The Best Store-Bought Chocolate Chip Cookies

For when homemade isn't an option.

ROBBIE CAPONETTO; STYLIST: MARY BETH WETZEL

While we agree that homemade chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven are the very best kind, we also know there’s times when buying a batch from the grocery store bakery is the best option. For those times when you need to pick up a dozen (or more!) from the bakery, we had Southern Living staffers participate in a taste test to find out which store-bought chocolate chip cookies are the most delicious.

To conduct this taste test, we purchased chocolate chip cookies from the bakery section of seven popular grocery stores. The cookies were removed from their packaging and cut into quarters for testers to be able to taste them without any identifying factors.

Tasters were asked to rank each chocolate chip cookie on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. After tasting each of the cookies in the test, they were then tasked with choosing their overall favorite.

Testers were quick to note that this cookie was very chewy, almost too chewy for some. And while testers liked the buttery flavor profile, most noted that it was overall lacking the true chocolate chip cookie flavor. This cookie was ranked near the bottom of the list, but one editor did select it as their top pick.

Unlike the first cookie in the taste test, this cookie was said to have a nice crunch. "This tastes more homemade than I expected," wrote one editor. "I like the soft, yet crunchy texture." Some testers noted that they wish the cookies had more chocolate chips. One tester did choose this cookie as their overall favorite and (spoiler alert!) these cookies were ranked pretty highly among the group coming in second place of all the cookies in the taste test.

No testers in the group chose this cookie as their favorite. While multiple testers did note that they really like the chocolate chips used in the cookie, overall the consensus was that they were too dry and lacked flavor.

A couple testers from the group chose Aldi's Bake Shop cookie as their overall favorite. One of the testers who selected this cookie as their overall favorite said, "This one tasted closest to homemade to me." And another shared, "I'm a fan of this one! Love the large chocolate chips and consistency of the cookie."

Before even tasting this cookie, several editors noted that it was visually appealing and looked the most homemade out of the group. Once testers took a bite, they were also impressed with the texture and ratio of the chocolate chunks used in the cookie. It was chosen by multiple testers as their overall favorite. "I feel like this is the most classic store-bought cookie," said one editor. Another said it was the best balance of butter, salt, and chocolate.

The first thing testers noticed about this cookie was how thin it was compared to the others in the taste test. Then once they took a bite, most said it wasn't necessarily bad but also didn't taste like a traditional chocolate chip cookie.While one tester from the group selected this cookie as their favorite, it ranked near the bottom of the list.

Testers were quick to note that they loved the chocolate chunks used in this cookie. A couple testers selected Member's Mark's cookie as their favorite of the group. One tester who picked this cookie as their overall favorite and summed it up by saying, "I liked the chewiness on this one the best and its brown sugar flavor." Another wrote, "Feels like a classic chocolate chip cookie, it's a balanced texture because it's chewy and soft."

ROBBIE CAPONETTO; STYLIST: MARY BETH WETZEL

While the editors that participated in the taste test all agreed that none of these cookies would pass as homemade, when it was time to crown a winner, Kirkland Signature's Gourmet Chocolate Chunk Cookies from the Costco Bakery took the top spot. Testers liked that it tasted like a classic cookie, the size of the chocolate chunks, and the overall freshness for a store-bought choice."This one had the best balance of cookie to chip," shared one tester when selecting it as their top pick. "It was chewy without being overly so... buttery and sweet without feeling like it came out of a box."