Happy Halloween, dear friends! With Halloween's official arrival, it's only right to share a sweet post that celebrates a fun snack stash pick!

Oreo flavors in this corner of the world aren't outrageously bizarre, besides red velvet and the recent fizzy orange soda Oreos. The original version still rules the biscuit shelves, and it has a soft spot in most cookie-lovers' hearts. As for me, my go-tos when I'm in the mood for Oreos are the original and peanut butter ones. This is exactly why I was intrigued when I spotted salted caramel Oreos from Korea during one of my grocery shopping trips - I've never tasted Oreo's salted caramel cookies before, let alone seen them at the shops here.

Plus, a Korean Oreo cookie unboxing (yes, it comes in a box, unlike many of the regular Oreo cookie selections in the Lion City!) and taste test would be a first for me. Being available for a limited time at my local supermarket, it was a now-or-never foodie moment. And so, a box of Oreos found its way into my snack stash for a Korean cookie fix.

A Bit About Oreos in South Korea

While sleuthing, I realized that Korean sweet tooths seem to love the sandwich cookies. One of the most notable Korean Oreo treats is the Oreo O's breakfast cereal. Nowadays, Oreo churros are popular in Korea's street food scene, which are fried Oreo cookie churro batter filled with a cream filling. Also, some Korean cafes feature Oreo bingu, which is essentially a Korean-style, milk-based shaved ice with lots of crushed Oreos - and it is fit for Oreo fans in the summertime.

Waving my metaphoric magnifying glass onto the Korean snacks scene, I learnt that the other Oreo selections at the biscuit aisles in Korea - besides the original version - include 'mild sweet' (the original but not as sweet), chocolate, strawberry, red velvet and golden Oreos.

Unboxing & Taste Test

The moment I was waiting for had finally arrived - the unboxing! Upon unboxing the cookies, two packaged 'rolls' of Oreos were unveiled. They would definitely fit nicely in a backpack as an on-the-go 'emergency' snack for those times when you need something to snack on quickly. Each packet consists of 5 cookies, which is the perfect portion for a single snack session in my opinion. If I'm a trick-or-treater, I would be glad to receive a pack!

As soon as I opened one of the packages, I was greeted with a scent that has 'late autumn', 'winter' and 'Christmas' written all over. The cookies have a toffee-like caramel aroma, much like the aroma of caramel-y desserts at Christmastime. With thoughts of twinkling fairy lights, pine cones and Christmas trees, I was eager to take a bite!

While I didn't follow the 'twist, lick and dunk' steps that Oreo is well-known for (normally, I sink my teeth straight into the cookies as soon as I open the package), I did dissect my Oreo and tasted it in the name of foodie science. The cookies look exactly like the Oreos that I'm used to munching on.

Even though its scent reminds me of the festive season, its aesthetics are absolutely autumnal - it fits nicely on a Halloween cookie platter! The cream's caramel-brown appearance with orange-ish undertones (to my eyes, at least) matches the shade of pumpkins and autumn foliage. The Oreo cookie pieces add to the whole Halloween vibe with its dark contrast to the cream. Also, the cream somewhat looks like the Korean honeycomb candy named 'dalgona' that has recently taken the foodie world by storm, and it is pretty reminiscent to the peanut butter Oreo's filling as well. Caramel-flavored treats have been on-trend for a while now, and it is fun to be re-united with this realm. Hence, I was excited to taste Oreo's take on salted caramel.

My flavorful adventure began with the crunchy cookies, which tastes just like the 'cookies' part in cookies & cream that every Oreo fan knows and loves. As always, the cookie-to-cream ratio is perfect.

Like most Oreos, the star of the show is the cream. Caramel's familiar flavor is recognizable from the beginning, with little punches of salt in every bite. The caramel's lovely touch is semi-rich in sweetness, which would appeal to foodies with a mild sweet tooth.

The overall taste isn't polarizing, rather, it is quite cohesive. Being used to the sweetness that Oreos tend to bring, it was a surprise to my taste buds to detect this element while munching on Oreo cookies. Nevertheless, the salt component's presence is just right to my palate. This element reminds me of the various salted chocolate chip cookies that I've seen in the baking realm. Salt adds a special dimension to the Oreos, considering that Oreos are known for being solely sweet. The salt brings out the caramel's flavor nicely.

The verdict: it's worth a try, especially if you'd like to taste an Oreo with a twist. To me, it is a nice treat to munch on to satisfy both a mid-afternoon peckishness and a craving for caramel cookies with a little less sweetness. It's certainly a treat and not a trick!

Have a fun Halloween!