Chocolate Chip Cookie Brands Ranked Worst To Best
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If you're a fan of cookies (and really, who isn't?), you probably won't be surprised that chocolate chip tops our ranking of best cookie flavors. Ruth Wakefield of the renowned Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts, invented this heavenly treat in the late-1930s, according to The New Yorker, and by the turn of the decade, Wakefield granted Nestle the use of the Toll House name along with her original recipe. The rest is, well, history.
These days, chocolate chip cookies come in many forms, forcing some difficult decisions: Chewy or crunchy? With nuts or without? Traditional ingredients or allergen-free? Giant or bite-sized? Homemade or store bought? While we're not even going to begin to get into whose grandma can provide the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, we did recruit three (enthusiastic) product testers to help rank chocolate chip cookie brands from worst to best. It was a tough job, but supplied with big glasses of milk, our testers persevered.
While some of the following brands are long-time bestsellers, others are newer to the market or cater to specific dietary preferences. All can be found on grocery store shelves and online.
15. Lenny & Larry's
Lenny & Larry's produces plant-based cookies known for their high-protein and fiber content, so they are not using some of the usual ingredients (i.e. butter, eggs). With this in mind, we tried The Complete Cookie: Chocolate Chip, which was the largest cookie sampled. These soft-baked cookies are sold individually or in boxes of individually wrapped cookies. The product is free of soy, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners, along with being Non-GMO Project Verified and kosher-friendly.
What The Complete Cookie does contain is protein and fiber — and lots of it. You'll find 16 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber per cookie. Though, you should be aware that each oversized cookie is actually two servings. While The Complete Cookie may function well as a protein or fiber boost, it tastes terrible.
We found the cookie dry, bland, and, well, like something that should be spit out. One tester described it as "an insult to the word cookie," and everyone agreed that any remaining product should be trashed. Beyond the so-called cookie's lack of basic palatability, it may not even be all that healthy. Cheat Day Design compared The Complete Cookie's nutritional content to a large bakery cookie, noting surprisingly similar calories, fat, and sugar content. Bottom line: Hard pass.
14. Partake
Let's start with what we like about Partake. The brand offers eight types of cookies, including its bestselling crunchy chocolate chip and soft-baked chocolate chip varieties. It also sells baking mixes (including one for chocolate chip cookies). All Partake products are gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and kosher. The Partake cookies are also allergy-friendly and free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, milk, soy, fish, shellfish, and sesame.
On top of that, VegNews reports that Partake is the first female, black-owned start-up for packaged goods to raise $1 million — so, that's pretty cool. Founder Denise Woodward is quoted as saying it's "an accomplishment, but it's one that comes with a great responsibility to increase the number and quality of career opportunities for Black and Brown people seeking to build their careers in the industry ...." As a result, Woodward says she founded the Black Futures in Food and Beverage Fellowship Program to give back.
Backstory aside, you're probably wondering how these cookies taste. Given the lack of butter and eggs, Partake was better than expected. The Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookies have a nice, appropriately crunchy texture. However, they didn't have all that much flavor and could definitely use some more chocolate chips. If you are looking for a vegan cookie or need to avoid gluten and other common allergens, go ahead and give this one a try. As for the rest of you, we've got better options.
13. Simple Mills
While we wouldn't exactly say that Simple Mills cookies are healthy, they do appear to be healthier snack brand than other cookie products on the market. Made from simple vegan ingredients like almond flour, organic coconut, and flaxseeds, Simple Mills chocolate chip cookies — which come in both crunchy and soft-baked varieties — are free of gluten, grain, soy, corn, dairy, gums, and emulsifiers. You may also be interested to know that the brand's cookie products were recognized by the 2022 Mindful Awards Program for using sustainable, transparent, and socially responsible business practices.
But do they taste good? Once again, there appears to be an unfortunate division between using healthier, plant-based ingredients and achieving a truly divine chocolate chip cookie. Mind you, Simple Mills chocolate chip cookies don't taste bad. But, they lack that rich, buttery, chocolaty goodness that we have come to expect when biting into a chocolate chip cookie.
