It was only a matter of time before milk's favorite cookie and everyone's favorite briny snack came together as one salty, sweet creation. And Christopher Beers, owner of Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop stores, wanted to be the chocolatier to do it.
Enter, the Dill Pickle Oreo — a classic Oreo cookie with a layer of real pickle all covered in creamy chocolate.
"Everyone loves Oreos. Oreo is always on their game with [making] different flavors for the season and I thought I'd beat them to the punch and create a pickle Oreo," Beers told TODAY Food.
He's certainly not wrong. This summer, Oreo has already launched four flavors, including Marshmallow Moon and Mint Chocolate Chip.
To make his new Oreo creation, which Beers began selling in July, he takes an Oreo cookie, twists it gently to disassemble it without disturbing the creme filling (a precise art any 4th grade Oreo fan has mastered), places a thinly sliced dill pickle in the center of cookie, re-assembles the sandwich and then dips the whole thing in milk chocolate. The sandwiches are then cooled to harden before being sold.
It's almost like the woman who snuck Brussels sprouts into her dad's favorite chocolate candy as a prank. Except, according to Beers, his customers are really clamoring for his pickle-flavored treats.
"The pickle cotton candy was our invention last year and it did, and is still doing, tremendously well. People come in for it all the time," Beers said. "I wanted to create the next best thing that will blow people's minds. "
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Beers started Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, named after the beloved grandfather in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," in 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Today, the shop has nine locations throughout its home state and Ohio, as well as an online store where folks can purchase its decadent confections and gimmicky products (yes, Beers sells pickle air fresheners ... just in case you were in the market for one).
Beers' candy shop received national attention in 2017 when he starting selling Dill Pickle Soda. He also sells dill pickle socks, dill pickle lollipops and dill pickle cotton candy, all of which can be ordered online. The tubs of cotton candy have a shelf life of up to nine months, while the Oreos, which are sold individually in stores for $3 (or online in packs of three for $9), keep for up to a month.
Despite Pittsburgh being famous for Heinz pickles and his myriad of dill-themed products, Beers' isn't only about the briny deli shop staple.
"I don't have any personal connection to the pickle," Beers told TODAY. "I just love to be the guy that's out-brainstorming others and getting the ideas."
Who knows? Maybe Oreo will soon have a super salty and sour mystery flavor soon.
