'Overrated' or worth the hype? Shoppers divided as cookie milk trend goes viral
A flavored milk sold in a nostalgic glass bottle has become the internet's newest holiday obsession — and shoppers are fiercely divided over whether it lives up to the hype or not.
Stew Leonard's, a Connecticut-based grocery chain with additional locations in New York and New Jersey, has gone viral after releasing its limited Christmas Cookie Milk.
Videos on TikTok show customers grabbing the glass bottles straight off refrigerated shelves, sampling the cookie-flavored drink on camera and urging others to try it as the seasonal craze sweeps social media.
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The online attention has sparked thousands of reactions from people eager to purchase and try the drink for themselves.
"I drank the whole thing in a day," one person wrote.
"I am so sad this does not exist near me," one viewer commented.
Others expressed surprise at how quickly the drink disappeared from store shelves.
"I checked two locations and both were sold out," a TikTok user said.
But not everyone is convinced the holiday drink deserves the hype.
Some reviewers said the flavor didn't match the buzz.
"So overrated," one person wrote.
With Stew Leonard's locations repeatedly selling out, shoppers have begun hunting for alternatives — and that search has pushed Target and Walmart into the center of the trend.
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Target's Sugar Cookie Milk, which has gained attention for its noticeably brown color, has sparked its own strong reactions online.
"The color alone would make me gag," one person wrote — while others insisted the drink worked well as a coffee creamer.
Walmart's take on the trend has also become a fallback for fans unable to find the original.
One customer offered a blunt review: "It just tastes like whole milk."
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Fox News Digital reached out to Target and Walmart for comment.
As the debate over the taste of various items intensifies, a nutrition specialist is urging consumers to approach the viral drinks with more caution than the videos might suggest.
Cookie-flavored milks are best understood as "dessert-style" beverages rather than everyday dairy options, Dr. Michael Ednie, a Florida-based chief medical officer at Bespoke Concierge MD, told Fox News Digital.
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They're "nutritionally similar to regular milk for protein, calcium and vitamins A/D," he said, "but [the flavored milk products have] substantially more added sugar and calories per cup than plain milk."
Versions sold by Stew Leonard's, Target and Walmart are similar in terms of calories, sugar content and protein, Ednie said. Stew Leonard's also advertises its cookie milk as free of artificial growth hormones and antibiotics.
"Cookie milk is a holiday treat," Sarah Hollis Leclerc, marketing manager at Stew Leonard's, told Fox News Digital.
"We don't expect our shoppers to swap out their regular milk for cookie milk."
For those looking to enjoy the flavor without the calorie load, Ednie offered several ways for shoppers to make a lighter version at home.
"To make cookie milk smarter, use real milk for protein/micros, and move sweetness toward fruit, spices and high‑protein bases instead of added sugar," he suggested.
Homemade options, he said, can be blended with skim milk or unsweetened almond milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, non-nutritive sweeteners, whole fruit and ice to lower the calorie density.
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When buying commercial versions, Ednie recommended seeking out drinks with "seven to 10 grams of added sugar, which is an improvement over the legacy brands."