The best chocolate chip cookies have a sumptuous, luxurious texture that makes you want to close your eyes and savor each bite. Store bought chocolate chip cookies can be thin and crunchy or soft and chewy, but the experience of eating either type should be the same—simple decadence.
For this taste test, we tried more than 30 styles and brands of store bought chocolate chip cookies (we’re talking about pre-baked cookies, although our store bought chocolate chip cookie dough ranking is coming soon). To be honest, most of them were pedestrian at best. They’ll get you through that afternoon cookie craving, sure, but a lot of the cookies we tried didn’t wow us. In order to achieve that upper echelon of cookie goodness, these chocolate chip cookie brands really had to deliver a strong, buttery, decadent taste and a wonderful, homemade texture. Otherwise, what are we even doing here? I can just make chocolate chip cookies at home. No need to do that, though, because these are the six best chocolate chip cookies you can buy at the grocery store.
- Pepperidge Farm Maui Milk Chocolate Coconut Almond
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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 provides a subtle flavor but also some great 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. 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
- Tate’s Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
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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 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 an impressive brand. I mean, two of their cookies made it onto this list of the best store bought chocolate chip cookies! —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Albertsons
- Pepperidge Farm Farm Montauk Soft Baked Milk Chocolate
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Not everybody enjoys soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, but the flavor of these cookies is undeniably wonderful. The milk chocolate flavor is buttery and delicious, and the cookie itself tastes slightly spiced. It’s got a hint of vanilla that shines through towards the end for some 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, my guy. There’s something really exciting about a soft, gooey, and chewy chocolate chip cookie, so Pepperidge Farm’s Montauk cookies are the best store bought chocolate chip cookies for soft cookie lovers. Don’t be shy—heat it up a little bit for maximum cookie experience. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
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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
- Costco
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Like their hot dogs (which are some of the best hot dogs, in our opinion), Cosctco’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 of these cookies is spot on. Put a Costco’s chocolate chip cookie in the microwave for a few seconds, then close your eyes and let the melted chocolate chips and soft, sugary cookie melt in your mouth. Otherworldly. This is one of the best chocolate chip cookies for milk because they’re just so damn big. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Tate’s Bake Shop
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Everybody at Sporked loves Tate’s. Specifically, both of the bosses (editor-in-chief Justine Sterling and managing editor Gwynedd Stuart) were adamant about these being number one. I’m in agreement—Tate’s is 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 Coconut
Best with Nuts
Best Soft Cookie
Best Gluten Free
Best Big Ol’ 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
