Oreo Smackdown: "Love" vs. Carrot Cake vs. Dark Chocolate

It's been an ongoing hobby to sample and rate the new "Limited Edition" Oreo flavors as they are released, so when I spotted THREE new flavors at my local Wegman's, I snatched up one of each, and brought them home for a post-dinner family taste test. Tonight, we have "Love" Oreos vs. Carrot Cake Oreos vs. Dark Chocolate Oreos.   Which one will reign supreme among them? 

Full disclosure, for those who follow my Oreo taste tests regularly: I had the whole family voting this time, since I'm avoiding processed foods in the New Year, and only had a small taste of each. But that's okay, because for one of these cookies in particular, one small taste was one taste too many. 

First up: Love Oreos

Oh. My. Gosh.  These are HEINOUS. As soon as we opened the package, one of my daughters said, "Ewww...what's that smell?!?"  These cookies emit a harsh, chemical odor that is difficult to pin down: acrid and bitter and just...really unpleasant. It took a bit of coaxing for each of us to actually take a bite, and the taste was equally awful.  The package doesn't give a clear indication of what the flavor is supposed to be, other than to call them "Sweet & Tangy," but the closest we could come to describing these is a very highly-concentrated, artificial fruit-flavored cereal, like Fruit Loops or Trix mixed with nail polish remover instead of milk. “Sweet & Tangy?” More like Vile & Nasty.   Avoid these at all costs--warn your friends AND your enemies.

Overall Grade: F

Next up: Carrot Cake Oreos

We all had high hopes for this one, and I'm happy to say we were not disappointed. As soon as we opened the package, the aroma of carrot cake filled the air.  They definitely nailed the scent.  The cookie itself also smelled like graham cracker, but there was not much carrot on the flavor profile. 

One thing that impressed me, before I even tasted these, was the ratio of filling to cookie--each sandwich cookie had a very generous dollop of cream cheese filling flavored creme. The filling is absolutely delicious, with a smooth, rich texture.  The only drawback: everyone agreed that these were a little too sweet. One of my daughters said that she would definitely eat these again as a snack, but that she probably wouldn't be able to have more than 2 cookies in one sitting.

Overall Grade: A-

Last but not least: Dark Chocolate Oreos

The sandwich cookie is basically the same as a regular Oreo, and doesn't add much to the overall taste profile. However, the enjoyment of this flavor begins as soon as you open the bag, and catch the scent of heavenly dark-chocolate. The dark creme filling tastes rich and fudgey, like fresh brownie batter--you can tell they use real cocoa for this recipe, and it says so right on the package. 

The Dark Chocolate Oreos weren't overly sweet, and my husband and daughters all said they can't wait to try them dunked in milk, which will probably enhance the flavors even more.  I can guarantee that this bag won't last long in my house, even without me eating them. 


Overall Grade: A

It was VERY close, but the winner of tonight's Oreo Smackdown was the Dark Chocolate Oreo. The Carrot Cake Oreos came in second, and the Love Cookies need to pulled from supermarket shelves ASAP because they are JUST. THAT. BAD.