Sandwich cookie pieces are the key ingredient in one of the most popular ice cream flavors. Now, Mondelez International, Inc., the maker of the world’s best-selling sandwich cookie, is seeking to parlay that popularity with a line of frozen treats to be sold under the Oreo brand.
The new line will include Oreo bars, cones, sandwiches and tubs. The bars and cones contain Oreo pieces and are dipped in a coating made from crushed Oreo wafer pieces. The sandwiches feature two large Oreo wafers. All of the products feature a crème-flavored base with Oreo cookie pieces. The tubs also will be offered in a 2-in-1 variety featuring both Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookie pieces.
While top 10 lists vary, cookies and cream is perennially among the best-selling ice cream flavors in the United States. The flavor ranks third in popularity on numerous lists, lagging only chocolate and vanilla, including a 2017 survey from the International Dairy Foods Association.
Mondelez says its new line should not be viewed as a “me-too” cookies and cream product.
“The Oreo brand extension is a playfully reimagined take on the classic chocolate sandwich cookie fans know and love,” the company says. “Unlike average cookies and cream with a vanilla ice cream, the new Oreo frozen treat recipes were perfected by Oreo to ensure the familiar and authentic taste of real Oreo cookie flavor is infused into each and every delicious bite.”
Oreo ice cream and other frozen dessert products have been offered for many years through co-branding arrangements. Unilever formerly sold Klondike Oreo bars, a product that has been replaced with Klondike cookies and cream bars without the Oreo branding. A competitor, Nestle offers a frozen dessert sandwich featuring Toll House chocolate chip cookies. Myriad ice cream brands — including Ben and Jerry’s, Breyers and Blue Bell — sell cookies and cream ice cream without the Oreo branding.
“We continually seek ways to playfully reinvent our classic cookie and are excited to bring this new Oreo innovation to the freezer aisle,” says Justin Parnell, vice president, Oreo US. “Created for our most loyal fans, we have perfected the Oreo frozen treats recipes to deliver the signature Oreo flavor in every bite. We hope this delicious new treat will provide even more opportunities for fans to foster moments of playful connection over a shared love of Oreo.”
Mondelez will mark the line’s official debut in the freezer aisle with a digital campaign titled “The Real One is Finally Here.” The creative will appear on social and paid media this year.
The new Oreo frozen treats are available now at select retailers and will be available nationwide in March.