Mondelēz may have been creative in the past by making Oreo flavors like cookie dough, marshmallow crispy and watermelon, but the company’s newest flavor, Red Velvet, is sure to be a new favorite.

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Photo by Maia Vernacchia

The History
Oreos have been around since 1912, and the dark chocolate cream-filled cookie was a staple in most of our childhoods. Although there have been several new filling flavors released over the years, there hasn’t been a new cookie released since 2004, when the Golden Oreo first launched.

Rumored to have originated during the Great Depression, red velvet has recently gained popularity as a flavor in everything from coffee to liqueur to cake. So it’s no wonder Mondelēz made an Oreo flavor out of it. This new variety features a red velvet-flavored cookie with cream cheese filling, and the bright red color is just right for February.

My Experience
I set out to find a package and, thankfully, came across a huge display of them at Target. I bought the first one I saw and immediately ripped open the package. The color was true to red velvet, a nice dark red color with a hint of brown. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.

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Photo by Maia Vernacchia

The Taste
But more importantly, how did they taste?  I’m not a fan of red velvet in general, so as expected, I did not like them. I found them artificial tasting and lacking any real chocolate flavor. The red velvet flavor overpowered the “cream cheese,” which would have been my favorite part.

My friends, however, liked that they tasted less sweet than the regular Oreos. They also thought the cookie flavor was a nice blend of chocolate and red velvet but could use a little more cream cheese flavor in the filling. Though they weren’t crazy about them, the package still disappeared in no time. When asked if they would buy them again, they said they would, only for Valentine’s Day, but, “wouldn’t eat them on a regular basis.”

If you’re interested in trying these new cookie concoctions, you better hurry, because they are only expected to be in stores for six to eight weeks.