For a full century Oreo fans have been testing different ways to enjoy the cookie. Milk for dunking remains a classic, but many fans love to twist and lick the center or peel apart the wafers and press the vanilla cream between the halves for a handmade double-cream treat. The ritual is a big part of the Oreo personality, a tradition shared by snackers across Canada and the United States alike.
As Oreo marks its centennial, the brand invites a playful look back at trivia that defines the cookie. A feature in the 2012 March/April issue of The Mag promised a handful of strange facts about this sugar fix, and those tidbits still spark conversation among North American fans today.
– No one really knows where the name Oreo came from; the official origin has never been definitively confirmed, which fuels fan theories.
– The Oreo Facebook page sits among the world’s top five brand pages thanks to a large and active following. That status is noted in brand communications.
– Every Oreo features twelve delicate flowers embossed into the wafer pattern, a signature detail that fans immediately recognize.
– To match the height of Toronto’s CN Tower would require stacking 69,159 Oreos.
– Lining up 289,646 Oreos end to end would equal the length of the Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
– In Montreal the Canadian Oreo bakery turns out more than 1.1 million cookies in an eight-hour shift. At that pace, eleven days could produce a cookie for every person in Canada.
– In space news, a nanosatellite named O/OREOS was launched to study how life might endure orbital stresses; the name has nothing to do with cookies and stands for Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses.
– Oreo travels worldwide with localized flavors, including Green Tea Ice Cream in China, banana dulce de leche in Argentina, and Blueberry Ice Cream in the Philippines.
– Each year more than 1.5 billion Oreo cookies find homes around the world, a testament to the brand’s enduring appeal in both Canada and the United States.
– For a tasty variation, consider Oreo Cookies N’ Cream No Bake Cheesecakes. The recipe requires no oven, and it makes a crowd-pleasing dessert that works well for gatherings across North America.
Prep Time: 15 min. plus refrigerating Makes: 8 servings, 3/4 cup (175 mL) each
Ingredients:
– 23 Oreo cookies, divided
– 2 cups whipping cream
– 1 package (250 g) cream cheese, softened
– 1/3 cup sugar
– 1 tsp. vanilla
– 8 Mini Oreo Cookies
To make:
– Finely crush eight large cookies and spoon into eight 6-ounce glasses. Roughly chop the remaining cookies and set aside.
– Whip the cream on high until soft peaks form. Reserve half a cup for garnish and refrigerate until needed.
– Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Stir in the chopped cookies and spoon over the cookie crumbs in the cups. Chill for at least six hours until set.
– Finish with the remaining whipped topping and mini Oreo cookies right before serving.