Oreo Cakesters look like what would happen if you accidentally let a regular Oreo slip from your fingers while dunking it in a glass of milk and letting it sit and swell in the dairy while you design and build a Rube Goldberg machine to retrieve it from the glass’ bottom.

I could give you a history lesson of these soft-baked Cakesters that’s as bloated as the cookie itself. But all you need to know is that they debuted back in 2007, were available for several years, had a few varieties, and then disappeared from shelves while we were probably all enamored with shiny, new limited edition Oreo flavors.

But now Oreo Cakesters are back, and they brought along a Nutter Butter version.

After allowing my taste buds to experience Oreo Cakesters after a decade-long absence, I reread my very positive Oreo Cakesters review from 2007. My thoughts about their flavor haven’t changed, but I like them less now than I did back then.

Overall, they’re a nice sweet treat that tastes like icing-less Hostess CupCakes, Ho Hos, and Ding Dongs, but in a better portion control size. However, the cakey cookie’s slight greasiness and/or the fact they don’t taste like Oreo cookies might deter first-time eaters from becoming second-time buyers.

The Nutter Butter version smells and tastes like the original cookie, which, again, I can’t say about the Oreo one. There’s a nutty taste in the soft cookie that enhances the creme, which is made with real peanut butter.

While I enjoy regular Nutter Butter, and these taste similar, I find myself wanting the Oreo ones slightly more. Also, I don’t know if it’s just me, but the light-colored cakey cookie is as greasy as the dark one but has a drier texture.

Even though they were on shelves for longer than the original runs of Crystal Pepsi and Pepsi Blue combined, I can’t believe there was a lot of interest in bringing back Oreo Cakesters. They don’t taste like regular Oreo cookies and the half dozen new Oreo flavors released every year are far more interesting.

Although, the “in” thing right now is bringing back discontinued products. Plus, it has been 10 years since they disappeared from shelves, and I guess if there’s a good time to bring back something, whether it’s cookies, TV shows, or pets, it’s a nice round 10 years after they cease to exist.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 5 packs
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Oreo), 6 out of 10 (Nutter Butter)
Nutrition Facts: (1 pack) Oreo – 260 calories, 13 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 21 grams of sugar (20 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein. Nutter Butter – 260 calories, 12 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 22 grams of sugar (21 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

I think the junk food gods wanted me to have a good experience sampling the new Apple Cider Donut Oreo Cookies, which are a standard Golden Oreo cookie with a tan-colored creme that tastes like apple cider donuts.

I had been actively (obsessively) searching for several days, and finally found them the fourth day in a random local grocery store, when it just happened to be twenty-five degrees cooler than average. So even though it’s August, it totally felt like fall, making a perfect atmosphere to review these new cookies that totally taste like fall.

When I first heard about these, I was intrigued and excited but also skeptical. I hoped for three elements from cookies with “Apple Cider Donut” in the name: apple, donut, and spices (specifically cinnamon). Would they deliver? Let’s find out!

Apple: Check!

Donut: Check!

Spices: Check?

OK, so I don’t really taste the spices, even though the ingredients list says “spices (includes cinnamon).” But the rest of it is so good that I don’t mind!

I don’t know how Nabisco’s food scientists did it, but these cookies really taste like donuts, like there’s been dough fried in oil.

The most prominent flavor, though, is apple. It’s not an authentic flavor, but it’s also not like an artificial candy flavor. It’s somewhere in the middle. And even though I don’t always like apple flavors, I don’t mind it at all here!

The Oreo is known as a dunking cookie. So I dunked these in milk, and the result surprised me: the milk neither enhanced nor detracted from the experience. It brought the apple flavor forward, but not overwhelmingly so.

And since it’s apple cider donut, I dunked these in apple cider as well. I worried the authentic cider would make the creme taste too artificial, but nope, it was still enjoyable. Neither better nor worse.

No matter how I tried them (eating normally, separating the creme, dunking in milk, dunking in cider), I liked them equally. You know those people who are friends with everyone? These Oreo cookies are the junk food equivalent.

For more than a decade, we have had lots of candies and treats flavored like candy corn, caramel apple, and of course, pumpkin spice. I love them all, but I’m so glad to see another iconic fall food get some recognition.

There are other Oreo flavors that I like more, but these just make me happy. Like any good Oreo should do.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 12.2 oz. package
Purchased at: Dan’s Fresh Market
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 12 grams of added sugars), and less than 1 percent protein. (Neither the website nor the label gives an actual protein gram amount.)

Someone at Oreo has a weakness for chocolate, and we are reaping the benefits. Earlier this year, we saw the releases of Brookie-O, Chocolate Hazelnut, and Java Chip Oreo, and when the news of Limited Edition Salted Caramel Brownie Oreos broke earlier this month, another chocolate offering from the brand still felt like a welcome surprise.

Although Oreo is no stranger to caramel and brownie flavors (see: Salted Caramel Oreo Thins, Brownie Batter Oreo, and the aforementioned Brookie-O variety), this is Oreo’s first attempt at a salt-dusted chocolate wafer cookie. Two kinds of creme (brownie and caramel-flavored layers) complete the sandwich.

Mere days after the product announcement spread over social media, Limited Edition Salted Caramel Brownie Oreo Cookies graced my shopping cart. Why was I thrilled to give these a try?

A. Despite accusations of overstaying its welcome as a fad flavor, salted caramel remains among my favorites.

B. I enjoyed the Brookie-Os and need some brownie creme back in my life.

C. The promise of a new Oreo flavor hitting store shelves periodically halts my desire to escape society and live in the woods as an urban legend slash bog witch.

D. I’ll take any possible opportunity to reinforce that “caramel” has three syllables.

E. All of the above

(If you guessed E, you are correct. Have an Oreo!)

With these reasons in mind, the Salted Caramel Brownie Oreo mostly satisfies.

First, adding salt to the outside of the cookie is truly an inspired choice. Biting into the sandwich yields a pleasant experience, much like eating a sea salt caramel or any other salt-topped sweet: a strong saltiness hits the mouth first, but quickly melts into and enhances the sweetness of the other flavors.

Unfortunately, the Oreo’s caramel creme layer needs more help than the salt can give. Besides a delicate brown sugar vibe, it doesn’t offer a ton of flavor. A hint of browned butter flavor would have gone a long way to recreate the taste of salt’s tri-syllabic life partner. Swapping the caramel creme entirely for a dot of sticky caramel sauce would have been an interesting choice too. (Maybe two novelties — real caramel and a salted cookie — would have been too much excitement for one launch?)

Happily, each Double Stuf-size cookie contains proportionally more brownie creme. It definitely overshadows the caramel layer — but that’s for the best. The brownie creme is rich and fudgy, just like the batter I make sure to salvage from the bottom of my mixing bowl, and works well with the salt.

Overall, these Limited Edition Salted Caramel Brownies feature a successful salty hit, but it is hard to overlook the imperfect caramel creme. If you purchase them, take a bite of the entire sandwich for a sweet-and-salty chocolate experience that includes — if you pay attention — a whisper of caramel. If you insist on twisting open your Oreo cookies to indulge in the creme first, you might become salty yourself.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 12.2 oz (345 g) package
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 2 cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.