I was recently interviewed by Women’s Wold Magazine. The reporter wanted to know my opinion on the best store bought cookie dough. It got me to thinking, more specifically, about the best Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Ya’ll know how much I LOVE my Chocolate Chip Cookies. I just don’t think life would exist without them. Am I wrong? I think not…

So since I’m always up for a new cookie adventure, I went down to the store and purchased every chocolate chip cookie dough I could lay my hands on.

Did you know that 50% of all cookies baked at home are chocolate chip? And for good reason!

I got back into my kitchen and found that I had ended up with 5 different doughs from two different stores. Whole Foods Market, and Safeway.

Here’s what I got:

• ~The Imaculate Baking Company – Triple Chocolate Cookie Dough
• ~Ice Box Bakery – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• ~ La Boulange – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• ~ Pillsbury® Simply™ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• ~ Pillsbury® Create ‘n Bake™ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I spent a good portion of my morning baking every last cookie. I tried them all myself, and had friends and family over for a cookie tasting as well. What were the results?

First Place:

The #1, hands-down, absolute taste-test winner was: Pillsbury Create ‘n Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. This is that blue “sausage roll” you buy in the refrigerator section of the grocery store, right next to the yellow Nestle Toll House “sausage roll”. (Which has been recalled, by the way)

These cookies had the best overall flavor. Just what you’d expect from a chocolate chip cookie. They were chewy in the inside, and just slightly crisp on the outside. Eaten right out of the oven, the chocolate chips were gooey and fabulous.

Second Place:

Ice Box Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: If you are looking for an all natural dough, this is a fantastic cookie. The first batch I baked turned out kind of hard and crunch, but had good flavor. So the next batch, I sliced at 1/2 inch (instead of a 1/4 like the directions say), and I kept a close eye on them. I took them out of the oven just as the edges were barely turning golden brown.

My efforts were well rewarded.  While not quite as gooey as the Pillsbury, these were excellent cookies. And all natural to boot!

Third Place:

La Boulange Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: These were a “middle of the road” kind of cookie. They had a slight “powdery” taste to them. Almost like they had a bit to much flour in them. But the amount of sugary sweetness was just right, and they had a nice texture. Plus, they are made with organic flour. I found these to be an “okay” second choice against the Ice Box Bakery cookies.

Fourth Place:

The Immaculate Baking Company – Triple Chocolate Cookie Dough: I threw these in just to see if an actual chocolate cookie would be any better than one with only chocolate chips.

I had a hard time with these. While they were good, I expected a heavier chocolate flavor. The chocolate was really more of an “after taste”, and the main flavor, which is odd for an all chocolate cookie. But what I did taste of the chocolate, tasted like the real stuff. Like actual, good quality cocoa. So these were good, but I still prefer just a regular old chocolate chip cookie.

Fifth Place:

Pillsbury Simply- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: I don’t know where Pillsbury went wrong here, especially since their regular dough is so good. But I don’t recommend these cookies. Their texture was “okay”, but the flavor was a bit “dry” and underwhelming. Not a great chocolate chip cookie.

So there you have it. My final say on store bought chocolate chip cookie dough. For now anyway…

Happy Baking!

P.s. – I should mention that I tried these all, right out of the oven while they were warm and fragrant. I couldn’t tell you how they were the next day because they didn’t last that long. Go figure.

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