This past Wednesday was the unveiling of Nabisco’s newest cookie creation: the Pumpkin Spice Oreo. Every fall more and more companies are injecting faux-pumpkin into all of their edible delicacies. And this year, the Oreo caved under the pressure of conformity.

While this is far from the first time Oreo has altered its original recipe, this newest addition has gone too far. Nabisco has a great thing going for them; the black cookie sandwich with the white cream is a harmonious couple that has been deemed milk’s favorite cookie. And it is an integral component of Cookies and Cream ice cream. We all owe Oreo one, but enough is enough.

The Oreo is a household staple. It was invented in 1912 and has since become the top selling cookie in the United States. When the Oreo was first introduced, it was nearly identical to the traditional Oreo today.For the most part, the recipe remained largely intact. In 1975, the Double Stuffed Oreo was introduced; in 1987, it was Fudge Covered Oreos; and in 1991 and 1995, Halloween and Christmas Oreos originated, respectively. But these all kept the same flavor. Halloween and Christmas Oreos just meant orange and red cream rather than white.

Then around the turn of the millennia, Oreo abandoned what we had come to understand as the traditional Oreo design and expanded its cookie varieties. The Uh-Oh Oreo, that has since been rebranded to Golden Chocolate Oreos, was introduced in 2003 and opened the floodgates. Head to your local Wegmans and you can buy Peanut Butter, Banana Split, Limeade, Berry, Mint, Cookie Dough, Coconut, Strawberry Milk Shake, Chocolate, Watermelon, Fruit Punch, Triple Double and Head or Tails Oreos, to name a few.

There seems to be no limit to the possibilities of flavor combinations. In fact this new Pumpkin Spice Oreo was debuted with another fall variation, Caramel Apple Oreo, which is sold exclusively at Target.

Some of these Oreo oddities are tantalizing and others are utterly repulsive. There isn’t a real consistency. The Pumpkin Spice Oreos are tasty and worth a try, but have some questionable attributes. To be completely honest, the pumpkin flavor in these cookies is minimal, more along the lines of generic fall spice. And the pumpkin cream is a hue of intense orange that would raise the eyebrows of even the biggest Syracuse fan. Only if you’re not already satisfied with Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale, Chobani’s Pumpkin Spice Yogurt, Extra’s Pumpkin Spice Gum and nearly all the products at Dunkin Donuts, would I recommend grabbing a pack.

While Nabisco may think these flavors are going to keep their Oreo products new and fresh, its attempt is getting old. America’s favorite cookie is the classic no fuss Double Stuff Oreo. None of these varieties are going to top the recipe they already have.

Nabisco getting sucked into the deluge of pumpkin spice is disheartening. Falling victim to this trend suggests that Oreo’s ventures to come will not be for the sole purpose of exploring the capacities for this delightful cookie, but instead jumping on the bandwagon and following suit of what’s already been done. The Oreo is better than this flash in the pan trends. It is an American classic that has been around for more than 100 years. These new variations can’t compete.

Nabisco, please keep the Oreo the Oreo.

Erin G. Kelly is a senior broadcast and digital journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at egkelly@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @egknew.

Published on September 29, 2014 at 12:21 am