Simple Mills cookies may be a good option for health-conscious individuals who care about the planet but are no substitute for your grandma's home-baked treats.
12. HighKey
HighKey makes low-sugar, low-carb, gluten-free, and grain-free mini cookies, chocolates, crackers, and treats. We tried their Mini Cookies: Chocolate Chip, which came in a small bag containing two servings, though larger bags can be purchased. The cookies are indeed mini (smaller than the usual bite-sized cookie), with a serving consisting of only seven cookies. With this in mind, HighKey ended up being one of the most expensive brands sampled.
The big deal about these tiny cookies is that they are Keto-friendly, containing only 1 gram of net carbs and 0 grams of sugar per bag. If you are following a low-carb diet and must have chocolate chip cookies, then, by all means, try them. There's really not much to lose since HighKey even offers a money-back guarantee. We'd be surprised if you used it, though, since the cookies have a decent texture and are certainly sweet enough — perhaps too sweet? This is likely due to the second ingredient listed, erythritol. According to Healthline, erythritol is a low-calorie, natural sweetener.
Overall, our biggest complaint was that these cookies left a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste. They could also use more chocolate. Although PureWow states HighKey is like Chips Ahoy but softer and with less sugar, we don't really agree. In side-by-side testing, we did not see much similarity between the two products in appearance, taste, or texture.
11. Grandma's
Grandma's is owned by parent company Frito Lay, a mega-giant in the world of snacks. Grandma's cookies can be found in packs of two (look for these in vending machines) or in wholesale-style packaging. Flavors include chocolate chip and mini-chocolate chip, along with oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and chocolate brownie varieties.
Unlike some other brands, Grandma's makes no claims that their cookies are healthy. For example, the chocolate chip cookies contain 170 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 10 grams of added sugar (yikes!) per cookie — and are you really just going to eat just one, when there are two in the package? Grandma's cookies also contain high-fructose corn syrup, several allergens (such as egg, milk, soy, and wheat), and a lengthy list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Let's just say that this isn't exactly clean eating.
Then again, we're talking about chocolate chip cookies — do they really need to be healthy? Grandma's cookies are super sweet (possibly too sweet for some), offer a respectable ratio of chocolate chips, and come in convenient grab-and-go packaging. They certainly don't taste homemade, but they might just satisfy your sweet tooth in a pinch.
10. Pillsbury
Along with biscuits, pie crust, toaster strudel, and refrigerated cookie dough, Pillsbury now offers a line of soft-baked, ready-to-eat cookies — including two varieties with chocolate chips: Chocolate Chip and Butterscotch & Chocolate Chip. If you haven't yet heard of these ready-made products, it's probably because Pillsbury only recently forayed into the pre-packaged cookie aisle.
While we don't agree with Foodsided that Pillsbury has developed "the perfect cookie," we do think it's worth discussing whether these chocolate chip cookies live up to the standards of the brand's beloved refrigerated cookie dough. To be fair, it's hard to compete with the warmth and aroma of freshly baked cookies, even those made from store-bought cookie dough — but these just aren't as good.
However, if you don't feel like turning on the oven and like your cookies very, very sweet, these may do. Overall, we found Pillsbury's new product perfectly adequate and entirely forgettable.
9. Back to Nature
Back to Nature offers Homestyle Soft-Baked Cookies, such Chocolate Chunk or Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, along with a range of other cookie varieties. While Back to Nature promises, "all of the oven-baked cookie satisfaction," we have to admit that the original plant-based cookie surprised us.
Although lacking the buttery flavor of some higher-ranked brands, Back to Nature's Chocolate Chunk Cookies offer a nice crunchy texture and loads of chunky chocolate. For a vegan cookie with simple ingredients, this one doesn't sacrifice much flavor. That gets a big thumbs up.
