The Best Store-Bought Cookie Doughs, According to Our Taste Test

Holiday cookie boxes seemingly get more elaborate every year, with sparkly frosting and designs almost too pretty to eat. But there’s still a place for classic chocolate chip cookies, and for the extra convenience of store-bought cookie dough — when it’s holiday crunch time, we all deserve an easy win with a beloved crowd-pleaser.

We tested five store-bought chocolate chip cookie doughs so you’ll know which ones to grab at the grocery store and pair with a cold glass of milk.

How we selected the cookie doughs

We wanted to test one flavor to keep things consistent, and from the start, we knew we had to go with the obvious choice: classic chocolate chip, the most common across every brand. While companies offer plenty of variations on chocolate chop cookies, we focused only on classic cookies with standard-size chips (no mini chocolate chips).

Most refrigerated cookie doughs in supermarkets are sold pre-portioned, either as “slice-and-bake” logs or slabs with “break-and-bake” pieces. For this test, we only considered pre-portioned dough and excluded tubs meant for scooping, since we wanted to test the most convenient baking format. Finally, we excluded any gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan cookie doughs. 

How we tested

We baked all of the cookies according to their package directions. Nestlé Toll House, Pillsbury, and Great Value all instructed bakers to use an ungreased baking sheet; since Miss Jones Baking Co. did not specify, we used an ungreased sheet. Trader Joe’s was the only brand that called for baking the cookies on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet. Every brand specified a baking temperature of 350°F. Some brands included extra baking tips, but we only followed the basic baking instructions.

We tasted each cookie plain and scored the cookies on a one-to-five scale for flavor and texture, with one being the lowest and five the highest. For flavor, we looked for a chocolate chip cookie that tasted as close to from-scratch as possible. For texture, we wanted crisp edges with a soft, tender center, plus enough structure and chew to offer a slight resistance. We also gave each cookie an overall score that reflected how much our testers enjoyed it and how likely they would be to purchase it themselves. As with all our tests, we were unaware of the brands during the tasting.

We averaged the scores and determined the three cookie doughs we’ll be rolling with for holiday cookie boxes, bake sales, and late-night snacks.

Best overall: Miss Jones Baking Co. Jumbo Bakery Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 

If you’re not baking chocolate chip cookies from scratch, Miss Jones is an extremely convincing homemade dupe. For our tasters, everything about this cookie seemed like it came from an avid baker, down to its almost perfectly circular shape after a good pan-bang. We found that it hit the sweet spot between deep semisweet chocolate flavor, warm brown sugar, and just enough salt. The texture was chewy but not toothsome. 

Unlike most store-bought doughs, this one is made with real butter rather than vegetable oil or an oil blend — which some tasters detected. “It tastes like a real cookie made with real ingredients — exactly what you imagine a homemade chocolate chip cookie should taste like,” said F&W tester Melissa-Gray Streett. Despite the name, these “jumbo” cookies baked up to be roughly the size of a standard homemade chocolate chip cookie. The only downside? There are only six cookie dough balls in a pack, so if you’re making this for a crowd, grab a few at the store. 

Best chocolate flavor: Trader Joe’s Super Chocolatey Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 

Made with semisweet chunks instead of chips, these cookies were by far the most chocolate-forward. The cocoa flavor intensity reminded us of brownie batter or chocolate lava cake, with just enough gentle bitterness to add depth and complexity. The chunks were generously distributed throughout, so our tasters got chocolate in nearly every bite. We also loved how the dough’s toffee and vanilla notes played against the chocolate. “There’s a ton of chocolate chunks visible on top, and I like how they create hills and valleys on the cookie,” said F&W recipe tester Isabelle Easter.

Out of all the cookies we tried, this one was the chewiest from edge to center. Not every tester loved it, but most agreed it was a fair trade-off for the rich flavor.

Best classic: Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Roll 

For nearly a century, Toll House has been an American baking staple, and its ready-to-bake cookie dough has been a mainstay in grocery refrigerated aisles since the 1990s. In our masked test, they tasted like pure nostalgia, with a familiar balance of semisweet chocolate morsels and a prominent vanilla flavor.

“Light and crispy on the edges and chewy on the inside, these taste like a classic chocolate chip cookie,” said F&W Recipe Tester Anna Theoktisto. These cookies baked up smaller than the other contenders, and some tasters remarked on a crumbly texture. Still, we enjoyed the them and found ourselves going back for more.

The full list of contenders, ranked from highest to lowest 

1. Miss Jones Baking Co. Jumbo Bakery Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 
2. Trader Joe’s Super Chocolatey Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 
3. Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
4. Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
5. Great Value Ready to Bake Regular Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough