We Tried Betty Crocker Oreo Baking Mixes And Only One Was Really A Hit

Betty Crocker has been whipping up culinary delights since 1921. Oreo has been tempting taste buds with its delectable cookies since 1912. After over 100 years, these two icons have finally joined forces to create a fusion of flavors that should inspire bakers everywhere.

The new Betty Crocker Oreo baking mixes and Creme Flavored Whipped Frosting promise to elevate your baking experience by infusing your favorite store-bought cake and brownie mixes with actual pieces of Oreo cookies. These mixes are available in four new varieties, including chocolate cake, white cake, lava cake, and brownies, perfect for any special occasion or just a snack with a glass of milk.

I had the opportunity to test out all four new baking mixes and the frosting. After whipping them up, I evaluated each based on my experience as a chef and professional baker on aroma, texture, flavor, and how well the recipes showcased the baked goods and the Oreo cookies in harmony. Read on to find out how each mix fared and see if you should go out and snag one of these mixes the next time you plan on baking a sweet treat.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer/distributor/etc.

This chocolate cake mix comes with a packet of crumbled Oreo cookies that can either be mixed into the batter or reserved to sprinkle over the finished and frosted cake. Instructions for baking this cake mix into myriad shapes and sizes are listed. I opted to bake this in an 8-inch round cake pan and mixed the Oreo cookie pieces into the cake batter. Though not specified in the instructions, I recommend using a whisk to beat the batter, rather than a spatula, to break up any clumps of flour.

The aroma of this cake is delightfully potent, with chocolate wafting through my entire home as it baked. Once I allowed it to cool, I frosted the cake with the Creme Flavored Whipped Frosting. The texture of this cake is tender and spongy but a touch dry. The flavor is rich, dark chocolate that is not overly sweet and has just the right hint of bitterness to balance the sweet frosting.

While this was a good cake, it was not the best chocolate cake I have ever made or eaten. It lacked a bit of nuance and was not as fluffy as I would have enjoyed. I also did not think the Oreos were well balanced in this recipe. The few pieces I added contributed little flavor or complexity. As a cake mix, I give this a grade of B-. I give this product a D for its use of Oreos.

Like the chocolate, this cake mix can have the Oreo pieces mixed in or used as a garnish atop the frosting. Instructions for baking this into round, square, or cupcake tins are listed. In this case, I baked it into a 9-inch round cake and mixed the Oreo pieces into the batter. Again, I used a whisk to beat the batter to incorporate the flour.

Once baked and cooled, I frosted the cake. The aroma of this cake is relatively neutral. It smells slightly sweet but does not have a marked scent. The texture of this cake is incredibly moist, tender, and sponge-like. When I initially took a bite of the cake, I found the frosting was overwhelmingly sweet, masking the taste of the cake completely, so I tried another bite without any frosting. The cake had a pleasant flavor that was not overly sweet but also not overly exciting. There was a slightly salty aftertaste.

Notably absent in flavor from this cake were the Oreo cookie pieces. While I could see them, they were hardly detectable, which I found disappointing. Where this cake shone was its texture, leading me to give the cake mix an overall grade of B. I give it a D for its incorporation of Oreos. The Creme Flavored Whipped Frosting gets a C grade. It is cloyingly sweet and does nothing to enhance the cake.

I have made countless lava cakes from scratch, and they can be extremely fickle. The timing is always problematic, and any small change can influence the outcome, changing it from an oozing volcano of chocolate to just cake. For this reason, I was curious to test this mix, skeptical that it would work but secretly hopeful.

The mix comes with individual foil cups, making it easier to serve them. I highly encourage reading the instructions twice to ensure you execute this precisely. Additionally, while the instructions state to bake them until set on the exterior but still soft in the center, you do not want them to be liquid. Make sure the center is no longer jiggly but still shiny.

After allowing these to sit for two minutes after removing them from the oven, they were simple to extract from their foil cups, holding together without folding in on themselves and prematurely oozing, a common problem with lava cakes. The center was perfectly luscious, and the exterior was a luxurious chocolate cake. While the Oreos were not a distraction, they were also not an enhancement to the cake. They are not added to the batter but tucked on top of each cake before baking, effectively melting into the base of the cakes. For this reason, I give the cake an enthusiastic A+ for execution, but the use of the Oreos a C.

Like the chocolate and white cakes, instructions exist to bake these brownies in myriad-shaped pans. I used a rectangular 11- by 7-inch glass Pyrex baking dish for these. For this recipe, the Oreo cookie pieces should be sprinkled evenly across the top of the batter before baking the brownies. I found the amount of Oreos was insufficient to coat the brownies evenly, but that may be because I opted for a larger pan size.

The aroma of these brownies was intoxicating, with rich chocolate notes permeating the air as they baked. These should be a fudgy brownie, so they are soft when they come out of the oven. Once completely cool, they will set up, becoming chewy and moist but not liquid. Their flavor was delightful, with rich dark chocolate notes that were bittersweet and bold.

Unlike the other three baking mixes, this is the first recipe where the Oreos were detectable in the final baked good and notably enhanced the brownie. My only complaint is that I wanted more of them. Otherwise, these were as good a brownie as I have had, and they successfully featured the Oreos in a harmonious symphony of chocolate that earned them a solid A in both categories from me.

As a general overall impression, I found these baking mixes to be high quality. They bake as instructed and have great texture and solid flavors. My primary issue was how the Oreos complemented each recipe. They almost felt like an afterthought, not an integral ingredient.

You could take any quality store-bought cake or brownie mix and add a bag of crushed Oreo cookies to make it Oreo-flavored. There was nothing particularly special or groundbreaking about this marriage of brands. It lacked creativity and left me wondering what the point was.

I want to give a special shout-out to the lava cake mix, which was outstanding and made a complicated recipe almost foolproof to execute. The next time I use it, I will likely skip the Oreos on the bottom. That said, I would bake these again.

The new Betty Crocker Oreo Baking Mixes and Creme Flavored Whipped Frosting are available at retailers nationwide. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $4.22 per mix, but prices may vary by retailer and location.