What About Watermelon?

As a watermelon lover, I’m naturally drawn to just about anything watermelon flavored. That includes watermelon candy, watermelon drinks, watermelon baked goods and watermelon ice cream. So when a friend of mine recently posted a picture of the new watermelon Oreos on his Facebook page, I knew I had to have them. (I believe my exact words in my comment on his photo were “I want those RIGHT NOW!!”)

Not every reaction to his Facebook post was as positive as mine. In fact, most people were a little skeptical about the new concoction. Can’t say I blame them. After all, Oreo is a classic chocolate-cookie-meets-vanilla-filling treat. If you alter that formula in any way – especially with a bold move like a watermelon flavor – you’re bound to get some backlash.

But I like to keep an open mind when it comes to new foods, so I went to my local grocery store that same night in search of the new cookies. Four grocery stores later, I still couldn’t find them. Turns out, they’re mainly distributed in southern markets (my friend is from Florida). I was crushed, until my friend agreed to ship me a package in exchange for a shipment of “some sort of Pennsylvania snack.” (I later discovered that the cookies were available only in Target stores – I didn’t check there.)

When my watermelon Oreos arrived in the mail a few days ago, I could hardly contain my excitement. With a tall glass of milk in hand, I settled in for a taste test.

The verdict? They were surprisingly good! Unlike other watermelon-flavored snacks, the Oreos didn’t have an overwhelmingly “artificial” watermelon taste. In fact, they didn’t even smell like watermelon. The flavor was refreshingly light – like the watermelon had been mixed with the cream filling – and not overpowering. Oreo also substituted the normal chocolate cookie for a vanilla one, which was a wise choice.

The only thing I would have changed about the cookies was the color scheme. The filling was equal parts green and red, which isn’t an accurate depiction of what a slice of watermelon looks like. A green cookie (mimicking the rind) and red filling would have been better, but I’m guessing some sort of production difficulties prevented Oreo from doing that.

If you’re a watermelon fan, I definitely recommend these cookies. But even if you’re just a cookie fan, I still think you’ll enjoy this limited time treat. At the very least, you should pick up a package to take to your next family barbeque or summer party – in addition to a real watermelon, of course.