A Sweet Tribute to the Past, a New Dawn for Breakfast

Hold onto your cereal bowls, folks—OREO has officially entered the breakfast game with the launch of OREO Puffs™. And just when you thought the world couldn’t get more ridiculous, here comes a product designed to turn your morning routine into a sugar-filled, cookie-flavored circus. I mean, who needs a wholesome, balanced meal when you can dive headfirst into a bowl of OREO cookies?

This isn’t OREO’s first foray into the cereal aisle. You might remember OREO O’s™, the O-shaped cereal that first debuted back in 1997. The cereal, with its crunchy, sweet morsels that tried—and mostly failed—to resemble actual OREO cookies, became a beloved breakfast (or more realistically, snack) item before it was discontinued in 2007. But fear not, fellow cereal aficionados. OREO O’s made a glorious return in 2017, delighting nostalgia-craving breakfast lovers worldwide.

But now, cue the dramatic music, OREO O’s are being replaced by OREO Puffs™. Yes, you read that correctly. The O-shaped bites are gone, and in their place are puffy little morsels that promise to bring the same chocolatey goodness with a side of marshmallows. It’s a bold move—one that has undoubtedly sparked a lot of speculation about whether OREO Puffs™ will live up to their predecessor or crash and burn in a fiery, sugar-coated disaster.

So, what’s the deal with OREO Puffs™? According to the press release, it’s the same “iconic OREO cookie” flavor, now available in cereal form, made with real OREO® cookie wafers and marshmallows. The cereal is designed for the masses who are really serious about their cookie breakfasts. And while I’m no cereal connoisseur, I can’t help but think: if you’re going to eat cookies for breakfast, you might as well go full throttle. But I digress.

I tried a bowl of OREO Puffs™ with the highest of expectations, considering I’ve consumed my weight in actual OREO cookies. The flavor is undeniably there—if by “there,” you mean a much-dialed-down, less decadent version of the OREO taste. The chocolatey crunch is fine, but something about the puffs just left me craving the real OREO experience. It’s as though they were trying to create the essence of an OREO but remembered halfway through that breakfast cereals need to be somewhat “wholesome,” so they held back on the intensity. So much for my dreams of a pure cookie breakfast.

Still, let’s not throw this cereal under the bus entirely. It does have its uses. The marshmallows? Cute, but nothing revolutionary. However, OREO Puffs™ could be a fun mix-in for Rice Krispies treats or a random ice cream topping when you want to pretend you’re living on the edge. You could also snack on them by the handful like some kind of cereal-chomping desperado, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you have anything resembling a “normal” morning routine.

What I find particularly interesting is the timing of this release. With the end of OREO O’s, OREO Puffs™ mark a significant shift for the brand, moving from the O-shaped nostalgia of the past to something that feels a bit more modern—or at least more “2024.” Of course, it’s still a cereal shaped like cookies, which is probably as “modern” as American breakfast trends will ever get. It’s also available at Walmart and Target for $4.99, which, frankly, feels like a fair price for something that doesn’t really try to be healthy but sure does taste like dessert.

In the end, OREO Puffs™ are a curious, sugar-bomb offering in the world of cereals. They’re definitely fun, but are they better than OREO O’s? That’s a matter of personal taste—if you’re more into puffy, marshmallow-enhanced experiences, you might be pleased. Me? I’ll probably just buy regular OREO cookies and call it a day.

So, farewell OREO O’s, and welcome to the stage, OREO Puffs™. Whether or not they will ever be the breakfast legend their predecessor was remains to be seen—but one thing’s for sure: they’re certainly trying to put the “cookie” in “cereal” with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.