We Tried 12 Flavors of OREO Cookies and Ranked Them For You
OREO sandwich cookies have been a classic cookie for more than a century, and with good reason. It is hard to argue with a perfect balance of crisp dark chocolate cookie and creamy vanilla filling. But variety is the spice (or sweet) or life, and OREO never stops innovating in size and flavor. So, because I am a giver, I grabbed a dozen of the currently available treats and gave them a scientific taste test (i.e., made my whole family taste them) to see if you might want to expand your OREO stash. Spoiler alert, you absolutely do.
Meet this season's flavored OREOS, counting up from number 12 to number 1.
12: Birthday Cake Flavor Creme
Sad to say that the "birthday cake" flavoring was super artificial tasting and just overpowering. Of course, I am in my 50s, and things flavored like Birthday Cake are not targeted at me, so if you have kids you might want to give them a go, but you have better options.
Buy it: OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Birthday Cake Flavored Creme Family Size ($3.67), Walmart.com
11: Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Flavored Creme
My tasting team used phrases like "weird spice bomb," "it hurts my tongue," and "tastes like a Christmas Yankee Candle". No discernable flavor beyond cinnamon and clove, and if there is cream cheese flavor in the filling, our palates were too blown out by spice to taste it.
Buy it: OREO Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Flavored Creme Sandwich Cookies, Family Size ($3.67), Walmart.com
10: Salted Caramel Brownie
We thought the caramel and brownie flavors fought each other, and wished it wasn't a mashup, and wasn't salty enough.
Buy it: Oreo Limited Edition Salted Caramel Brownie Sandwich Cookies Family Size ($3.79), target.com
9: Chocolate Marshmallow Flavored Creme
The marshmallow part tasted like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms, which might have been fun had the cookie been a Lucky Charms flavored oat cookie or graham cracker, but the mix with chocolate was a little weird. Not terrible, just not great.
Buy it: Oreo Chocolate Marshmallow Flavor Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Family Size ($3.79), target.com
8: Chocolate Hazelnut Flavored Creme
We were surprised this ranked so low, as Nutella fans, but we found the hazelnut flavor to be a little artificial tasting. Not inedible, but not one we would buy again.
Buy it: OREO Chocolate Hazelnut Flavored Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Family Size ($3.67), Walmart.com
7: Peanut Butter Flavored Creme
These were tasty, but we wished the peanut butter had been a bit more pronounced. The dark chocolate cookie needed a punchier filling. And there are better options in this category (foreshadowing).
Buy it: Oreo Peanut Butter Flavor Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Family Size ($3.79), target.com
6: Caramel Coconut Flavored Creme
Unlike the Salted Caramel Brownie, the caramel flavor here is really good, and the coconut doesn't fight it, but enhances it! A win, and one we would eat again happily. Goes to a very Samoa place, but with gentler coconut flavor.
Buy it: OREO Caramel Coconut Flavored Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Family Size ($3.67), Walmart.com
5: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
If a Nutter Butter and an OREO had a delicious baby, this cookie is it. Packs all the peanut butter punch we wanted in the Chocolate Peanut Butter version, with the chocolate a gentle enhancement instead of the star. Loved this one. Would buy again.
Buy it: Oreo Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Sandwich Cookies Family Size ($3.79), target.com
4: Dark Chocolate Flavored Creme
Imagine the filling at the same dark intensity as the cookie and this is what you get. A really nice deep chocolate flavor, not too sweet. Would be great with coffee or vanilla ice cream. Really enjoyable.
Buy it: Oreo Dark Chocolate Flavor Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Family Size ($3.79), target.com
3: Java Chip Flavored Creme
Another winner here: a good balance of chocolate and coffee flavors, and we cannot wait to make a coffee OREO ice cream with this cookie! Highly recommended.
Buy it: OREO Java Chip Flavored Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Family Size ($3.67), Walmart.com
2: Mint Flavored Creme
Mint and chocolate are a classic combo, and this one could not be better. Even my husband, who generally does not like mint and chocolate, enjoyed this. Perfect balance with neither overpowering the other, fresh mint flavor that does not lean toothpaste or mouthwash. If you wait all year for Thin Mints? Wait no more: These will satisfy that craving and might even nudge it out of the way. Comes in regular and thin varieties.
Buy it: OREO Mint Flavored Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Family Size ($3.67), Walmart.com
1: Lemon Flavored Creme
Yeah, I know, you could have knocked us over with a feather, but lemon OREOS are a thing of culinary beauty. Available in both regular and thin versions, these are just a perfect cookie. Wonderful punchy lemon flavor enhanced by just enough vanilla, we could not get enough of these. Ideal cookie with tea, or as a light sweet after a meal, this cookie ranked number one with every tester on the panel, and we all admitted we would be buying packages to keep at home. Don't sleep on this cookie, just look for the yellow package in the OREO aisle (or order it online, below!).
Buy it: OREO Golden Sandwich Cookies, Lemon Flavored Creme, Family Size ($3.67), Walmart.com