The Good: Wonderful flavor, Easy to prepare
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Environmental impact of packaging, Not a real thirst quencher
The Basics: With its inviting aroma and dry flavor, Land O' Lakes' Warm Oatmeal Cookie Hot Cocoa hits its flavor mark!
Every now and then, I encounter a truly delightful product that is almost exactly like what it claims to be, even if it is not the most satisfying product in the world. That's somehow where I landed on Land O'Lakes Warm Oatmeal Cookie Hot Cocoa Mix. Oatmeal cookie is an intriguing concept for a cocoa flavor and while it is esoteric and perfectly rendered, it is not exactly a thirst-quencher. That said, it is an intensely flavorful and wonderful hot cocoa!
Basics
The Warm Oatmeal Cookie hot cocoa mix is part of the Land O' Lakes Cocoa Classics premium hot cocoa line. The mix comes in a 1 1/4 oz. sealed foil package and is a pretty delicious mix. Each 1 1/4 oz. packet is a single serving and these bear a relatively high price tag virtually everywhere I have found them of approximately three for two dollars. For a single mug of cocoa, this is expensive when compared to other make-at-home products, but about on par with getting a cocoa at a place like Dunkin' Donuts.
Ease Of Preparation
The Cocoa Classics Warm Oatmeal Cookie hot cocoa mix is ridiculously simple to make. Because it is sealed and has some artificial preservatives in is, this is likely to last virtually forever unopened. A single serving is the packet and six oz. of water. There is no measuring of the product involved!
As a result, preparation is ridiculously simple. The top of the envelope has a perforated edge and one need simply tear open the top, which is quite easy, and pour the contents of the packet into a mug that is at least eight ounces large. Then, simply pour hot water - near boiling, but not actually boiling as boiling water cooks the ingredients as opposed to simply dissolving them - over the powder and stir. Stir the powder until there are no blobs of chocolate powder visible in the water or giving resistance from the bottom. The beverage will have a light brown color to it and will be uniformly smooth and creamy.
Taste
The aroma from the Warm Oatmeal Cookie hot cocoa is strong and inviting. One does not have to love oatmeal cookies to enjoy the scent of oatmeal with a hint of raisins.
On the flavor front, Land O' Lakes Warm Oatmeal Cookie hot cocoa tastes exactly like it promises. The beverage is surprisingly dry and tastes exactly like an oatmeal cookie (no raisins). It is not overly sweet and tastes like a cookie with a hint of brown sugar to the aftertaste.
Nutrition
Land O' Lakes Cocoa Classics are hot cocoa mix and therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world, though the Warm Oatmeal Cookie flavor could be far less nutritious than it is. While I am used to reviewing things like all natural teas where the ingredients are all easily pronounceable and recognizable, the Warm Oatmeal Cookie hot cocoa has a few ingredients that cannot be easily identified. The primary ingredients are sugar, nonfat dry milk and whey. It is not vegan compliant as a result. Ironically, there is nothing even resembling oatmeal flavoring in the ingredient list.
What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each cup of Warm Oatmeal Cookie Cocoa Classics, there are 140 calories, twenty-five of which are from fat. There are 3 grams of saturated fat, so while one might be tempted to curl up and enjoy this while resting, they are likely to pay for it later on! While there is no cholesterol, a consumer gets 11% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single packet of this beverage! There is a little protein (3 grams), but not enough to live off this. In other words, this product is not a nutritious food.
This product contains soy and milk and because there are no notations on it, one must assume it is not Kosher or gluten-free.
Storage/Cleanup
So long as one leaves the Warm Oatmeal Cookie Cocoa Classic powder in its packet, it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date almost two years away (the packet my wife got last week has a February 25, 2017 expiration date), one assumes it will last quite a while and dissolve appropriately when one attempts to use it. The packets, for those of us who consider the environmental impact of such things, are terribly wasteful and expensive. The foil/plastic wrappers are not recyclable anywhere I've been.
Cleanup is very easy as well. If the product spills while dumping it into the mug, simply wipe it up or brush it up with a dry or damp cloth. If it has already been reconstituted with water into hot cocoa, simply wipe it up. Light fabrics are likely to stain if this gets on them, in which case consult your fabric care guide to clean it up.
Overall
One of the better, more intriguing flavors of Land O' Lakes Cocoa Classics, the Warm Oatmeal Cookie is well worth trying!
For other Land O' Lakes hot chocolate drinks, please visit my reviews of:
Butterscotch & Chocolate Hot Cocoa
French Vanilla & Chocolate Hot Cocoa
Chocolate & Caramel Hot Cocoa
8/10
For other food or drink reviews, please visit my Beverage Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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