Tag: Cookies

As National Ice Cream Month comes to a close, there’s only one non-frozen way to bid July adieu, and that’s with a brand spankin’ new Oreo.

Earlier in the month, Nabisco dropped its first 2018 ode to the creamy category with the Good Humor-branded Strawberry Shortcake Oreo, which tasted a lot like a really crunchy generic strawberry cookie. While I found that one a bit underwhelming, I know some folks loved it, and since I’m way more of a chocolate boy when it comes to ice cream, I’m vibin’ on the idea of Nabisco saving the best for last.

Rocky Road Trip Oreo is a cookie with marshmallow bits, rocky road-flavored crème, and, in an attempt to not only stay vegan but also nut free, the very clunky “soy nut inclusions.” I’ve never had a soy nut before, but if there’s a surefire easy way to get me to try something new it’s toss that oddity in an Oreo.

Good news cookie travelers, this road trip isn’t all that rocky. The cookies are splattered sporadically with white marshmallow bits that give a nice chompy chew and immediate textural difference from the usual wafer.

The crème is incredibly dark, gooey, and rich in a way that reminds me a lot of 2015’s Brownie Batter Oreo but with an extra marshmallow kick. A genuine vanilla-leaning sweet marshmallow flavor comes through convincingly with the melty chocolate. Although it’s not nearly as stiff, I get a little bit of that freeze-dried crunch to go along with ‘mallow taste.

The only minor speedbump is the lack of nutty flavor. The soy nut inclusions within the crème do a great job of giving the chomp nuts would provide in a luscious scoop of rocky road, but I miss the fatty almond that finishes the rocky trinity that I truly desire. I understand why Nabisco chose to leave them out – no risk of allergy, lower in fat, and more cost-effective, but a touch of nuttiness would have gone a long way in making this cookie road trip closer to perfect.

Much less important, but also worth noting, is that the design of the package is excellent. A couple of cars traversing over a massive mount of rocky road sets the tone for an enjoyable snack, and between this and Ben & Jerry’s excellent Glampfire Trailmix, it feels like the once stale rocky road profile is making a whimsical comeback.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 10.7 oz. package
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Great chocolate marshmallow flavor. Nutty crunch. Rich decadent crème. Super fun packaging.
Cons: No nutty flavor to go along with the texture.

Why isn’t the “Oreo of the Month” club a thing yet?

Instead of running out to stores and dropping four bucks every time there’s a new flavor, charge me a flat yearly fee and deliver these babies to my doorstep. Whattaya say, Nabisco?

I’ll assume the big-wigs there are reading this and nodding their heads. You can thank me when you’re all card-carrying members of the Oreo “Creme of the Crop” Club. (Trademark Vin, or Nabisco if they pay me)

Anyway, the most recent flavor to hit shelves is Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake. I assume everyone’s aware of the iconic ice cream bar, so I’ll spare you the history.

This isn’t the first strawberry Oreo. This isn’t even the first Strawberry Shortcake Oreo, but it’s the first cookie collaboration with Good Humor. (There are Good Humor Oreo ice cream bars)

I’ve always thought ice cream flavors should stay in the frozen section, but I had a good feeling about this.

When I ripped open the package, I was immediately hit with strawberry overload. It was really nice, but I’d go so far as to say they might be too fragrant. Still, it made me want to dive right in.

The cookie wafers are some of the best Oreo has put out so far. It’s a Golden Oreo with “strawberry flavored bits,” and it’s quite pleasant. They’re a little on the hard side, closer to Nerds than the crumbs on the Good Humor bars, but they definitely enhance the cookie.

The creme filling has a candy strawberry and vanilla flavor that I think may be a bit too sweet for some. While tasty, I can see it getting very cloying after a while.

So, these are great, but do they mimic the Good Humor ice cream bar well?

Yes and no. You’ll talk yourself into it, but without reading the package, I’m not sure anyone would ever realize this cookie is a Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bar.

I don’t wanna put the kibosh on it, but I don’t think traditional ice cream flavors ever truly work at room temperature. Take away the cold refreshing aspect of ice cream and it loses its essence. That happens here, but you’re still left with a tasty strawberry Oreo.

I’ve joked about the overabundance of Oreo flavors, but I gotta give Nabisco credit. It’s done an excellent job realizing that changing the creme isn’t enough as they’ve bombarded us with new flavors. The bits of strawberry in the cookie here was a genuinely great idea. This might be the first time I’d consider eating the cookies without the creme.

This is a limited edition, so go get it. Let’s be real though; there are probably more strawberry Oreo variants down the pike. I’m hoping this is the start of the Good Humor partnership because Chocolate Eclair and especially Toasted Almond Oreo sound like winners.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fiber, and 1 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: 10.7 oz. package
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: The cookie is one of the best they’ve done. Smells and tastes great if you can handle the sweetness. A beautiful partnership between iconic brands. The potential Oreo of the Month Club I just made up.
Cons: Not exactly like the ice cream bars. Strawberry bits are hard sometimes. Overly sweet. Limited edition.

