The Hands-Down Best Ready-To-Bake Fall Cookie Dough Is A Tried-And-True Classic Flavor

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As soon as those crisp autumn evenings begin to arrive, the cravings for warm, fresh baked goods appear right alongside. Dusting off the oven and churning out some seasonal treats does not, however, have to mean spending a whole day in the kitchen carefully mixing ingredients. It can be as simple as picking up a package of fall-themed ready-to-bake cookie dough at the grocery store. If you know which one to buy, those cookies are just as good as anything homemade. In our ranking of these time-saving products, the top spot went to Pillsbury Pumpkin Cookie Dough with Cream Cheese Flavored Chunks.

According to our reviewer, the cookies made with this dough are similar to the brand's other sugar cookie offerings, but with a distinct seasonal flair. The pumpkin flavor and mélange of pumpkin spice were both present but not overwhelming, giving the resulting sweets plenty of autumnal flavor without overdoing it. To balance the sweetness, these cookies are also studded with cream-cheese-flavored confectionary chunks, lightly tangy morsels that give the treat a flavor and richness almost reminiscent, as our taste tester notes, of a pumpkin cheesecake.

In addition to making 12 large near-zero-effort cookies per package, Pillsbury suggests that this product can also be used in cakes, dessert bars, or even eaten raw. However, this oven-ready fall treat is a limited-time offering, so pumpkin lovers should be sure to keep their eyes peeled at the grocery store as autumn continues in earnest. When they're gone, they're gone — at least until next year.

The positive sentiments about these autumnal Pillsbury cookies are not, of course, limited to our reviewers. Across the internet, this seasonal treat has plenty of fans. In reviews on the Walmart website, for example, one customer gave them five stars and wrote, "Perfect fall treat! And easy to bake!! Win Win!!" Another fan took to the Pillsbury website directly to share their enthusiasm, writing, "These cookies are so good; I put it on my calendar to buy them each season."

Despite their popularity, however, there are some that have found these cookies wanting compared to other fall dessert recipes. The reasoning varies between customers, but common complaints include criticism of the flavor or texture of the cream-cheese-flavored chunks, as well as a strange and potent aftertaste. "These cookies never fail to disappoint me every year," wrote a one-star reviewer on Pillsbury's website. "I'm not sure why I buy them — I guess just wishful thinking, hoping something will be different."

Any food that goes out to such a broad market is bound to find someone who doesn't like it. Online reviews can help guide your shopping, but in the end, it is only your palate that matters — and the only way to really know is to bake up a batch yourself. Fortunately, even if you end up in the disappointed camp, the package only costs a few dollars and doesn't take much effort at all. Afterward, you can move on to the many other Pillsbury ready-to-bake cookie dough varieties.