Supermarket Standoff: Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Katherine Kims, BonAppetit.com

Cookie Dough Taste Testing
Photos : Katherine Kims

We have embarked on a taste test tour of supermarket foods. We nibble, we score, and we share the results to help you avoid the paralysis of Brand Choice Overload. Today's topic:
chocolate chip cookie dough. After two grueling, back-to-back yogurt standoffs, cookies were a welcome relief to our taste testers. We tried five pre-made chocolate chip cookie doughs including Pillsbury, Nestle, and other supermarket staples. Some turned out crunchy and sweet, others chewy and chocolate-y, but our staff was largely in agreement and the top three won by a landslide.
A big factor was chocolate flavor--chip-to-cookie ratio, and how much they actually tasted like good chocolate. Aesthetics also popped up in a lot of our staff's notes (apparently, when it comes to cookies, looks do matter). However, nutritionist Marissa Lippert pointed out the trans fat (ack!) and partially hydrogenated kernel oil in the prettiest-looking cookie--Pillsbury's.
We still believe that homemade chocolate chip cookies made with all-natural ingredients will knock these guys out of the park for flavor and health value. But in a pinch, it's good to know how things stack up in grocery store aisles. Baking the cookies couldn't have been more simple (that's the point, right?): Open package, pull out pre-cut round/square, place on ungreased, unlined baking sheet, bake for 10 to 15 minutes. This was by far our most popular taste test to date--even Editor in Chief Adam Rapoport snagged a photo for Twitter.

Our Favorites for Flavor

#1 Trader Joe's Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Nutrition: One cookie (28g) = 120 calories, 60 calories from fat, 6g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 20mg cholesterol, 60mg sodium, 17g total carbs, 0g dietary fiber, 8g sugars, 1g protein, 4% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron Ingredients: flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla, milk fat), sweet butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, molasses, vanillas, salt, baking soda.
Cost: $3.49 at Trader Joe's.
Blind Tasting Notes: "excellent chewy consistency", "nice and soft", "chewy and delicious", "not too sweet", "doesn't look awesome but my favorite", "perfectly integrated chocolate [that's] all melty", "perfect chocolate to dough ratio".

#2 Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Flavored Cookies
Nutrition: One Cookie (29g) = 130 calories, 60 calories from fat, 6g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 1.5g trans fat, less than 5mg cholesterol, 95mg sodium, 18g total carbs, 0g dietary fiber, 11g sugars, 0% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron.
Ingredients: enriched flour cleached (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, chocolate flavored chips (sugar, partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, cocoa, cocoa processed with alkali, dextrose, soy lecithin), partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, water. Contains 2% or less of: molasses, wheat protein isolate, baking powder (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate), salt, eggs, artificial flavor, nonfat milk.
Cost: $3.99.
Blind Tasting Notes: "nice appearance, looks the best", "a little too thin", "buttery and too sweet", "love the texture--crispy at edges, slight chew inside", "delicious, suspiciously so".

#3 Wholly Wholesome Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Nutrition: One cookie (26g) = 120 calories, 45 calories from fat, 5g total fat, 3.5g total fat, 0g trans fat, 15mg cholesterol, 85mg sodium, 17g total carbs, 1g dietary fiber, 9g sugars, 1g protein, 2% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 2% iron.

Ingredients: organic wheat flour, organic chocolate chips (organic can sugar, organic cocoa paste, organic cocoa butter, soy lecithin, organic vanilla), organic can sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, molasses, sea salt, baking soda, vanilla extract.
Cost: $4.99 at Whole Foods.
Blind Tasting Notes: "slightly bitter...significant amount of chips", "very buttery...dough-y tasting", "too crispy, not chewy enough", "too much vanilla".

Nutritionist Marissa Lippert's Picks

#1 Wholly Wholesome Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
See notes above for more information.

News Source: Yahoo

#2 Immaculate Baking Co. Chocolate Chunk
Nutrition: One cookie (16.5g) = 80 calories, 30 calories from fat, 3.5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 5mg cholesterol, 40mg sodium, 10g total carbs, 0g dietary fiber, 6g sugars, 1g protein, 0% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron.
Ingredients: Organic unbleached wheat flour, organic light brown sugar, organic palm fruit oil, chocolate chunks and ships (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract, milk), whole eggs, organic evaporated can juice, organic invert cane sugar, vanilla, sea salt, baking powder.
Cost: $3.50 at Whole Foods.
Blind Tasting Notes: "weird space food texture", "tastes like fish", "not enough chocolate", "crisp...great flavor", "looks better than it tastes", "a bit bitter...really crunchy".