The best chocolate chip cookies at the grocery store may not taste like they were freshly baked using a New York Times recipe that involves brown butter, but they have their charms. Whether they’re thin and crunchy or soft and chewy, the best store bought chocolate chip cookies are the perfect treat when treat-yourself time rolls around.
What we were looking for in the best chocolate chip cookies
In two separate taste tests, we tried more than 30 varieties of store bought chocolate chip cookies (we’re talking about pre-baked cookies, but we’ve also ranked the best store bought chocolate chip cookie dough). We wanted to find the best chewy chocolate chip cookies and the best crunchy chocolate chip cookies. The former should be nostalgic and keep the flavor of their weird preservatives to a minimum. The latter are much easier to find in the cookie aisle—and they’ve gotten so good that the best chocolate chip cookies on our list are crunchy, which we didn’t see coming. Chewy or crunchy, we love when chocolate chip cookies aren’t just straight-up sugar bombs. They need dimension—and a little bit of salt typically does the trick.
From squishy, nostalgic cookies you loved to dunk in milk during snack time in elementary school to our favorite cookies from a grocery store bakery, here are the best chocolate chip cookies.
The following article contains affiliate links that may generate a small commission to us when you make a purchase through the link. Learn more about how we work with affiliates here.
- Keebler Chips Deluxe Soft Batch Cookies
-
When we tried them in our second chocolate chip cookie taste test, it had been years (decades?) since I’d had a Keebler Soft Batch cookie. They’re nice and squishy and perfect for soaking up ice-cold milk. Do they taste like the preservatives that keep them nice and squishy and perfect for soaking up ice-cold milk? Yeah, a little bit. But the overall experience of eating these won me over. All in all, we think Pepperidge Farm makes the best chewy chocolate chip cookies, but these Keebler are worth revisiting for fun. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Tate’s Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
-
Tate’s thin and crispy cookies are my favorite chocolate chip cookie with nuts of all the nutty cookies we tried. Walnuts are slightly earthy and buttery, and so they pair very well with sweet, milky chocolate. Of note: When it comes to the best store bought chocolate chip cookies, I look for that sumptuous, buttery flavor, and Tate’s has it in spades across the board. Tate’s also has an unmatched crispy, crunchy texture while also being buttery and not dry, which none of the other chocolate chip cookie brands managed to replicate. It’s really quite impressive. I mean, three of their cookies made it onto this list of the best chocolate chip cookies! —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Albertsons
- Pepperidge Farm Farm Montauk Soft Baked Milk Chocolate
-
Not everybody enjoys soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, but these Pepperidge Farm cookies are undeniably wonderful. The milk chocolate is buttery and delicious, and the cookie itself tastes slightly spiced. There’s a hint of vanilla on the finish that contributes a really nice floral flavor. I threw one of these cookies in the microwave because I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be great warm, and damnit, Danny, you were right again. Don’t be shy—heat these up for the maximum soft cookie experience. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies
-
Famous Amos used to be a cookie shop here in L.A., but now the brand is definitely most, er, famous for selling little bags of small, crunchy chocolate chip cookies in grocery stores and convenience marts. At first glance, they don’t look great—kinda dry and dense, like they’d be a choking hazard without milk at the ready. And while they certainly taste great with milk, they’re much better than I thought they’d be. First of all, they’re absolutely packed with chocolate chips. Truly, these are made for chip lovers. But also, the body of the cookie has a nice little kick of salt that really makes the whole thing sing. When it comes to the best crunchy chocolate chip cookies, Tate’s kind of can’t be beat, but don’t count Famous Amos out! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
-
We did it! We found actually delicious gluten free cookies! These are practically as good as the non-gluten free Tate’s chocolate chip cookies. In fact, these gluten free chocolate chip cookies are even better than most gluten-full chocolate chip cookies we’ve tried. Gluten free or not, buy these crispy, light, buttery, chocolatey cookies. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Target
- Pepperidge Farm Maui Milk Chocolate Coconut Almond
-
These chocolate chip coconut almond cookies are delightfully crumbly, and despite having coconut in them, the chocolate chip flavor is still prominent enough. The coconut contributes a subtle tropical flavor and also some added texture, as do the almonds. This is a great variation of a chocolate chip cookie, and one of the best chocolate chip cookies for people who want nuts but not too many nuts. Pepperidge Farm’s Maui cookies are buttery, delicious, crunchy, and crumbly. You can’t go wrong. Also, I understand this is not a popular opinion, but for my money, coconut improves most desserts. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Kirkland Signature Gourmet Chocolate Chunk Cookies
-
Like their hot dogs (which are some of the best hot dogs, in our opinion), Costco’s chocolate chip cookies are straight-up monstrous. I mean, they’re gigantic, overpowering, and far too much. That said, they are studded with wonderful, melty, chocolate chips, and the chewiness is spot on. Put a Costco chocolate chip cookie in the microwave for a few seconds, then close your eyes and let the chocolate chips and soft, sugary cookie melt in your mouth. Otherworldly. This is one of the best chocolate chip cookies when you want them freshly baked but it’s too hot to turn on the oven. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Tate’s Bake Shop
-
Everybody at Sporked loves Tate’s. Specifically, both of the bosses (editor-in-chief Justine Sterling and managing editor Gwynedd Stuart) were adamant that these are the best store bought chocolate chip cookies. I’m in agreement—Tate’s cookies are so crumbly, buttery, crispy, and delicious that we couldn’t stay away from them. These cookies are absolutely stuffed with chocolate, and the taste of the cookie itself is sweet but has this extra bit of caramelization, too. You know how when you bake cookies in an oven and the bottoms get a little dark, and thus nutty and deeply flavorful? That’s what’s going on here. These feel the most like homemade chocolate chip cookies, so they win. They are the best chocolate chip cookies, hands down. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Target
Best for Dunking in Milk
Best with Nuts
Best Soft Cookie
Best Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Best Gluten Free
Best Coconut
Best Grocery Store Bakery Cookie
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Chips Ahoy, Favorite Day, Chips Ahoy Chewy, Chips Ahoy Chunky, Famous Amos, Grandma’s, Back to Nature, Sprouts, Sprouts Salted Caramel, Sprouts Vegan, Tate’s Vegan, Walmart Freshness Guaranteed, Matt’s Bakery, Pepperidge Farm Thin & Crispy, Signature Select, Whole Foods, Private Selection, Trader Joe’s, Trader Joe’s Vegan, Favorite Day Chewy, Favorite Day Bakery, Great Value Chunky, Great Value Chewy, Pepperidge Farms Dark Chocolate Pecan, Pillsbury Soft Baked
