17 Oreo Flavors Ranked From "This Should Burn In Hell" To "Heaven In A Cookie"

Nabisco, I just wanna talk.

If you ask me, the history of the universe should be split into two parts: before the creation of Oreos, and after the creation of Oreos.

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I love Oreos, and so does the rest of humanity. That's why it's the top selling cookie in the world. So you can't really blame Nabisco for trying to cover every corner of the cookie market and selling Oreos in as many flavors as possible. But can these variations hold a candle to the original?

BuzzFeed/Evelina Zaragoza Medina

For the purpose of honoring Oreos and scientific discovery, I gathered all the Oreo flavors I could get my greedy little hands on and tried them in order to determine which is the best one.

SOME DISCLAIMERS: 

— I assembled about 10 test subjects comprised of my mom and friends to help me out (thanks guys!) because this task was too much for my taste buds alone. We rated the following criteria: cookie, filling, performance in milk, and resemblance to the flavor's namesake.

— In order to focus on the flavors without any distractions, I didn't include Double Stuf Oreos or Oreo Thins. Those are not flavors! They are levels of thickness and would have compromised the integrity of the experiment.

— These are only the flavors that I, a person who lives in the US, am currently able to purchase through Walmart and Amazon. There are many, many more flavors of Oreo available internationally.

Here are the results:

17. Blackout Cake

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This was disappointing for so many reasons. First, it set up high expectations by smelling exactly like the richest, most decadent piece of chocolate cake you've ever had. But it tasted absolutely nothing like blackout cake, and what it did taste like (too sweet chocolate frosting) wasn't good either. Worst of all, it tasted just as bad dipped in milk, which is unforgivable for an Oreo. I thought it would be hard to find last place, but it wasn't. Death to the Blackout Cake Oreo.

16. Toffee Crunch

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This Oreo filling tasted nothing like toffee, and the sugar crystals did not help things. I hope Nabisco will forgive my presumptuousness, but I really think they should have been salt crystals. It's not mandatory that toffee be salty, but almost any recipe you find in the toffee/caramel/butterscotch family will contain salt, and some salt would have gone a long way here! The only reason it's not in last place was because I wasn't expecting it to be good — the smell told me everything I needed to know as soon as I opened the package. 

15. Brookie-O

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An explosion in your mouth, but in a bad way. It's supposed to be three things at once: a brownie, a chocolate chip cookie, and an Oreo. Of those three things, you might get a hint of brownie flavor from the layer of chocolate cream. And it also somehow tasted worse dipped in milk. I actually think a brownie-flavored Oreo could be really good, but I'm sorry: This turducken monstrosity should not be brought back a second time.

14. Cotton Candy

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My friend called this a gender reveal Oreo, and the two things have something else in common besides the color scheme: They are unnecessary! This cookie definitely gets points for nailing the cotton candy flavor, but it's just not something that belongs in a sandwich cookie. Nobody needs cotton candy dipped in milk in their life. That said, if you go absolutely bananas for cotton candy, this might be your dream come true. But I'm judging you.

13. Birthday Cake

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The Birthday Cake Oreo looks like a regular Oreo with rainbow sprinkles, so I had high hopes. Sadly, the flavor here is closer to cake batter-scented lip gloss than actual cake. It is so, so sweet. One of my friends/test subjects made the point that this might be a product intended toward children, and that their young taste buds might actually love the overwhelming rush of sugar you get from a single bite of this thing. I did not have any children on hand to confirm this, unfortunately.

12. Caramel Coconut

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I frequently enjoy a coconut ice cream topped with Oreos, and normally consider it a delicious flavor combination. But...I took notes of all of these as I tried them, and the only word I wrote down for this flavor was "ASSAULTING." I went back and tried it again the next day to make sure I wasn't being dramatic, and I was right. This is not good. The notes of caramel in this are slightly better than the toffee was, but my god, the coconut. THE COCONUT. First off, it tastes more like coconut water, which is widely acknowledged to taste different than the coconut you find in a dessert. Then, there's the aftertaste, which still lingered several sips of water and milk later. In summation, it does not taste like a Samoa and you should skip it.

11. Java Chip

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Coffee and chocolate are a match made in heaven as far as I'm concerned, so it was disappointing when this flavor wasn't quite a hit. The cream definitely tastes a bit like coffee, but it's like if someone added even more sugar to a Frappuccino. This also seemed like it would be a slam dunk dipped in milk, and it...was not. If the coffee flavor were stronger and not as sweet, I can see a world where this is the ideal Oreo for grownups.

