Hot Cocoa Oreos Just Returned After a 5-Year Hiatus—and They’re Better Than Ever

Updated: Apr. 18, 2024

It's a marshmallow world in the winter.

I’m from Minnesota, where hot cocoa and cookies are more than an irresistible winter combination, they’re cold-weather fuel. I regularly went ice skating, sledding and caroling for my December birthday, so I easily drank enough cocoa and crunched enough Christmas cookies to make Willy Wonka proud.

Back in 2018, the genius minds at Oreo decided to combine the most beloved elements of hot cocoa—the chocolaty goodness of the drink, plus the melty marshmallows—into one Oreo flavor. The Hot Cocoa Oreos flavor warmed us all up that winter, but disappeared from stores for five long years. Now, as of October, this seasonal flavor is back!

What We Know About Hot Cocoa Oreos

Hot Cocoa Oreos blend familiar elements with fun, unexpected flavors. The cookie itself is the same delicious chocolate wafer from the classic Oreo cookie.

But the filling doubles up on both flavor and fun. There’s a marshmallow-flavored creme layer stacked on top of a hot cocoa-flavored creme layer. Just like heaping marshmallows in your hot cocoa mug, but better.

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There may not be snow in many places yet, but the Hot Cocoa Oreos are already available nationwide.

But remember, these are a seasonal Oreo cookie. Since they took five years off between 2018 and 2023, they may not come back for a while, so stock up if you’re a fan. You don’t know when they’ll be back!

Hot Cocoa Oreos Review

First impressions: These are a terrific-looking treat for sure, thanks to the two very different colored creme layers. I’m an Oreo creme fan myself, so a double helping of any two flavors earns a thumbs-up from me, and who doesn’t like marshmallow and chocolate?

Marshmallows are absolutely one of my favorite things. I’m such a fan that I have not one, not two, but three different marshmallow-flavored lip glosses. So of course, I tried to sample the marshmallow creme solo, to see if it really tasted like marshmallows.

I gamely tried to scrape off the marshmallow-creme layer and sample it solo, but a) it wasn’t easy to do, and b) I’m not sure it tasted any different from the standard white Oreo creme in the classic cookie. Maybe a tad less sweet? It was delicious nonetheless.

I’d like to see Oreo come out with an all-marshmallow cookie—marshmallow creme stuffed between marshmallow-flavored cookies. Maybe even tint the creme with golden edges, give it that slightly singed campfire taste, and call it toasted marshmallow. Free idea, Oreo scientists!

The chocolate-creme layer was also tough to sample separately, but I think I discerned it to have a tasty dark-chocolate edge, a natural choice for any filling claiming to taste like cocoa. Mixed with the marshmallow, it tasted a little more like chocolate and vanilla than marshmallow and cocoa, but honestly, I didn’t care. Both creme fillings are luscious, and they blend perfectly.

Once I stopped peeling the cookies open to try and taste the cremes separately, I finally took a bite of a whole cookie. Major yum! A bite that combines cookie, marshmallow layer and cocoa layer all in one was a chocolaty delight. You could certainly up the ante by dunking the Oreos in homemade hot cocoa if you have a mug handy.

My heart will forever belong to the classic Oreo cookie, but Hot Cocoa Oreos give that treat a wonderful wintry glow-up.