All the Best Cookies We’ve Found in Our Taste Tests

The best cookies at the grocery store are sweet, tasty, and satisfy a sweet tooth. Seriously, why bake when you can just buy cookies that are as good as homemade—and others that are so clearly manufactured in a factory that they have a charm all their own. From the best chocolate chip cookies to the best coconut macaroons, these are the best store bought cookies we’ve found in our taste tests.

best chocolate chip cookies

Best Chocolate Chip

Tate’s Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you love soft-baked cookies, we’re sorry to inform you that crispy chocolate chip cookies are where it’s at. In fact, the best chocolate chip cookies we found in our taste test were these thin, crispy cookies from Tate’s. They’re crispy, yes, but they are not dry by any stretch of the imagination. They’re downright buttery. They’re also loaded with chocolate chips. This is one of the best cookies for chocolate lovers, for sure. 

Read the full ranking of the best chocolate chip cookies

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best peanut butter cookies

Best Peanut Butter

Back to Nature Peanut Butter Creme Cookies

Like most peanut butter lovers, we’re nuts about Nutter Butter, but these suspiciously healthy looking sandwich cookies are actually even more delicious. Back to Nature Peanut Butter Creme Cookies have that perfect sweet-salty balance, and manage to be crunchy while still being nice and tender. Big bonus for plant-based peeps: They’re vegan!

Read the full ranking of the best peanut butter cookies

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best oreo

Best Oreo

Extra Stuf Oreo Thins

If you consider Oreos to be among the best cookies at the grocery store, but you’ve always had this nagging feeling that the cookie-to-creme ratio is a little bit off, Extra Stuf Oreo Thins are a godsend. As Sporked senior writer Jordan Myrick put it, these Oreos have “the exact amount of creme and cookie you want.” The cookies are thin and snappy and there’s just the right amount of creme. We tasted a lot of Oreos and these are the best Oreos of them all.

Read the full ranking of the best Oreo flavors

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best lemon cookies

Best Lemon

Oreo Thins Lemon

Once again, Oreo Thins win. The snap of the cookie goes so well with the bright, tart flavor of lemon in this version. We also love that these have just a touch of salt to offset the sweetness. The best cookies always have a little salt.

Read the full ranking of the best lemon cookies

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best oatmeal cookies

Best Oatmeal Raisin

Christie Cookie Co. Oatmeal Raisin Gourmet Cookies

If you want store bought cookies you could swear are homemade, Christie Cookie Co. Oatmeal Raisin cookies are pretty much perf. Unlike a lot of other soft-baked cookies at the grocery store, these don’t taste like preservatives or chemicals. Plus, they’re packed with raisins and oats. They’re basically health food!

Read the full ranking of the best oatmeal raisin cookies

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best gluten free cookies

Best Gluten Free

Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tate’s makes the best chocolate chip cookies, so it’s no wonder their gluten free chocolate chip cookies slap, too. According to Jordan, “If you like the regular rendition of Tate’s chocolate chip cookies, you’ll like these because they taste exactly the same as the original.” If you eat a lot of GF foods, you know that’s not always the case.  

Read the full ranking of the best gluten free cookies

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best ginger cookies

Best Ginger

Annas Ginger Swedish Thins

The weather is cooling down, and that means it’s time to bust out the ginger cookies and tea. And if you’ve had Annas Ginger Swedish Thins, you know they have all the other ginger cookies beat. They’re so thin and so snappy and perfect for dunking into a hot bev. Tell the gingerbread men to get bent and buy these instead!

Read the full ranking of the best ginger cookies

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best girl scout cookies

Best Girl Scout

Caramel deLites/Samoas

When Girl Scout cookie season rolls around, we sincerely hope you’re stocking up on Samoas (aka Caramel deLites, depending on where you live and which GS bakery your cookies come from). These aren’t just the best Girl Scout cookies; they’re some of the best cookies, period. They’re crunchy but chewy, and absolutely covered in toasty, tasty coconut shreds. Yes, Thin Mints are great, but these are just so special.

Read the full ranking of the best Girl Scout cookies

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best coconut macaroons

Best Macaroon

Sprouts Market Corner Two-Bite Coconut Macaroons

If you need a reminder that coconut macaroons are really, really delicious, pick up a pack of these at Sprouts. They’re moist and tender and bursting with coconut flavor. Plus, unlike most coconut macaroons, a serving of these consists of two cookies rather than one. I literally can’t imagine eating just one macaroon. 

Read the full ranking of the best macaroons

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

best animal crackers

Best Animal Crackers

Kroger the Wild Side Animal Cookies

Yes, these are called “crackers,” but we all count them as cookies, right? They’re the best cookies when you want something that’s just a touch sweet but still plenty satisfying. And these Kroger animal crackers are basically perfect—they’re a little citrusy, a little vanilla-y, and have just the right amount of crunch. Some animal crackers are just too crackery, but these are definitely closer to the cookie end of the spectrum.

Read the full ranking of the best animal crackers

Credit: Merc / Ralphs

Rating:

10/10

Sporks


About the Author

Sporked Staff

The Sporked Staff tastes everything and anything. They are obsessive about groceries and finding the best of any type of food or drink, from frozen fried shrimp to Dijon mustard to gummy candy. And they're always on a hunt for the best new products. When they aren't eating professionally, they're eating recreationally. And often they're browsing grocery store aisles, just for fun.

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  • Thin mints should take the W! They’re so good omg, I love you guys but they should have definitely been #1

    Reply