I Tried 7 Store-Bought Peanut Butter Cookies And Ranked Them Worst To Best

Whether you're a certified cookie lover or someone who simply dabbles in the sweet snack from time to time, you're likely well aware of just how many grocery store cookie options there are out there. From gluten-free cookies to classic packaged chocolate chip cookies to sugar-free cookies, there's something out there for just about everyone. And, of course, if peanut butter is more up to your speed, then there are plenty of cookie varieties to suit that preference as well.

I happen to be a fan of all peanut butter desserts, so I purchased seven different peanut butter cookies — ranging from store-brands to name-brands — and put them to the test (the taste test, that is). Although most of the confections on this list may seem similar on the surface, not all PB cookies are created equal. Some managed to strike the perfect balance between crispy base and rich peanut butter filling, while others left me longing for a distinct nutty flavor profile. I've ranked all seven PB confections based on overall tastiness, strength of the peanut butter flavor, and general cohesiveness of a given treat. In the end, I determined a select few that are well worth space in your pantry, and those that are best left behind at the grocery store.

I'm typically a big fan of Chips Ahoy! in just about any variety, so I was naturally excited to give the brand's Reese's version a swing. Surprisingly, I'd never tried these particular sweets before. What could possibly go wrong when combining such a successful, tried-and-true cookie base with a beloved chocolatey-peanut butter candy?

While I wouldn't necessarily say anything went wrong with Reese's Chips Ahoy!, nothing went right, either. The biggest issue here is simple: There wasn't enough peanut butter flavor in these cookies. In fact, I don't think I picked up on more than a mere whisper of peanut butter flavor, even after I'd eaten a few morsels. To be fair, the only opportunity for PB enhancement came by way of the mini cups scattered throughout the cookie bases, and those were pretty sparse. Overall, the potential was there for a delicious treat, but the execution was quite flawed. So even as someone who loves Chips Ahoy!, Reese's, and peanut butter all in their own right, I wouldn't repurchase this variation again.

Considering how Nutter Butter is something of a poster child for peanut butter cookies everywhere, I was personally shocked at how poorly these snacks performed. Before any Nutter Butter fans come at me with pitchforks, though, hear me out. I didn't dislike these PB treats by any means, but their genuine nutty flavor was super weak, so I couldn't in good faith rank them any higher.

Despite boasting a solid layer of peanut butter in between two aptly-shaped cookies, the overall nuttiness of Nutter Butter was, indeed, sorely lacking. The biscuit-like cookies themselves tasted good, but they had a certain honey-forward sweetness that simply wasn't peanut butter-forward enough. I'm not sure whether there just isn't enough filling at play in a given Nutter Butter or if the filling is processed to the point of flavor depletion, but I truly didn't pick up on PB notes as I made my way through the little treats. Were they sweet and vaguely nutty? Sure. But to rank higher on this list, I needed more pure, unfiltered peanut butter flavor, and Nutter Butter simply doesn't deliver on that front.

This is not my first foray into Aldi's Benton brand Peanut Butter Crème cookies. I'd previously tried these exact sweets when comparing them to their Girl Scout dupe, the Do-si-do. And, considering the Do-si-do ended up winning that battle, you can probably imagine how well Aldi's PB creme cookies would fare on this list.

Now, before I get into the negatives and explain why these confections rank pretty low, I will at least say that they're not terrible cookies. They boast a crunchy, biscuit-like exterior that pairs nicely enough with the sweet peanut butter filling on the inside. And, unlike the previous two cookies on this list, these ones do have a more distinctly PB-forward flavor, so they've at least got that going for them. I think the filling could be a touch less sweet, though, and there is still plenty of room to amp up that nutty flavor profile. So, for these reasons, Aldi's peanut butter cookies fell somewhere into a lower-middle ranking.

On the surface, Meijer's Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies look almost laughably similar to Aldi's version — and, realistically, they taste very similar, too. But there were a few key differences that set the similar-on-the-surface confections apart, making Meijer's version the better option, if only by a thread.

