7 hours ago
Selena Gomez's New Oreo Flavor: Review
This should not be a controversial statement: Oreos are the best store-bought cookies you can find on the shelves. The OG Oreo is a combination of creme and a chocolate cookie that is perfect for dunking in milk or just wolfing down a whole sleeve at lunchtime.
If you disagree with me, I don't know what to tell you. Go outside and shake your fist in the air.
The other thing I love about Oreos is their versatility. They've played around with the cookie and creme combo and, for the most part, have been very successful. I consider myself a bit of an Oreo Gourmand-o, so I have pretty strong opinions about all of their varieties. (I'll provide my official ranking at the end.)
So when I heard that a new Selena Gomez-inspired Oreo was hitting the shelves on June 9, I simply had to try them. But not because of the Selena Gomez of it all. I have a confession to make: I'm…old. At least too old to have a frame of reference for Selena's Disney glory days. In fact, I hadn't even heard of her until the 2012 Harmony Korine movie Spring Breakers. I'm in this purely for my own snack-ucation.
Starting off with the packaging, they look appealing. I am a little upset with the size of the package, though. Your standard Oreo package comes in at around 18 ounces, whereas these are about 11 ounces. And at my local Albertson's, both packages cost $5.49, meaning you're paying extra for the name on the front. It better be worth it, Selena!
The package on the front says 'Selena's Chocolate & Cinnamon Creme Cookies,' and when you rip it open, you are blasted with that cinnamon smell. A lot of people online have been comparing the flavor to horchata, and, based on smell alone, I can see why.
The cookies have the typical Oreo design on one side and six different, Selena-inspired designs on the opposite side. This includes an exclusive signature design that only comes in a certain number of packages, which, if you find it, will allow you to listen to a new Selena Gomez song by scanning it with your phone. What world do we live in?
I bought two packages but did not find a signature cookie — and I don't care! Selena's music means nothing to me. I am only concerned with the taste of her cookie.
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Let's start with the cookie on its own, which is described as 'chocolate cinnamon-flavored.' If there's any cinnamon in the cookie at all, it's extremely light, and it's not as chocolaty as the normal cookie. Additionally, the texture of the cookie is a little softer than other Oreos I've had. That's not my style.
Moving onto the creme center, we get an interesting curveball. There are two layers: a chocolate and cinnamon one, and a sweetened condensed milk one with cinnamon sugar. The sweetened condensed milk layer is the primary source of the horchata comparisons.
The creme by itself is very milky sweet with a strong cinnamon aftertaste. The chocolate cinnamon layer may as well not be there. But what is really off-putting with the creme is the cinnamon sugar. It gives the center a grainy texture, which is not why I come to the Oreo time and again. Give me my crunch in the cookie, not the creme!
The combination of cookie and creme on its own isn't my favorite. After eating two or three of them, the lingering taste in my mouth is a sickly sweetness with a little bit of spicy heat. I admit that dipping the cookie in milk does help cut down on the initial sweetness, but that doesn't help much — every cookie benefits from a milk bath.
Overall, the Selena Gomez Oreo is not for me. I recently had a horchata, and it was delightful; the cinnamon was just enough, and the drink had the right amount of refreshing sweetness. These Oreos just go way too hard on all the flavors in the wrong direction. There's no way I could eat an entire package of these like I could other Oreo varieties. And that's the whole point of Oreos, isn't it?
And now, as promised, here's my official ranking of all the Oreos I've tried with no explanation whatsoever:
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