31 Oct Taste Test: Pumpkin Spice Cookies

When you think of pumpkin spice, what comes to mind? For many, the first two food items that come to mind are pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice lattes. It seems like every year, new product categories launch a pumpkin spice flavor, even including pumpkin spice salmon! While I’m all for new innovation, I won’t be giving that a try. With the return of Pumpkin Spice Oreos, two consecutive years after a five-year hiatus, I, along with my fellow food scientists, decided to conduct a taste test to determine the best pumpkin spice cookies for 2023.

Candidates:

• Oreo – Pumpkin Spice Sandwich cookies
• TATE’S – Pumpkin Spice Cookies
• Favorite Day – Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Milano – Pumpkin Spice Cookies
• BONUS: Goldfish Dunkin Pumpkin Spice Grahams

Judging Criteria:

Judging will be based on three criteria (Per vote):

• Packaging (1 Point) – Would you buy this based on the packaging alone? Does the packaging draw you in?
• Flavor (2 Points) – Which one you liked the best?
• Delivery (3 Points) – Does the flavor profile match the description of the product?

Whichever gets the most votes in each category wins. Let the taste test begin!

Oreo – Pumpkin Spice Sandwich cookies

Oreo has a great reputation for consistency and delivering on flavors, rarely disappointing. The packaging is quite simple, with a slice of pumpkin pie hinting at the flavor you can expect. While the packaging isn’t particularly exciting, it aligns with their traditional packaging strategy. The Pumpkin Spice Oreo met the visual expectations of the majority of the group, with its orange pumpkin filling and tan cookies mimicking a pie crust. For those who enjoy eating the filling separately from the cookie, the cookie easily separated from the filling without breaking. One thing I wish they could’ve added was pumpkin engravings in the cookie, not necessary but it could be a cool addition. Flavor-wise, the Oreo was nearly spot on with its delivery. They maintained the standard crunchy cookie with the soft, sugary filling packed with flavor. While I personally loved this one, there were comments about the cookie being too sweet and one comment regarding potential oxidation!

Votes: Out of 7 Participants

• Packaging – 0/7
• Flavor – 3/7
• Delivery – 4/7

TATE’S – Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Tate’s is a popular brand known for its reputation of premium cookies. There are not many in the pack, but if you’re a fan of thin, crispy cookies, Tate’s might be the best brand out there. Instead of the traditional green paper bag packaging, Tate’s Pumpkin Spice Cookies were presented in a pumpkin orange packaging, making it very easy to distinguish on the shelves, especially if you’re specifically looking for Pumpkin Spice Flavors. Furthermore, the life-size cookies on the packaging provide the customer with a sneak peek of what to expect – golden brown thin cookies with visible white chocolate chips. Unfortunately, the appearance of the cookies itself wasn’t as delectable as the packaging suggested. Each cookie appeared burnt, and not a single white chocolate chip could be found. I’ll have an easier time finding Waldo. To make matters worse, the cookies tasted burnt as well. So much so that it overpowered any possible flavor. Hopefully, this was just a bad batch; otherwise, this is the definition of false advertising.

Votes: Out of 7 Participants

• Packaging – 0/7
• Flavor – 0/7
• Delivery – 0/7

Favorite Day – Pumpkin Cheesecake

Favorite Day is a private label of Target. While I haven’t tried any of their other brands, the general consensus is that it’s a hit or miss with their products. This is expected from a private label, which often aims to provide a cheaper alternative to well-known brands. The Pumpkin Cheesecake cookies have a graham cracker cookie appearance with a fluffy filling resembling marshmallow fluff. Unlike the Oreo, the cookie broke when attempting to disassemble the cookie from the filling. There were mixed reviews on the delivery of the pumpkin spice flavor, and the cookie-to-filling ratio did not provide the same tasting experience as eating a cheesecake. Nevertheless, the flavor was a fan favorite among the group, and the overall eating experience was quite enjoyable.

Votes: Out of 7 Participants

• Packaging – 0/7
• Flavor – 4/7
• Delivery – 3/7

Milano – Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Milano is one of those cookies that everyone loves. I’m not a chocolate fan, but I must admit Milano perfects the combination of a crispy cookie and rich dark-chocolate goodness in each bite. Milano Pumpkin Spice Cookies’ packaging was typical and as expected from the brand, with the addition of pumpkin, cinnamon, and autumn leaves as a cute touch. The cookie’s appearance looked very representative of traditional Milano flavors, with the addition of the orange filling on one half of the cookie. While the cookie was delicious, as every Milano cookie is, we could not taste any pumpkin spice. If I had my eyes closed, I would assume this was the regular Milano Dark Chocolate cookie. Very disappointing from a pristine brand like Milano.

Votes: Out of 7 Participants

• Packaging – 0/7
• Flavor – 0/7
• Delivery – 0/7

BONUS: Goldfish Dunkin Pumpkin Spice Grahams

During the taste test, there was a lot of debate about whether Graham crackers should be considered cookies. I was under the impression that they are NOT cookies simply because they are literally called Graham crackers. Also, traditional Graham crackers are shaped like crackers. However, the eating experience itself more resembles a cookie. Grahams are also sweet, while the majority of crackers are savory. Do you know anyone besides me who puts Graham Crackers in their soup? Upon doing extra research, how they are made determines whether something is a cracker or a cookie. Grahams are made in a way similar to crackers, which is why they are considered crackers (Blog Post Coming Soon). Given this, we decided to have Goldfish as a bonus.

Right off the bat, Goldfish had by far the best packaging we’ve seen. Mimicking the Dunkin’ Donuts coffee beans packaging, a quick glance may have tricked you into thinking it was America’s coffee itself. Also, having the life-size Goldfish grahams and the pumpkin spice ‘Donut’ provided a good visualization to remind the customer of the ‘Donut’ rather than the pumpkin spice latte. I absolutely HATE Goldfish, so I was relieved once we opened the packaging to see that the Goldfish were literally grahams shaped like a Goldfish with a powdered coating of spices. Unfortunately, the relief was quickly followed by disappointment when there was no flavor delivery for pumpkin spice. The graham tasted good, however, way better than traditional Goldfish. But that’s not saying much.

Votes: Out of 7 Participants

• Packaging – 7/7
• Flavor – 0/7
• Delivery – 0/7

Verdict

Winner – Oreo – Pumpkin Spice Sandwich cookies – 18 Points

2nd Place – Favorite Day – Pumpkin Cheesecake – 17 Points

Honorable Mention – Goldfish Dunkin Pumpkin Spice Grahams – 7 Points

Conclusion

Oreo’s Pumpkin Spice Sandwich cookies came out on top, scoring 18 points. Known for their consistent flavor delivery, Oreo’s maintained their reputation with a near-perfect pumpkin spice flavor. Although the packaging wasn’t particularly eye-catching, the cookies lived up to expectations, offering a delightful combination of a crunchy cookie and a flavorful filling.

Favorite Day’s Pumpkin Cheesecake cookies secured the second spot with 17 points. Despite unremarkable packaging and a less-than-ideal delivery experience, the cookies won the group over with their enjoyable pumpkin spice flavor. On the other hand, Goldfish Dunkin Pumpkin Spice Grahams, though technically not cookies, received praise for their innovative packaging but fell short in terms of delivery and flavor, earning them an honorable mention. Tate’s and Milano Pumpkin Spice Cookies did not fare well, with both products lacking in appearance and flavor, failing to make a significant impact in the taste test.

Did you find this blog enjoyable? We would love to hear your suggestions for our next taste test. Please leave a comment below and let us know.