Can Vegans Eat points out that eating vegan cookies (including those from Back to Nature) can be better for your health, can save animals from slaughter, and even helps protect the environment. Some of the many health benefits of following a vegan diet include better heart health, a reduced risk of cancer, weight loss, and a lower risk of diabetes (per Medical News Today).
8. Milk Bar
According to the brand's website, Milk Bar has been "shaking up the dessert scene since 2008." Founded by Christina Tosi, the numerous Milk Bar locations include New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Boston, Las Vegas, and Toronto. Fortunately, you don't need to travel to one of these destinations to experience Milk Bar's creations.
Along with the option to shop online, you can now purchase a number of Milk Bar cookies, ice cream flavors, and other products at grocery stores. Although Milk Bar does not sell a plain chocolate chip cookies, it does offer two related options based on signature flavors: Chocolate Chip Pretzel Potato Chip and Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow. We tried the latter, which had mixed reviews among our testers.
One tester really liked the Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow, commenting that the texture was closest to a homemade cookie. Another stated that the cookie was "grainy" and trying too hard to be different. All agreed that the marshmallows added a tad too much sweetness. We'd definitely be interested in trying more flavors, but that's what we found in our neck of the woods. And if you want to try baking some Milk Bar creations at home, Tosi's recipe for Crackle Brittle is based on the brand's best-selling Crack Pie.
7. Keebler Chips Deluxe
Keebler is another major player in the world of packaged snack foods. Even in the sub-world of chocolate chip cookies, the brand offers an extensive product line: Chips Deluxe Original, Chips Deluxe with M&Ms, Chips Deluxe Chocolate Chunk, Soft-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chips Deluxe Coconut Cookies (yes, these too have chocolate chips), and more. In other words, Keebler receives high points for product variety.
We opted for Chips Deluxe Original, which were sweet and chocolatey, though a little on the dry side. You may want to think of this product as a basic store-bought cookie that tastes completely fine but is not especially memorable. Of course, some of the other varieties may add a little more pizzazz. For instance, Brand Eating reviewed Chips Deluxe Double Chocolate with M&M's: "... they add that thin, crispy cracking from the candy shell paired with a smooth milk chocolate texture as well as a stronger milk chocolate flavor that compliments the chocolate notes of the cookie well." Yum!
6. Chips Ahoy!
If you walk up any cookie aisle at any grocery store in the country, it is easy to see that Chips Ahoy! reigns supreme as the "#1 Chocolate Chip Cookie Brand in America" (per Chips Ahoy!). And if you haven't taken a close look lately, you may be surprised at the broad variety of chocolate chip cookie products.
We opted to test Chips Ahoy! Original, which comes in a bunch of sizes from small go-packs to party sizes. This classic cookie is crunchy, chocolaty, and flavorful. While it's not trying to mimic a home-baked cookie (and probably couldn't compete with one), we can understand how Chips Ahoy! has earned a reputation in its own right as a crowd-pleaser.
As for the more decadent Chips Ahoy! varieties, The Impulsive Buy reviewed Chips Ahoy! with Reese's saying the Reese's Pieces pack flavor of the candy but falls short on consistency: "There were many bites with only the peanut buttery chips." But really, does that sound so bad? Bottom line: It probably wouldn't hurt to try all varieties to determine your favorite.
5. Annie's
Perhaps best known for boxed mac and cheese and bunny-shaped crackers, Annie's also makes some pretty tasty Organic Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites that come in 6.5-ounce boxes or snack-size packs (sold in boxes of 10). One thing to note is that although Annie's has a reputation of being a health food brand, this product scores low points for nutritional quality (via Open Food Facts). That said, Annie's cookie bites are made with certified organic ingredients and free of artificial flavors, synthetic colors, preservatives, and high-fructose corn syrup.