First and foremost, I felt that Meijer's PB Cookies had a slightly stronger, nuttier peanut butter flavor profile (both in comparison to the Aldi cookies and generally speaking). The outside biscuits also fared relatively well, offering a nice snappiness and more neutral (but still sweet) taste that worked well with the richer, nuttier filling. The texture of the filling also worked well enough here, with it being more like actual, regular peanut butter than super paste-like or overly sweet. Ultimately, there are a handful of cookies on this list that fared better than Meijer's PB sandwich version, and I'm not sure if I'd necessarily return to them. At the very least, I will happily finish the package I purchased for this ranking.

It's been a bit of a slog getting through the sandwich creme cookie versions on this list, but we've at least reached a high point with Back To Nature's Peanut Butter Creme Sandwich Cookies. Back To Nature is a brand that hasn't been on my radar, but after trying its take on such a PB-filled snack, I'm excited to try other flavors.

Considering that any good sandwich cookie consists of two key components, the filling and the "bread," it only makes sense that a truly successful take on such a cookie nails both of those components. I genuinely think Back To Nature got it right here, between the perfectly snappy biscuits on the outside and the rich, strong PB filling on the inside. Unlike the Aldi and Meijer versions, these cookies had the most truly peanut butter-tasting fillings of the bunch. My favorite part might have been the biscuit-like cookies on the outside, though, which managed to hit that perfect crispy textural profile rather than being soft or overtly crunchy. 

Although Reese's Dipped Animal Crackers aren't referred to as cookies on the packaging, they still felt appropriate to include in this ranking since they're cookie-like in every way but title. And, after trying these positively delicious little treats, I certainly am glad they made the final cut.

I love a good Animal Cracker, with those slightly sweet, almost buttery notes making for a pleasing dessert. These Reese's Dipped Animal Crackers almost transform that classic buttery biscuit into something unrecognizable, but dare I say into something even more delicious. The peanut butter coating on these cookies (er, crackers) was absolutely divine, offering up impeccably rich notes with lots of strong, nutty ones too. The chocolate underside was also a huge selling point, because let's be real here: The only thing better than a peanut butter cookie is a chocolate peanut butter one. Despite the chocolate underside and hefty PB coating, however, the biscuits themselves still maintained that distinct snappiness and slightly buttery profile. The resulting cookie impressed me big time, and although the formula is pretty simple here, it worked oh-so incredibly well.

There are quite a few Oreo flavors out there, and much to my own surprise as a longtime Oreo fan, I'd never tried the Peanut Butter Creme version before. After sampling the cookie for this ranking, however, I'm kicking myself for not having discovered this version much earlier, because it ended up being my absolute favorite peanut butter cookie of the whole bunch. 

Considering how crucial the creme layer is to a good Oreo, I worried that adding peanut butter to the mix might mess with that precarious balance or make the overall cookie too rich. And there's no denying that PB Oreos are rich, but in the most delicious, not overbearing way possible. The peanut butter creme was downright indulgent, somehow perfectly balancing that classic Oreo creme flavor with a hefty infusion of peanut butter. Once again, the chocolate-PB flavor duo proved to be successful, and that cocoa-forward Oreo base worked incredibly well alongside a rich, nutty filling. Of all the little confections on this list, these Oreos stood out above the rest, proving to be the best of the best peanut butter cookies.

When sampling these peanut butter cookies, I dove in simply noting which ones I found particularly tasty and which ones struck me, subjectively, as being the most successful. But I was also looking for a strong peanut butter flavor, and that criterion alone heavily influenced the ranking. I wouldn't say any of the cookies on the list were bad, but some definitely had stronger peanut butter flavor profiles, and by extension, stronger flavor profiles overall. The most successful cookies — and those that ultimately ranked the highest — not only had that ever-important strong PB flavor profile but also tasted generally delicious. 

To avoid getting sugar or peanut butter fatigue, I tried the cookies over the course of a few days. After considering each sweet's flavor profile, I noted which ones had any standout features, stronger PB profiles, and so forth. I made sure to try several of each type of cookie, but by the time I'd thoroughly sampled each one, it was already clear which ones were the stronger options in the lineup and which ones I didn't have much of a desire to return to.