Are Hydrox Cookies, The Original Oreo, Really Coming Back?

Oreo may be "America's Favorite Cookie," but it's not an original. In 1908, four years before Oreo came onto the scene, there was Hydrox: a similar product made from two chocolate cookies with cream in the middle. However, fans will remember that Hydrox cookies were less sweet with a slightly tangy center. Soon, Hydrox gained the reputation of being the knockoff brand and fell out of favor (and, eventually, production in 2003). But Hydrox cookies might be back on shelves soon. Leaf Brands, a nostalgia confectionary company, has acquired the Hydox trademark and will be distributing the cookies soon under a taste-alike recipe.

According to Leaf Brands' Facebook page, the company has finished production and packaging, and, as of March 24, was approximately 60 days from distribution. Leaf Brands will be selling the product through their website before it hits stores. The production of the new Hydrox cookies had been delayed a few times.

"We're just so excited to bring back the original Hydrox product," Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Leaf Brands, told Baking Business last May, when distribution was scheduled to start in September 2014. "Not many people know it, but Hydrox was the original sandwich cookie, predating Oreo by four years. You can even say Oreo was the 'knock-off' to Hydrox."