Taste Test: Reese's Oreos

This is a fun part of blogging - responding to your requests and challenges! A reader (and friend) shared a new product and asked for a review before she bought it herself.

As an early Memorial Day display of patriotism, I’m combining two very American things - being opinionated and eating Oreos - into a surely delicious post.

We’ve seen a rapid and uninhibited boom in the Oreo universe in the past 2-3 years. My childhood cookie aisle stocked maybe four types of Oreo - original, double stuf, reduced fat and lunchbox-friendly minis - in a variety of sizes. I’m a double stuf girl, so my only decision was about upgrading to the family size packs.

Now, according to their website, there are 28 - yes, over two dozen - different Oreo cookies (not including different types of packaging or Oreo-related products like pie crust). The varieties include somewhat sensible, although already old hat flavors like golden (vanilla wafers), ratio-changers like mega stuf (for all you folks who double up your cremes), chocolate-covered cookies (we’ve been making those at home years) all the way to the bizzaro creme flavors like birthday cake, cookie dough and marshmallow crispy.

Snackworks. com

Their most recent flavor experiment brings Oreo together with another incredibly prolific brand - Reese’s. Reese’s has at least 11 different products produced in-house, with countless others like Bryer’s BLASTS ice cream, where they guest star. And I will be the first to admit, we are a Reese’s house. I’m pretty sure J bleeds peanut butter and chocolate. Every stocking, Easter basket and birthday cake features some sort of Reese’s combo. Obviously, we were very excited to see this pairing!

In February, J and I provided a truly scientific (wink wink) study on Nabisco’s limited edition release, red velvet Oreos. You can read that review here. We’ll base this review on the same criteria as the red velvet. First, we’ll discuss the two major flavor features of the cookies: the wafer and the creme. Next, we’ll discuss their structural integrity by testing both their “twist” and “dunkability.” Finally, I am adding another analysis (and suggestion) for achieving  “the perfect bite.”

Without further ado, let’s review.

The Cookie:

Unlike the red velvet variety whose wafer tasted different (and were red, duh!), these cookies had the signature Oreo flavor and appearance. There was a sense that the texture had been tweaked because these wafers were incredibly crunchy and when eaten separately, felt harder. Otherwise, same old, same old - and that’s a good thing!

The Cremes:

An exciting feature of the Reese’s cookies is that there are two different cremes inside each cookie! I do believe this is a first for Oreo (at least on the same layer - they do have a triple decker cookie with two different layers of creme). Half of the creme layer is peanut butter and half is chocolate. J said it best with, “it’s close to the spirit of Reese’s (cups) but reminds me more of Reese’s sticks.” I think it’s got a Reese’s pieces feel to it. (Every Reese’s lover is a connoisseur, really). If you’re looking for an exact copy of a Reese’s cup, this isn’t it, but it’s got the peanut butter and the chocolate in good balance. I really enjoyed the peanut butter side, especially the texture. Where the red velvet cookie’s creme had been grainy (and cloying) from so much sugar, this was actually good. It had a very pleasant taste, a lot like real Reese’s pb and upon further inspection, had actual flecks of peanuttiness that contributed to the Reese-like texture. I haven’t done enough “research” to know if this is the same chocolate creme they use in other varieties. The chocolate half seems like a generic chocolate flavor, not too sweet and not too chocolatey. Being butted up against pb it does take on a little of that flavor, too. A bite with a mixture of both cremes is pretty darn good and thankfully, not too sweet.

The Twist

I need two things for a good twist - the cookie stays intact and the creme stays on one wafer, not a smear on both. The red velvet variety’s sugary creme was a mess and stuck to both cookies. This cookie twisted perfectly. The harder cookie held up and the creme stuck tight to a single wafer.

Dunkability

Oreos demand milk. As such, they have to be structurally sound enough to take a good dunk in a glass of milk. I like either a fraction-of-a-second splash or a long super-softening soak for my Oreos. These held up pretty well, maybe not as sturdy as a traditional cookie, but didn’t dissolve into a mess. Through a series of tests, J determined that a 10-second submersion yields the best results for a soft, milk-logged cookie that isn’t yet mushy.

The Perfect Bite

If you’re looking for a perfect bite, I wouldn’t twist and double up cremes or eat it open-faced. I suggest going in for the traditional sandwich and giving it a dip in milk (at least 5 seconds). Make it even better by trying to put the “seam” of the creme between your front teeth so you get a bite of both sides, not just one flavor of creme. Yum!

For more LEGO-y goodness, follow J on Instagram here. 

A peanut butter cup it’s not, but a good cookie, absolutely. The flavor is tasty, the Oreo-design is on point and they’re delicious with milk.

I think the main thing keeping it from being a better copy is the unsurmountable texture and experience differences. A Reese’s cup almost instantly melts in your hands and coats your mouth in creamy chocolate. It’s one of those warm and fuzzy experiences that takes you to childhood, just like unwrapping the silver foil of a Hershey bar. Eating a cookie, no matter the flavor profile, can’t match the melty, gooey feel of tearing open an orange packet.

Also, it would be very remiss of the cheap curmudgeon in me to not mention the ridiculous pricing of these “special” cookies. A standard pack of the (now) “regular” Oreos - original, golden, double stuf, and reduced fat - costs $2.98 at Wal Mart and contains 36 cookies. The quirky packs are noticeably smaller and awkwardly shaped containing only 24 cookies, but still priced at $2.98. I read the cost-per-ounce breakdowns while grocery shopping - especially when comparing brands or bulk vs. small packages - and this one just doesn’t work out. I get it, it’s a limited edition product, but c’mon, just price them fairly!