The time is finally here – the winners of the #MyOreoCreation contest have been birthed upon the grocery aisles of stores everywhere and the power to pick one true winner lies in our hands. Starting today (April 30) cookie crushers everywhere can vote for their favorite of the three chosen candidates, and I begin my escapades with the most interesting of the bunch – Cherry Cola. This odd drink-turned-cookie combines a cherry cola flavored crème with popping candy and a chocolate wafer.

Immediately upon opening the package I’m hit with the distinct zing of gummy cola bottles mixed with just a touch of classic Oreo wafer. The two-toned red and white stripes remind me of candy canes and I’m really glad there’s no mint in this already bizarre mix.

The flavor is pretty much spot on cherry cola, with an overall profile that favors the cola over cherry. Cola flavor is hard to describe but it’s a combination of caramel, ginger, and sugar that surprisingly translates really well to a crème. Like a lot of the limited Oreo’s in the last couple of years the crème is extra smooth and soft with a creamy density that gives extra squish against the hard chocolate cookie. When eaten as is with both wafers intact the chocolate is a bit too aggressive and overpowers the shine of the cola, but when eaten with one wafer off, I enjoy the balance and slight bitterness the cookie provides. It actually reminds me of a crazy drink I had at a restaurant many years ago made by some expert soda jerk that combined a cola with grenadine and chocolate syrup. Yes, I actually drank that, and yes, I was probably ten years old.

I was a fan of the popping effect in last years Firework Oreo and the novelty is just as fun here as it was then. Almost immediately upon chomping the pop and sizzle of the candy emulates the fizzy body of a carbonated drink and it’s pure ridiculous fun.

Cherry Cola Oreo are not disgusting by any means, they’re actually pretty good, but they’re not something I can see myself craving or ever wanting to buy again. While they’re nearly flawlessly executed, they don’t have the repeat appeal of cola gummy candy and I can’t help but feel like there were probably a couple other more undeniably delicious submissions, like my own peanut butter banana on a graham wafer. C’mon Nabisco (but kudos for doing some weird shit with conviction)

Rating: 7.5/10

Found at: Target ($2.99)