The Best Store-Bought Chocolate Chip Cookies According to Our Pro Bakers (2024)

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Updated: May 14, 2024

Craving cookies but don't have the time to bake? Snag the best store-bought chocolate chip cookies as chosen by our squad of pro bakers.

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This blind taste test confirmed what our Test Kitchen team knew to be true:Tate’s Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies are the gold standard of store-bought cookies.

If you didn’t see these cookies come out of the bag, you’d think they came from your BFF’s oven. They’re thin and slightly irregularly shaped. Take a bite and you’ll still feel that way.

“The color is beautiful and the texture is nice and crisp while still having a buttery flavor—real butter,” explains Senior Editor Lara Eucalano. “It’s also crisp without being dry, which is a feat.”

Baker Mark Neufang goes on to sing the praises of one of the best store-bought chocolate chip cookies. “The flavor is nice: a lot of browned butter and brown sugar notes with delicious semisweet chocolate chips.”

Most store-bought and homemade chocolate chip cookies use semisweet chips. If you rather stir milk chocolate chips into your dough, go for Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Thin & Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The difference in chocolate was apparent right away in this taste test. Every baker on our team made not of the change of pace—one that was welcome.

“The milk chocolate here is sweet with an almost butterscotch flavor,” explains Sarah Tramonte in the Test Kitchen. “And there’s a good amount of chocolate in here—delicious!”

Besides that great chocolate taste, these Pepperidge Farm cookies had a thin, crispy texture destined for dunking.

When you’re shopping for the best store-bought chocolate chip cookies, you’re not always craving that homemade feeling. Sometimes, you just want a cookie that reminds you of after-school snacks and study break sweets. If that’s the case, snag the classic:Chips Ahoy! Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Maggie Knoebel in the Test Kitchen describes these cookies best: “Definitely not homemade-looking or -tasting but they are just plain good.” For many of us, that’s what we’re looking for with packaged treats.

Each of these cookies is a nice size with a good scattering of chocolate chips and the right amount of sweetness. They’re slightly crunchy with a texture that melts on your tongue—especially when dunked into a glass of cold milk.

If you ask our Test Kitchen, cookies are meant to be a sweet indulgence. However, if you’re looking for a cookie that’s a smidge better for you than most store-bought sweets, tryKodiak Cakes Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

So what makes these cookies the slightly more nutritious option? Kodiak Cakes’ chocolate chip cookies are made with whole-grain wheat flour and have five grams of protein per serving. That’s pretty impressive for a sweet treat.

But how do these better-for-you store-bought cookies taste? Pretty darn good! “These cookies are sweet and you get the taste of brown sugar and real butter,” explains Sarah.

Like the Tate’s Bake Shop cookies, these chocolate chippers are flatter, golden brown and crispy. These are a big win for crispy cookie fans looking for some whole grains and protein.

What to Look for When Seeking Out the Best Store-Bought Cookies

Nobody likes a disappointing cookie! When on the hunt for top-notch treats, keep an eye on the ingredients list. High-quality components like real butter, sugar and natural flavors will always produce a better cookie than things you can’t pronounce. Also consider your cravings—are you team soft and chewy, or team crispy and crunchy? And, of course, trust expert taste tests like this one.

Why You Should Trust Us

Everyone on our Test Kitchen team loves food so much that they made a career of it. We’re constantly testing new products, as well as being well-versed on all the old favorites. And with hundreds of cookie recipes in the Taste of Home database, you can be sure that we know our cookies and take them very seriously.

How We Found the Best Store-Bought Cookies

There are a surprising number of chocolate chip cookies available at the grocery store. With a whopping 10 bags in hand (including some better-for-you options), our team got down to business with a taste test.

Each store-bought cookie was judged according to these categories:

• Appearance:Chocolate chip cookies come in all different sizes and colors. No matter the type, our team wanted to find cookies that were full of tasty chocolate chips and looked like something we’d be happy to dunk in a glass of milk or in our morning coffee.
• Texture:Crispy and chewy were both welcome at this party. Our pros’ only requirement: The crispy cookies had to crunch and the chewy ones had to have the right bite.
• Flavor:Most importantly, these store-bought cookies had to taste good. Ideally, they’d taste pretty close to homemade. However, nostalgic and other surprisingly tasty flavors are also welcome.

FAQ

Are homemade chocolate chip cookies better than store bought?

While the answer to this question is a matter of personal preference, in general, most people like homemade chocolate chip cookies better than the store bought kind. That’s not to say cookies from the store aren’t good. They’re tasty in their own way. However, packaged cookies are often highly-processed foods, which makes them not as healthy as homemade. (Though is it really fair to call a chocolate chip cookie healthy?) If you’d like to make your own, here’s one of our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Originally Published: January 23, 2023