Perhaps of greater importance for all you chocolate chip cookie aficionados: These bite-sized cookies taste really good and are also fun to eat. The size and texture is similar to our top chocolate chip cookie brand, but Annie's cookies are less crisp, buttery, and flavorful, knocking them a bit further down the rankings. Nonetheless, these little cookies were big hits with our whole team. Plus, your kids will love them.
4. Famous Amos
Famous Amos founder Wally Amos launched his cookie business from a bakery on Sunset Avenue in Hollywood, California. Based on a family recipe, his creations soon had entertainers and celebrities "singing the praises of the delicious tiny cookies." These days, Famous Amos Wonders from the World bite-sized cookies are made with premium ingredients from around the globe, including Belgian chocolate, Mediterranean hazelnuts, Philippine coconut, and British salted caramel.
The cookies are sold in resealable 7-ounce bags, with some flavors available in 1-ounce snack bags. The brand's classic chocolate chip cookie, Belgian Chocolate, is the most prevalent variety, but three other flavors –— including its take on a coconut chocolate chip cookie recipe — are also available.
Along with appreciating the brand's unusual flavor variety, we really liked the Belgian chocolate chip cookies. They are a fun size with a good amount of chocolate. We did notice a somewhat dry, crumbly texture but that didn't stop anyone from eating more. They are not as buttery as our top brands (we really like butter!), thus the middle-place finish. Overall, we won't go wrong with Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies.
3. Pepperidge Farm
We love Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Thin & Crispy chocolate chip cookies, which come in milk or dark chocolate. Pepperidge Farm also offers several chocolate chunk cookies, which are really good, too. And, of course, you likely know about the brand's many other product offerings: Goldfish crackers, bread, buns, rolls, desserts, puff pastries, crackers, and a whole bunch more cookies. Again, we'll take them all.
But, we tried the Farmhouse cookies with milk chocolate chips, though we're heading back to the store right now for the dark chocolate chip ones. These cookies are similar to our other top chocolate chip cookie brands, as in crispy, chocolatey, and buttery — all excellent qualities we love in a cookie. The only downside is that they are pretty crumbly, which can lead to broken cookies in the bag.
Pepperidge Farm also makes gluten-free Farmhouse Milk Chocolate Chip cookies — the first gluten-free cookie released by the brand in its 75-plus year history (via Yahoo).
2. Tate's Bake Shop
Tate's Bake Shop offers a full line of traditional American baked goods, though we've only seen its cookies in stores. In any case, you're going to want to keep your eyes peeled for Tate's Chocolate Chip, Walnut Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Chip, Gluten-free Chocolate Chip, and Vegan Chocolate Chip cookies.
Since we've discussed several vegan baked goods already, let's start with the brand's plant-based option. According to VegOut, Tate's launched its vegan cookie line, including Vegan Chocolate Chip and Vegan Vanilla Maple, at the end of 2021 that are made with a plant-based butter alternative and mimic the same taste and texture as Tate's original recipe.
However, we sampled Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies, the basic variety. Our overall impression was that if these cookies had just a couple more chocolate chips, they'd probably be our favorite chocolate chip cookie brand. These cookies are super thin, crispy, and wonderfully buttery — all things we absolutely love in a chocolate chip cookie.
1. Trader Joe's
Since Trader Joe's frequently changes its massive product line-up, the reality is that the full range of chocolate chip cookie options might vary. But while some products come or go, we sure hope that Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies — the brand's standard tub of bite-sized morsels of joy — will remain forever.
We love everything about these tasty little cookies. First of all, the TJ's cookies are aptly named since they are indeed very crispy and crunchy. They also have a nice ratio of chocolate chips per cookie, along with a pleasing buttery flavor. We do feel obligated to give you fair warning: These cookies are extremely addictive, so you may find yourself grabbing them by the handful. Honestly though, they're so yummy that the extra sugar is worth it.
Although not available on Trader Joe's website, we had no problem finding our favorite chocolate chip cookies at a nearby location. If you don't live near a Trader Joe's, you can order them (albeit for three-times the price) from Amazon. The cost may very well be worth it.