I tried 6 brands of packaged chocolate-chip cookies, and I was most disappointed by a cult-favorite

To keep things as consistent as possible throughout the taste test, I opted to buy as many original (typically meaning crispy) cookies as I could find.

This included the ultra-thin chocolate-chip cookies from Tate's Bake Shop. I've heard a lot of great things about this cult-favorite brand based in New York.

I'd never tried these before because I typically prefer thick, chewy cookies, and these are marketed as being extremely thin and crispy.

This pack was the most expensive one I tried, even though it was on sale for $5.99 and originally priced at $6.49. These cookies came to about $0.86 an ounce on sale, or $0.93 an ounce at full price.

At first glance, I liked the resealable paper bag. Inside, there were two plastic cartons, each individually wrapped in additional plastic, likely to help the cookies stay fresh and intact.

However, when I pulled out a carton, many of the cookies were broken. Maybe I just got unlucky with the package I chose, but I could see how so many cookies broke once I saw how thin and delicate they were.

The cookies were a very dark brown with a smooth surface and not many chocolate chips. Flavor-wise, they were buttery and sweet, but I didn't think there was nearly enough chocolate in each cookie.

The texture was much crispier than I tend to prefer, but I liked that these cookies melted in my mouth.

Pepperidge Farm sells a variety of cookies, including several chocolate-chip options. Its thin-and-crispy cookies looked closest to many of the other brands I was trying.

These, like Tate's, came in a paper bag, although the Pepperidge Farm bag wasn't easily resealable. Inside, there were also two plastic cartons of cookies that weren't wrapped in plastic.

The 6.9-ounce package of cookies cost me $3.99 on sale and were originally $4.19. That's $0.58 an ounce on sale or $0.61 for full price.

Though I expected these to be a lot like Tate's, none of them were broken, and they weren't as delicate. They also had more heft to them and seemed loaded with chocolate chips.

The surface was crinkly and lightly golden brown. Each cookie was crispy, but not too hard.

The cookie itself was delicious. It wasn't super sweet, thankfully, because the milk-chocolate chips were already overly sugary.

I think these cookies would be a top contender for me if they were made with semisweet chips instead.

The iconic blue packaging hasn't changed much since I was a kid, and it was exciting to pick up the original Chips Ahoy cookies I grew up eating.

I typically prefer the chewy version, but the original is also good — at least from what I can remember.

I bought a 13-ounce resealable package on sale for $4.29, though it was originally priced at $4.79. That's $0.33 an ounce on sale or $0.37 an ounce at full price.

The cookies were small, but they had miniature semisweet chocolate chips that were less overwhelming than normal-sized chips.

The cookies were lightly golden brown with some crinkles, and they were thicker than the Tate's or Pepperidge Farm cookies. 

They were lightweight but hard to break apart — and yet, they somehow had a slight chewiness to them when I took a bite.

I liked that neither the cookie nor the chocolate chips were overly sweet. The flavor was slightly buttery, and there was an ideal balance of chocolate to cookie.

In similar blue packaging, Kroger's ChipMates cookies appeared very similar to Chips Ahoy.

They were also the most affordable cookies I tried — the larger 13-ounce container cost me only $2.99, about $0.23 an ounce.

I just wish the package had a resealable component, like many of the other brands, to help prevent staleness.

The Kroger-brand cookies looked pretty good. They had plenty of crinkles and lots of small chocolate chips. The centers were light brown, with a darker golden color along the edges.

I noticed they were very difficult to break apart, and they were also a little dry and extra crunchy. As for flavor, I found them to be quite bland. 

Looking at the ingredients, the Chips Ahoy cookies are made with both sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, while the ChipMates cookies have sugar and a very small amount of molasses. That might be why they weren't as sweet as the competition.

I like a cookie that isn't extremely sweet, but these had very little flavor and were too tough in texture. Fortunately, that's nothing a glass of milk couldn't solve, and they were super affordable. 

I grew up eating Keebler's fudge-striped cookies, but I'd never actually tried its chocolate-chip variety.

I love the brand's other offerings, so I had high expectations for the classic chocolate-chip cookie.

These cookies were another more affordable option. I got the 12.6-ounce resealable package on sale for $3 (originally $3.79) — that's $0.24 an ounce on sale (or $0.30 an ounce full price).

The Keebler cookies were a tad buttery but not very sweet aside from the mini semisweet chocolate chips.

The flavor didn't stand out to me in an extreme way, but I really liked the texture of these cookies. They felt soft from the outside, but they were crunchy with a nice melt-in-your-mouth quality.

Also, I appreciate that Keebler didn't skimp on the chocolate chips.

I love many Pillsbury products (especially the cinnamon rolls and crescent rolls), so finding out the brand makes a chewy chocolate-chip cookie was just icing on the cake.

The brand doesn't make a crispy version, so I already knew this would make it unique from the other cookies on the list.

The 9.53-ounce package cost me $3.99, or $0.42 an ounce.

The Pillsbury cookies were light brown and had many chocolate chips.

I could tell just from picking up a cookie that they were moist and chewy. They really delivered on texture; they were dense yet super soft.

The only downside for me is that the flavor just wasn't what I was expecting. Rather than being buttery or warm, the cookies just tasted sweet and left behind an almost artificial aftertaste I didn't love.

In terms of flavor, Chips Ahoy won this battle for me. The cookies weren't bland or overly sweet, and they didn't leave behind any aftertaste.

I typically prefer a soft-baked cookie (and Chips Ahoy does make a great chewy version), but the texture of these cookies was still excellent. They were buttery and crispy, but not too crunchy. They had a good chocolate-to-cookie ratio, too.

I loved the texture of the soft-baked Pillsbury cookies the most. Even though I didn't love the taste and found them a little too sweet, I'd still be happy to eat them anytime.

Some of the other cookies fell into a middle range for me, but Tate's are the only ones I don't think I'd buy again.

This was my first time trying the popular cookies, and although I liked their buttery, melt-in-the-mouth quality, they were way too thin and crunchy for my preferences.

Additionally, I was disappointed that these were the most expensive cookies, and half of my package was broken.

All in all, most of these cookies are more than welcome in my pantry — but the classic Chips Ahoy will remain my go-to.

This story was originally published on January 16, 2023, and most recently updated on December 2, 2025.