At times silly, at times successful, and always divisive, the protein cookie game is an ever growing, and now evolving, market. While the end goal for most companies has been to produce a product that most closely mirrors a soft baked homestyle chewy craveable cookie, Buff Bake are pushing the field into uncharted and beloved territory – the Oreo. Buff Bake are mostly known for their protein-infused spreads, which I had one time and was underwhelmed by, and their Lenny & Larry’s-esque soft baked cookies, which, again, are just alright. However, their new line of Protein Sandwich Cookies promise the creme-filled satisfaction of the grocery GOAT with an added boost of protein. Each package contains four cookies for 220 calories, 13 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbs, 12 grams of protein, and, gasp, 12 grams of sugar.

Snickerdoodle:

The Snickerdoodle features crunchy cinnamon cookies on the outside with cinnamon almond butter filling. The cookie has a firm and crispy crunch with oddly airy but pleasant textural finish. It’s a bit hard to describe but the final texture reminds me of astronaut ice cream with its hard yet fluffy presence. I don’t mind the texture at all, in fact I think it’s nice, and is without a doubt attributed to the use of the oat flour that makes these cookies gluten free.

The flavor here is even better than the texture. Big bursts of authentic sweet cinnamon lead the charge with absolutely no weird artificial or protein-y flavor to be found anywhere. The spices mingle with cool vanilla and just the right amount of sugar to make a truly enjoyable cookie. In isolation the filling is kind of bland and dry but taken as a whole it compliments the crunchy exterior perfectly.

Rating: 9/10

Double Chocolate:

The Double Chocolate features crunchy chocolate cookies filled with chocolate peanut spread. The texture on the cookies is nearly identical to the Snickerdoodle – crispy and airy, albeit these are definitely a bit crumblier than their cinnamon counterparts. Although they’re called double chocolate, the peanut presence in the filling definitely comes through, and the flavor is a bit more like a cocoa-forward PB chocolate mashup. The slight hint of peanut is delicious and doesn’t take away any of the rich chocolaty flavor from the dutch cocoa used in the cookie.

The filling on the chocolate cookies is a bit more plentiful and really adds to the sandwich cookie experience. Much like the cinnamon almond butter it’s a bit dry, so I wouldn’t recommend busting them open and trying to lick the crème Oreo style, but taken as a whole this is another great flavor that sits proudly atop the protein cookie hierarchy.

Rating: 8/10

I legitimately enjoy eating these, and they actually taste and feel like a cookie rather than some weird science experiment. Some may scoff at the use of real sugar, but I applaud Buff Bake for making a product that is actually enjoyable to eat with a bit of nutritional benefit. If the protein cookie demand continues to grow into 2018 this is the type of stuff I want to see, rather than something loaded with sugar alcohols and awful artificial flavors. Four of these cookies have the same amount of sugar and twice the fat as two Oreo’s, but with ten times the protein and less carbs they’re a worthy substitute for milk’s favorite dunking buddy.