At First, It Was Mocked
Our last cookie for the week, Filled Cupcake Oreos, were met with cascades of derision upon their unveiling, with many questioning their reason for being. "It's just chocolate and chocolate!" or "what's the difference from a regular Oreo?" were common comments. More pointedly, taster Brian S. argued (and insists now) "it’s a poor choice of a flavor. You’re taking something that’s primarily about fluffy texture and putting it into something crunchy." Nonetheless, scorn soon yielded to curiosity and specific questions were posed and answered. Details after our package shot.
The Crunchy Bigotry of Low Expectations
Our tasters warmed to the concept of the cookie impersonating a cupcake when we considered that packaged cupcakes, classically Hostess brand, aren't all that good in the first place. The failure of our cookie to achieve moistness is less egregious when you consider that cupcakes in cellophane are typically pretty dry already, which is the entire reason the whipped creme filling is typically pressed into service.
Essentially, nobody expected the cookie to taste like a cupcake or even have the "flavor of cupcake", whatever that might be. The judgment would hinge on whether the flavor of the fondant-style icing and the creamy center was achieved. After our package-shot detail, we'll twist off the top and go inside.
Differences: Subtle and Otherwise
Though it's the last thing you'd expect, the differences between the original Oreo cookie actually begin with the wafers. The cupcake-flavored wafers are noticeably darker in color. And if you close your eyes and really concentrate, the wafers have a warmer, smoother, richer, and more vanilla-inflected flavor. A whisper of chocolate pudding flavor suggests itself. The chocolate-colored part of the filling also suggests a combination of chocolate icing and chocolate pudding. As with most of the specialty flavors we've tried this week, the filling is thicker than that of a standard Oreo, and that's where most of the flavor is. And yes, the white center really does taste differently from the brown section; it isn't just food coloring. The white center perfectly captures the slightly gross chemical, oil and faux-vanilla essence of a shelf-stable cupcake. Have a look and seriously consider whether this appeals to you.
Conclusions
Reactions overall were decidedly mixed. J.N. writes "To me, the chocolate part of the filling was good, but didn’t seem much different from a chocolate flavored version of the regular filling. The white center of the filling did have a bit more creaminess than the usual filling, but I’m not sure it was enough to really grab me as a cupcake filling. Unlike the birthday cake flavor which successfully used the filling to make me think of cake frosting, this one just seemed pretty lackluster and given the crunchiness of the cookie compared to the moist cakey texture of a cupcake, I really didn’t get the sense of cupcake at all."
I'm a little more charitably inclined: throughout this week, I've been impressed by Nabisco's savvy in never attempting a flavor trick that they didn't have a chance of pulling off. By using extra creme filling to approximate the moisture content of more cake-like objects and boldly employing natural and, where necessary, artificial flavors, they have -- like Jelly Belly -- crammed unlike and diverse food flavors into the space of a sandwich cookie. True enough, the Filled Cupcake entry doesn't give us the novelty of pumpkin spice, the nostalgia of the cinnamon bun, nor the child-like festiveness of birthday cake, it does still remind us of a favorite school lunchbox snack, and that still counts for something. So while J.N. gives a 3.5 for taste and 1.5 for taste-target fidelity, my final score is somewhat higher.
Overall taste: 3.75 out of a possible 5
Fidelity to Taste Target: 3.5 out of a possible 5
Our last cookie for the week, Filled Cupcake Oreos, were met with cascades of derision upon their unveiling, with many questioning their reason for being. "It's just chocolate and chocolate!" or "what's the difference from a regular Oreo?" were common comments. More pointedly, taster Brian S. argued (and insists now) "it’s a poor choice of a flavor. You’re taking something that’s primarily about fluffy texture and putting it into something crunchy." Nonetheless, scorn soon yielded to curiosity and specific questions were posed and answered. Details after our package shot.
 |
| A cookie pretending to be a packaged item that pretends to be a cupcake. |
Our tasters warmed to the concept of the cookie impersonating a cupcake when we considered that packaged cupcakes, classically Hostess brand, aren't all that good in the first place. The failure of our cookie to achieve moistness is less egregious when you consider that cupcakes in cellophane are typically pretty dry already, which is the entire reason the whipped creme filling is typically pressed into service.
Essentially, nobody expected the cookie to taste like a cupcake or even have the "flavor of cupcake", whatever that might be. The judgment would hinge on whether the flavor of the fondant-style icing and the creamy center was achieved. After our package-shot detail, we'll twist off the top and go inside.
 |
| Helpful instructions on how to eat the cookie (not on what you should do in the privacy of your bedroom) |
Though it's the last thing you'd expect, the differences between the original Oreo cookie actually begin with the wafers. The cupcake-flavored wafers are noticeably darker in color. And if you close your eyes and really concentrate, the wafers have a warmer, smoother, richer, and more vanilla-inflected flavor. A whisper of chocolate pudding flavor suggests itself. The chocolate-colored part of the filling also suggests a combination of chocolate icing and chocolate pudding. As with most of the specialty flavors we've tried this week, the filling is thicker than that of a standard Oreo, and that's where most of the flavor is. And yes, the white center really does taste differently from the brown section; it isn't just food coloring. The white center perfectly captures the slightly gross chemical, oil and faux-vanilla essence of a shelf-stable cupcake. Have a look and seriously consider whether this appeals to you.
 |
| Rich and fudgy, the cupcake filling throws off the white balance, turning our classic creme filling into a blinding supernova. |
Reactions overall were decidedly mixed. J.N. writes "To me, the chocolate part of the filling was good, but didn’t seem much different from a chocolate flavored version of the regular filling. The white center of the filling did have a bit more creaminess than the usual filling, but I’m not sure it was enough to really grab me as a cupcake filling. Unlike the birthday cake flavor which successfully used the filling to make me think of cake frosting, this one just seemed pretty lackluster and given the crunchiness of the cookie compared to the moist cakey texture of a cupcake, I really didn’t get the sense of cupcake at all."
I'm a little more charitably inclined: throughout this week, I've been impressed by Nabisco's savvy in never attempting a flavor trick that they didn't have a chance of pulling off. By using extra creme filling to approximate the moisture content of more cake-like objects and boldly employing natural and, where necessary, artificial flavors, they have -- like Jelly Belly -- crammed unlike and diverse food flavors into the space of a sandwich cookie. True enough, the Filled Cupcake entry doesn't give us the novelty of pumpkin spice, the nostalgia of the cinnamon bun, nor the child-like festiveness of birthday cake, it does still remind us of a favorite school lunchbox snack, and that still counts for something. So while J.N. gives a 3.5 for taste and 1.5 for taste-target fidelity, my final score is somewhat higher.
Overall taste: 3.75 out of a possible 5
Fidelity to Taste Target: 3.5 out of a possible 5
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