Ode to the Oreo

                    "4 cookies and milk" , ink on paper, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

When I was young we had cookies and milk for 3:00 snack. My mother would sit with us as we talked about our day. It was a ritual that carried straight through high school… by then the snacks had branched beyond cookies and milk and usually included any number of friends. And my mother continued to sit with all of us… It was lively and fun; a bright spot in the day.

Back to the cookies and milk of my youth, either Chips Ahoy or Oreos - 3 cookies were our daily allotment. My mother was all about moderation and portion control (which has stayed with me - thanks mom!).  As a kid I didn’t think 3 was enough... Not for Oreos! The greatest cookie ever made. So I learned to sneak a 4th most days. If my brother caught me I would act the innocent and get away with it. Years later while home from college I admitted to my Oreo sneaking... My mother was quite upset, more than I ever imagined and my brother was finally vindicated. I apologized multiple times to my mom but it truly upset her that I lied repeatedly.

Call it cosmic payback but I had my last Oreo when I was 21. Chocolate had become my #1 migraine trigger forcing me give it up for over 25 yrs. BTW - Now that the gluten is gone I can eat chocolate again (hurray!)... But Oreos are still out of the question.

There are so many gluten free products available now that I started on a mission to find an Oreo sub. I think I have been punished long enough. First I tried  Mi-Del chocolate sandwich cookies and though they are very good, the cookie was too crisp to pose as an Oreo; more like a Hydrox cookie. Very delicious. And my 13 year-old Nephew loved them.

But Tuesday I was drawn to visit a ShopRite in the next town (I believe my mother was guiding me) where I finally found KinniToos chocolate cream sandwich by Kinnikinnick  I had heard these were good so was dying to try them. I wasn't even in the car yet and I had the package open... Looked like an Oreo, felt like one, smelled like…. Wait- l had to sit down in the car first so I could focus.

The first bite brought tears to my eyes. The cookie was the perfect texture - the right amount of crunch and soft all in one. It had the right amount of sweet and flavor. The cream filling was…was just like an Oreo. I checked the package again to be sure. Gluten-free plain as day. Wow!  I ate two more before starting the car and had eaten a total of six by the time I arrived home. Portion control be damned - I had a lot of years to make up for. These cookies are the dream!

My husband has a package of Oreos in the cupboard and he did a side by side taste test last night. He said no difference. So it wasn't just me blinded by the years without.

Thank you Kinnikkkk for giving me back a slice of my childhood. Thank you for an excellent cookie.