do, do not peel off the top layer of chocolate coating. The visual of these bars naked is something out of an HR Giger nightmare. I’m pretty sure those cookie balls are hatching in my belly right now…

Twix Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bars 5

Yeesh.

Conclusion:

Do not wait for sunburn season to find these. Chocolate fans, Twix fans, Alien fans – they’re well worth a try. They might be my go-to summer treat. Just don’t look under the hood.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 11 oz. box / 6 bars
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 160 calories, 9 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 grams of fiber, 15 grams of total sugars, 13 grams of added sugars and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: White Chocolate Marshmallow M&M’s

White Chocolate Marshmallow M M s

What are White Chocolate Marshmallow M&M’s?

Because a bag of novelty-flavored M&M’s is easily stuffed into a bright plastic egg basket, Mars is dropping another installment of its special edition Easter flavors! This time, it’s white chocolate with marshmallow.

How are they?

You know how when you see cooking show contestants using the same batter/dough/base for multiple items, they are mostly likely not going to win? That’s what these M&M’s taste like. They’re essentially the same as the basic white chocolate M&M with the tiniest hint of another flavor zipping by at light speed.

White Chocolate Marshmallow M M s Plated

In this case, the flavor isn’t even the marshmallow advertised – it’s closer to fondant icing. You know how cooking show judges howl in disappointment when cakes or cookies get covered in fondant? It’s a polarizing flavor. Fondant is supposed to taste like marshmallow, but is more like what a replicator on the Enterprise that needs a tune-up would spit out.

The good news is there’s so little of it – and the white chocolate is dominant enough – that if you don’t know what fondant is, you might not even notice it here. I’ve been making cakes with it for 18 years, so I’d recognize that sugary dough anywhere.

White Chocolate Marshmallow M M s Pastels

While they taste perfectly pleasant (relying on the strength of their white chocolate base flavor), there’s a huge wasted opportunity here and I’m deducting points for that. Why didn’t they play around with texture? Swap out the crispy malted filling of the M&M’s Mini Eggs with a breakfast-cereal-style marshmallow center?

White Chocolate Marshmallow M M s Innards

Is there anything else you need to know?

The flesh-toned M&M’s are back in this mix, which is odd because they don’t seem to relate to the flavor here. As a color combination, I didn’t love it.

Conclusion:

If you love the white chocolate M&M’s, they’re not a bad purchase with lowered expectations. If you vehemently hate fondant and/or are a cooking show judge, proceed with caution.

Purchased Price: $3.19 (on sale)
Size: 8 oz. bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz./16 pieces) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 15 grams of total sugars, 17 grams of added sugars, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Oreo Music Box

Oreo Music Box 1

Oreo ended 2018 in peak novelty fashion with the release of the Oreo Music Box – a tiny turntable that “plays” Oreo cookies. Place any regulation-size Oreo on the disc and you’ll hear a selection of pre-loaded music. You can also record your own audio that subsequently gets tacked onto the start of the music. It comes in a tin with a selection of Oreos inside (as if anyone who would buy this doesn’t already have a stash?)

Oreo Music Box 2

I was really happy to see an Oreo holiday item that wasn’t flavor-related. I love the flavor releases, but I appreciate it when well-known brands go deep with imagination and whimsy. This product debuted in China in Fall of 2017. I was thrilled to hear it was landing on our shores and even more so to find one under my Christmas tree.

Oreo Music Box 3

The music box itself felt surprisingly sturdy, despite the cardboard and plastic exterior. When I placed an Oreo on and moved the stylus into place, it did “play” music. The volume was decent, and audio quality was exactly what I expected – not great, but not bad for what was essentially a novelty toy.

Oreo Music Box 4

As promised, as I bit chunks from the cookie, the music tracks changed. Each cut was a slightly different take on a vaguely familiar tune I think I’d heard in past Oreo campaigns. Adorable! I was a little disappointed there was no way to program your own music or audio beyond the 30-second record feature.

Oreo Music Box 5

The record feature also worked fine, although the volume was a notch lower than the pre-loaded music and the instructions had error in them. (The double red light never appeared – it went right to green and was recording.)

Oreo Music Box 6

I say “play” in quotes because this music box doesn’t work like a record player. It’s not reading information stored in the cookie. It’s reading the presence and position of an object on the turntable to trigger a programmed audio clip.

As best I can tell, it works based on five sensors on the turntable. As long as one of them is covered by a solid object, it will spin and “play.” I tried it with various objects – a Wheat Thin, a pat of butter, a quarter and a tiny slip of paper. The only one that didn’t work was the paper, I suspect because the light in the stylus could shine through to the sensor.

Oreo Music Box 7

This is a great gift for an Oreo-lover or toy for a child. It’s cute and does exactly what it says. I loved it. It’s well-made and could last, but the limited audio options make it something that may not hold attention long. The price point is a bit high for a novelty you use a handful of times, but possibly worth it in sheer delight.

Music Courtesy of Loyalty Freak Music.

Purchased Price: $19.99
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Amazon
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: N/A