We all know that Oreos are milk's favorite cookie (because what's on the package of your food is always true). For most of us, the biggest difference between the milks we use are 2%, whole, fat-free, or skim. Not really a major variety in flavor.
So we dip them in our plain old milk and go on our merry ways, never wondering how truly diverse the word milk really is. I made the decision to grab some friends and do a little experiment to find out if we're missing out on any exciting flavor opportunities.
We are.
The Experiment
Milk and cookies is no laughing matter. I consider this a true development in the scientific community. I enticed my two friends Casey and Nick with promises of lots of cookies and we all sat down to find answers. What would it be like if we dipped Oreos in chocolate milk, coconut milk, vanilla milk, almond milk, and strawberry milk?
In the true nature of science, we established our control group: whole milk (the milk we all agreed we were most likely to drink) and Oreos. From this, we gathered an idea of what makes dipping Oreos in milk such a phenomenon. It was the general consensus that the milk created a satisfying cold and creamy flavor and supplied us with a nice, soft texture that was soft but still kind of crunchy.
The Hypothesis
It was determined that we needed to answer two questions. Which of the five types of milk best suited the cookie, and which one did not. Casey thought the chocolate milk would be best (which I agreed with him on) thinking that the flavor would transfer nicely into the cream "and you can never have too much chocolate." Nick thought that the coconut or vanilla would bump up the flavor a bit. We all decided that we were most interested in the coconut (Nick because he loves coconuts, Casey because he'd never had it, and me because I thought it was the weirdest).
When it came to determining the worst, Casey thought the coconut might be too weird and Nick thought almond because he's never cared for it on its own. For me, it was personally the strawberry because that artificial fruit flavor is a lot to take in on its own.
The Test
TruMoo Chocolate Milk
Although I used Nesquik milk for the vanilla and strawberry, I had to go with TruMoo (much to the delight of Nick). TruMoo has a nice, frothy taste that feels closer to the variety of chocolate milks out there. Chocolate milk is my favorite means of drinking milk (and on most days the only way I drink it), so I was very curious.
Overall we really enjoyed it. I thought that it had a creamy, chocolatey taste. It was sort of like eating a cookies and cream milkshake. Casey thought it added a bonus flavor to the mix, an additional chocolate to the already chocolatey cookie. Nick thought that the chocolate canceled out the cream and wasn't getting as strong a flavor as Casey or I.
So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
So you're stranded on a desert island and all you have are coconuts and (for some reason) Oreos. Do you dare risk spoiling your rations by dunking the Oreos into the milk?
I'm not going to pretend like this is the exact flavor of the milk in that scenario (it's hard to preserve coconut milk without additives), but I made sure to at least get it unsweetened. The first thing you'll notice is that this type of milk has a thicker consistency than cow milk. When paired with the Oreo, I thought it had a subtle flavor. I knew it wasn't a normal milk taste, but I didn't quite get coconut. Casey noted that it didn't create that nice softness to the cookie, but liked it enough to say, "If I went vegan I would use this milk for dipping."
Upon his first bite, Nick was already making yummy sounds. Initially he thought that the milk added a sweetness to the cookie. And then we all tried coconut milk for the first time. We vowed to never relive that experience. The Oreos will definitely be a good vehicle to help you get down the milk you need to survive.
Nesquik Low-fat Vanilla Milk
We were all very curious about this type of milk. I suppose the thought was that if there were a chocolate milk, there should be a vanilla milk too. I feel like this is the one Nesquik flavor that never really took off (and yet they still sell it on campus). On the first bite it seemed like normal milk, but then I was suddenly hit by a shockwave of sugar (not in the good way). Nick didn't notice much more than a lingering sweetness. Casey thought that it added a little flavor, put the cream in the forefront and made the chocolate "a highlight rather than a main player."
Afterwords we drank the milk and determined that it tasted like a very milky vanilla milkshake, a lot less intense than when on the cookie (but still quite sugary).
Almond Breeze Original Almondmilk
Let's say you're vegan (and hate coconut milk). Vegans can eat Oreos too! (Unless they're picky) But with what? I would say almond milk, but Casey would wholeheartedly disagree with me.
In my opinion, the experience was very delightful. It was like a long stream of different tastes: first one reminiscent of peanut butter, then a subtle salty flavor, then a nice nutty taste. Casey was absolutely disgusted, saying that he got a nasty taste a split second after eating it (I feel it is scientifically important for me to point out that Casey is not a fan of peanut butter).
Nick was more of a middle ground. He thought that the milk itself initially felt more watery and was a bit off put but how quickly it softened—not only the part he dipped, but the entire cookie. Overall, he said that the flavor penetrated the cookie more than other milks, giving it the slightest taste of almond, and he didn't hate it but it was much too messy.
Nesquik Low-fat Strawberry Milk
The Pepto-Bismol coloring did not translate to any of my cameras, but wow is this stuff pink (and it stained my mug). I remember getting really excited about strawberry milk as a kid. Nick was telling us how he likes to watch horror movies in October with a glass of strawberry milk and a bowl of Count Chocula. It really is such a nostalgic (but extremely odd) flavor.
I think it rendered the biggest reaction out of all of us. We all agreed that it was the very distinct, artificial strawberry taste. When I bit down, I was immediately thinking of fruity cereal with an Oreo aftertaste. It reminded Nick of the strawberry Peeps dipped in chocolate. Casey thought that it was exactly like a cookie with an artificial strawberry filling. He said that the milk completely eclipsed the cookie and the traditional cream taste. Nick and Casey both agreed that it wasn't bad, but you definitely need to know what you're signing up for.
Conclusion
After eating a few more Oreos, we all decided that it was time to come to our conclusion on the best and worst type of milk for Oreos.
The Best: For Casey it was the vanilla milk. He really enjoyed how it emphasized the cream center. He thought it did a good job of soaking into the cookie and had a pleasant aftertaste. Another plus for him was that he'd enjoy drinking the milk itself after.
My favorite was a tie between the chocolate and the almond milk. Both types of milk have equal pluses and minuses. Although the milkshake taste that the chocolate milk provided was enjoyable, I felt like I might get sick of it after one or two cookies. I really enjoyed the nutty taste of the almond milk, but I wouldn't want to drink it afterwards. Nick didn't think any of them gave him the cookie experience he loves from regular milk.
The Worst: My least favorite type of milk was definitely the strawberry, it was way to intense and I am not very fond of things that taste artificial. Nick said "none of the flavors offended me, but if I had to pick a least favorite I'd pick the strawberry. It wasn't bad, but just a different experience." He also noted that if it came to having to drink the milk after he wouldn't pick the coconut or almond. And Casey, the uneaten remains of the almond milk dipped cookie on the plate in front of him, stated that it "did not add any flavor besides a background taste of malaise."
So the next time you buy a package of Oreos, consider mixing it up with an interesting milk. There are certainly a lot more to experiment on! And I assure you, the combination of cookies and science is certainly the best taste of all.