Southland Gets Ready To Say Hi To Hydrox (And Do You Really Have To Ask What A Hydrox Is?)

VERNON  (CBSLA.com) —  When sweets lovers think of a chocolate cookie with a cream filling, Oreos typically come to mind.

Oreos -- and their seemingly 389 different varieties (okay, closer to 60, but still) -- reign supreme in markets these days.

Hydrox cookies always had their loyalists. But Hydrox also went away. They're cream filled chocolate cookies that even resemble Oreos.

CBS2's Amber Lee went in search Friday of Hydrox aficionados.

"No, never heard of them," said one woman.

"Maybe it's like an East coast thing," said another.

They're soon going to again be a West coast and all over thing.

Lee reports a Newport Beach-based company called Leaf Foods is churning out Hydrox by the case load. While they are only currently available at Amazon.com, they will soon be back on store shelves.

Lee spoke to Ellia Kassoff, president of Leaf Brands, who wanted to set the record straight. Hydrox were not knockoffs of Oreos -- he says it actually happened in reverse.

"Oreo is pretty much known as the knock off of Hydrox. Hydrox was made four years before and was the original sandwich cookie, predating Oreo," Kassoff says.

According to Kassoff, Hydrox debuted in 1908, four years before the other cookie.

Hydrox was originally made by Sunshine Biscuits but through mergers and acquisitions, the recipe was tinkered with and some said Hydrox lost their original flavor.

"Hydrox always had three distinct qualities," that made it different from the Oreo, says Kassoff, "it has more of a dark chocolate flavor, less sweet and crispier."

Kassoff acquired the trademark to the original Hydrox about a year ago -- the new cookie will taste exactly like the old. All the old ingredients are back -- real sugar and no trans fat, the same way the cookie was made more than 100 years ago.

Hydrox fans are now seeing the brand reintroduced -- most recently on Stephen Colbert's premiere of "The Late Show."

Leaf is clearly reaching out to a younger demographic -- many of whom don't remember the original Hydrox. But they believe the interest will be high with both Generation Y millennials and nostalgia fans. The company says it in talks with retail chains like Walmart and Kroger who have expressed interest, as well.

For more about Leaf Brands, click here.