Since their inception in 2015, Oreo Thins have come in predominantly safe flavors. Original, Chocolate, Mint, Lemon, and even Coconut are far cries from the wild limited editions Nabisco have rolled out with their full-sized breadwinner in recent years.

The craziest Thins have gotten prior to the #MyOreoCreation contest’s Pina Colada is Salted Caramel, and even that is a pretty common and very popular profile among sweet tooth cookie hunters.

But for 2018, three years into their snack life, Thins are coming hard with a new flavor that’s sort of safe but also brand new and to me, pretty exciting – Pistachio.

The light green crème is sandwiched between two wafer-thin chocolate cookies, boasting the 66 percent thinner size of all its prior incarnations. The cookies carry a gentle nutty and sweet aroma rounded out by a kiss of cocoa.

I’m not sure what the general consensus is on Thins versus the full sized real deal, but I enjoy their soft crumbly texture and mild sweetness, and the Pistachio version is no exception.

The sweet somewhat floral notes of the crème work surprisingly well with the chocolate cookie, with neither flavor being too dominant over the other. The overall taste reminds me of pistachio ice cream, both in flavor and texture, with hints of almond-y marzipan and creamy vanilla.

I find them incredibly easy to put back in succession with a unique but very snack-able flavor that’s very tasty. It’s a much truer representation of sweet pistachio than the coconut ones were of coconut, and much like with the also delicious Pina Colada, the smaller amount of crème works well to deliver the right amount of flavor without being too intense.

There’s something old school and comforting about pistachio that feels like a cozy day at grandma’s house or grabbing a cone at the oldest scoop shop in town. It’s classic but new, and as a result, it’s a wonderful change from more bizarre Nabisco attempts, like Swedish Fish and Root Beer Float.

Keep in mind these aren’t for everyone, but as someone who thinks Pistachio Pistachio is one of the more underrated Ben & Jerry’s pints, I think these Thins are a smashing success. Or at least a success that’s going to find me smashing six in a row without blinking an eye.

(Nutrition Facts – 4 cookies – 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 10.1 oz. package
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Great balanced ice cream-y pistachio flavor. Soft crumbly texture. Simply smash-able.
Cons: Floral pistachio flavor could be off putting, but, not for me!

Oreo is the Star Wars of cookies. While I’m always excited about the new flavor announcements, I feel like they come out too frequently these days, and I may be coming down with a case of “cookie fatigue.”

Seriously, how many peanut butter varieties can Nabisco possible pass off as new? We’ve already had the standard Peanut Butter, PB&J, and Reese’s in recent years. Was Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie necessary? Doesn’t this kinda feel like a slight swerve on an established flavor?

Will Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie be the Solo of the Oreo Snackematic Universe?!

Better question – What the heck am I talking about?

I’m talking about Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Oreo Cookies. The biggest difference between these and the aforementioned Peanut Butter flavors is the graham cookie, which I somehow overlooked even though it makes perfect sense to the pie it’s mimicking.

Upon ripping open the annoying Oreo packaging, I was hit by the pleasant scent of Nutter Butter, and all my worries flew out the window. It was comforting and akin to seeing that nostalgic “a long time ago in a galaxy far far away” pop up on screen.

I’ll stop trying to make this Star Wars parallel now and start the review.

Everything about this cookie is grittier than your normal Oreo. The Graham cookies have a slightly harder and sandier texture, which again, reminded me of Nutter Butter.

The crème also chews like it has bits of cookie crumb, but there was no indication of that on the package.

As for the taste? It’s nice. They would have really had to screw up for it not to be though, right?

I wouldn’t say the crème flavors explode. In the end, I was left thinking the graham was the lead of the movie. I’m not sure that’s gonna make too many people happy to hear, but the chocolate and peanut butter, while good, were a little masked by the cookie flavor.

The aftertaste was heavily graham, with peanut butter on the back of my tongue. I keep coming back to it, but these do remind me of Nutter Butter, so I guess the chocolate kinda gets a bit lost.

With all that said, I like these. They aren’t better than the Reese’s Oreo, but they’re better than the standard Peanut Butter Oreo, which I’ve always found to be disappointing.

These aren’t as cloying as the last few Oreo flavors I’ve tried, so that was a nice change of pace. The grittiness did, however, dry my mouth out, so maybe keep a glass of milk nearby.

So, like Solo, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie: An Oreo Story was pretty much a fun little detour that will probably be ultimately forgettable. These aren’t gonna be anyone’s favorite Oreo cookie.

I was ready to write them off as unnecessary, but they ended up standing on their own well enough. I would recommend picking up a bag if that’s even what you call Oreo packaging.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of sugar, less than 1 grams of fiber, and 1 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 12.2 oz. package
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: A nice blend of the three flavors involved. Not as disgustingly sweet as the previous flavors. You’ll like these if you like Nutter Butter. Solo was a decent movie, I guess.
Cons: A gritty reboot of the normal Peanut Butter Oreo. Dry. A little too Graham heavy. Chocolate gets outshined. Oreo may be running out of ideas soon. Cookie fatigue.