10. S'mores

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I think this flavor has greatness in its future, but the marshmallow cream is currently letting the whole team down. The graham cracker cookie is excellent, and the chocolate cream is good, too! But that marshmallow layer has an odd, almost chemical taste that doesn't taste anything like marshmallow or make for pleasant snacking. I'm not arguing that real marshmallows don't also have a slightly unnatural taste/texture, but at least they're delicious, ya know? I beg you, Nabisco, fix the marshmallow layer and bring these back.

9. Lemon

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There's really nothing wrong with this cookie. It definitely tastes like lemon, and it pairs nicely with the mild sweetness of the golden Oreo cookie. If I was really nitpicking (which I am), I'd say that the lemon flavor could be a liiiiittle more tart. The fact that it doesn't have any chocolate whatsoever might be a dealbreaker for some people — this is meant to be an Oreo, after all — but I would encourage you to give the humble lemon Oreo a try. It even pairs well with milk!

8. Golden

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I recently learned that Golden Oreos are pretty polarizing, which is surprising because it is literally just a vanilla sandwich cookie. Some people think the subtle flavor is better than the bold chocolate of the original, but its detractors will tell you that it is the OG's blander, less sexy cousin. Personally, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. The filling is exactly the same in both cookies, and the golden cookie has a vanilla-with-a-bit-of-salt flavor that makes it easy to eat several of these in a row. I still wouldn't say it's better than the original, though.

7. Mint

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This one tasted exactly like I thought it would. The mint flavor is strong and distinct, and there's almost enough chocolate cookie to offset the cream. I think it would be better if the layer of cream were just a little bit thinner, because the mint flavor kind of swallows the chocolate. That said, if you like mint chocolate-flavored things, you will absolutely love a mint Oreo. But if you're like me and think that all mint desserts taste like toothpaste, this won't convert you.

6. Chocolate Hazelnut

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The chocolate hazelnut Oreo, aka Nutella flavor, is another case of "if you like the thing it's based on, you will love this cookie." Nutella isn't my personal favorite flavor, but I have to admit that this is everything you could ask for in a Nutella-flavored sandwich cookie. The cream really tastes exactly like chocolate hazelnut spread, and the food scientists at Nabisco should be very proud of their uncanny recreation. Paired with the crunchy Oreo cookie, the sensation of eating this might remind you of a Ferrero Rocher. 

5. Chocolate

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The chocolate Oreo tastes almost exactly like the original — that's how subtle the chocolate flavor is. You definitely get the suggestion of chocolate but not much more than that. That said, it's still a subtle variation of the original, which is pretty damn close to perfection. And like the OG, it's very hard not to reach back into the package for a second cookie (or third or fourth). Chocolate Oreo might not be the most exciting flavor, but it's reliable.

4. Peanut Butter

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If you've seen The Parent Trap starring Lindsay Lohan, you've probably been curious about the Oreo + peanut butter combination before. And if you've tried it for yourself, you know it's pretty dang good. So, who among us could blame Nabisco for trying to consolidate the two? The result is a snack that combines two already great things to make a third great thing. You might find yourself missing the little bit of sweetness from the traditional Oreo cream — the peanut butter is fairly salty — but that's a minor quibble.

3. Dark Chocolate

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Based on the intense color of the cream, I was nervous to try this one. But my fears were for naught, because this flavor is actually really, really good. You might not think it tastes very much like dark chocolate when you bite into it, but you'll soon come to the same realization that I did: The dark chocolate cream is actually replicating the taste of the cookie itself! So, what you end up with is three layers that have the same flavor in two different textures. And it should come as no surprise that it tastes even better dipped in milk. 

2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

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This flavor was a surprise hit at my house and among my friends. So far, the Oreos that attempted to recreate an actual dessert over a specific flavor were the worst ones we tried. But Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie saved the day. I can't attest to how closely it resembles a chocolate peanut butter pie, because what even is that??? But I can confirm that it tastes really, really good. Like a Nutter Butter with a little touch of chocolate. Nabisco should try more flavors with the graham cracker cookie, because it's absolutely delicious.

1. And finally, the winner: Original Oreo

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I know, okay? I KNOW. This is a basic ass choice. Maybe it's nostalgia. Maybe my taste buds were so overwhelmed by the other flavors that they craved familiarity. Maybe I have a subconscious fear of upsetting the whole internet by saying this isn't the superior Oreo. But I can't lie, biting into this cookie felt like sweet relief. It is perfect. The cookie and cream work together, whereas a lot of the other flavors felt like the cream filling was trying to suffocate the cookie. Here, the vanilla cream cuts through the cookie's strong chocolate flavor, making it perfect for chocolate non-lovers and lovers alike. It's amazing dipped in milk, but doesn't need to be. She's a star, your honor.

Do you have strong feelings about this ranking? Are you inspired to try a ranking of your own? Comment below!