Welcome to day 12 of Tag Sale Tastes’ Pumpkinpalooza!

Today’s feature is Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Creme Oreo Sandwich Cookies, otherwise known as Pumpkin Spice Oreos.

Whoa — that’s a big pumpkin on the package!  And cinnamon sticks!  Oh boy, can’t wait!

Let’s look at the ingredients:

Well, color me disappointed.  At this point, I’m pretty used to seeing “artificial and natural flavor”) (emphasis on the artificial), but “paprika oleoresin” for color?  What’s wrong with, oh say, pumpkin for color?

Here they are:

And here’s a closer look at the paprika-colored creme filling:

Before I get down to the nitty gritty, I have to confess that a decade ago, my friend Patricia and I took a Wilton cake decorating class at Michael’s.  Each week we had to bake a cake and mix up a batch of icing to bring to class.  The icing was made from powdered sugar and Crisco (I think there may have been a little water or vanilla extract added).  It seemed pretty gross, and when we tasted it, we realized that it was basically Oreo filling.  And so each week we’d sit there with our lopsided little cakes and vat of Oreo filling, sampling here and there, of course, until we were reeling from the sugar high.  I love Oreos, always have, but my relationship with them has never been the same since.

Back to the Pumpkin Spice Oreos.  I know you will be shocked and disappointed to learn that these did not taste anything like pumpkin spice.  In fact, if they’re Pumpkin Spice, then I’m Posh Spice.  In a blind taste test, I doubt you could distinguish them from Golden Oreos:

But . . . they’re Oreos, which meant that they disappeared in no time (thanks, teenage son).  Stick with the Golden Oreos, and don’t waste your money on the inflated price of the limited edition paprika ones.

Rating:  3-1/2 pumpkins (only because they’re Oreos) (out of 5)