Everybody knows and loves Oreos. But are they really the best sandwich cookies around? We
were curious how the Aldi brand Benton's chocolate sandwich cookies would compare to our beloved
Oreo cookies, so we did our own taste test. Here's who won.
We've taken a close look at the cost, package size, nutrition information, general taste
— and of course, a milk dunk test. Which cookie comes out on top?
A classic pack of Oreos cost us $4.99 before tax. The basic package of Oreos comes in a
14.3-ounce container. Benton's Original Chocolate Sandwich Cookies cost us just $2.25, not including
tax. The cookies from Aldi are also portioned into a 14.3-ounce package, with nearly identical
wrapping in both design and functionality. Both packages are blue with an enlarged sandwich
cookie pictured, at the same angle. Both include a pull-tab package opening that reseals to
keep the cookies as fresh as possible.
If your household goes through a lot of cookies, you're going to save a good deal of money
going with the Benton's branded cookies from Aldi. For the cost of one package of Oreos,
you can pick up two packages from Aldi. While Benton's makes several other flavors, it appears
that this is the only size the cookies are sold in. On the other hand, Oreos are sold
in a wide variety of flavors, and are available in a larger 19.1-ounce "Family Size", usually
for only about a dollar more. Even at the larger size, the Aldi cookies are still a
better deal. So if you're looking for the best value for your money, Benton's Original
cookies win, hands-down. Of course, prices may vary depending on where you buy your cookies.
If you've ever been to an Aldi, you've seen firsthand how the company cuts down on prices,
from laying out the store similarly to wholesale retailers like Costco and Ikea, to expedited
check-out lines where you bag your own groceries. The stores might not be as attractive as the
high-end big box grocery stores, but it's hard to care what it looks like when you see
the savings on your receipt. If that translates to cheaper cookies, it's okay by us!
"Oh, we gonna pop up some of that bubbly? No, fool. Milk and cookies."
The serving size for both the Oreos and Benton's cookies is three cookies, or 34 grams. Both
are identical in calories, clocking in at 160 calories per serving. From there, the
rest of the nutritional metrics vary in ever-so-slight ways, likely due to the minuscule differences
in recipes.
Oreos contain 7 grams of fat, 135 milligrams of sodium, and 25 grams of carbohydrates,
along with 1 gram of protein, and 1.4 milligrams of iron.
The Benton's cookies contain 6 grams of fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, and 24 grams of
carbohydrates, along with 2 grams of protein and 1.8 milligrams of iron.
Now, we know that it's next to impossible to eat only three Oreos, so we understand
the value of looking at these numbers multiplied by two or three or seventeen.
"Oscar went into the pantry, had three boxes of Oreos, and now he's gonna die."
While the numbers are nearly the same on a small scale, the Benton's cookies are made
with less fat, fewer carbs, and more protein and iron than the Oreos.
Next, we turned our attention to the actual ingredients list to see if there were any
differences there. Unsurprisingly, the ingredient list is also identical. While that gave us
more reason to believe the cookies would also probably taste similarly, it made it more
difficult to decide which cookie brand was nutritionally superior. But the Aldi cookies
manage to pull ahead by the slightest of margins.
The first test we performed was highly scientific. One tester closed their eyes, while the other
tester handed them an unknown cookie. After tasting both cookies, the tester tried to
identify the differences, if any, and guess which cookie was which. It might not have
been complicated, but this test proved to be extremely important. The cookies have identical
textures, which didn't give our tasters any help deciphering which brand was which. But
one cookie had a slightly deeper chocolate flavor. Once we realized the slightly more
flavorful cookie was the Aldi brand cookie, we were stunned. Just to make sure we were
really tasting what we thought we were tasting, we ate several more of each cookie... for
science!
"Keep 'em coming granny!"
Next was the dunk test. We submerged each cookie into a glass of milk for four seconds,
which is the perfect amount of time to dunk an Oreo cookie. It turns out that both cookie
brands absorb the perfect amount of milk for a slightly mushy, mildly crunchy treat. But
be warned, if you leave either cookie in a glass of milk for more than a minute, it will
completely fall apart, leaving you with cookies and cream milk. Once again, the cookies were
nearly indistinguishable, but the ever so slight chocolatey boost gave the Benton's
cookies a leg-up.
The nostalgia of a name-brand snack is something to be reckoned with, and can lead people to
choose the same brand time and time again — even if another brand comes along that
offers a better product than the name brand. When it comes to the flavor of Oreos and Benton's
cookies, we think that the majority of people are going to be completely happy with either
cookie. For those with a particular affinity for rich chocolate, the Benton's cookies will
be very appealing, but unless you're tasting both brands back to back, you probably won't
notice much of a difference. Nutritionally speaking, the cookie brands are practically
interchangeable unless you're eating several packages of cookies at the same time.
What really sets the brands apart is the bottom line. The cookies from Aldi are less than
half the price of the name brand Oreo sandwich cookies. For people who pack lunches with
Oreos daily, make desserts regularly with chocolate sandwich cookies, or are loading
up to feed a lot of people, you're going to save a good amount of money purchasing the
Benton's cookies from Aldi. As attached as we are to the original Oreos, we can't deny
how great of a value we get from the Aldi brand cookie — which is the cookie we're
naming as our winner.
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