7 Costco Kirkland Cookies, Ranked Worst To Best

One of the many perks of being a Costco member is having access to the chain's excellent bakery department. Walking among the towering piles of pastries, the massive cooler filled with colorful cakes, and the bounty of bagels and baguettes is heaven to any baked goods lover. The one area that always seems to draw the most attention, however, is the cookie section. It's no wonder — you can get dozens of in-house, fresh-baked Kirkland Signature cookies at incredible bargain prices.

I've treated myself to Kirkland Signature cookies plenty of times. Some varieties I've loved, some have been underwhelming. I'd never put each cookie to the test, though. So on my last Costco visit, I grabbed every flavor of bakery cookie the store had to offer to find out how they stack up against one another — all in the name of science, of course. A few of these flavors were new to me, as Costco does rotate some of its bakery items seasonally and often introduces limited-time varieties. Most of them, though, were familiar classics. I did my best to put aside my preconceived notions and go in with an open mind. Here is how the rankings shook out.

What bums me out about Kirkland Signature's sweet and salty cookies, which are a fairly new addition to the bakery's lineup, is that the idea is fantastic. A brown butter cookie filled with chocolate and caramel chips and studded with bits of pretzel — what's not to love? Unfortunately, the reality doesn't live up to the promise. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but these were easily the most disappointing cookies of the bunch, and it wasn't even close.

I'm not even certain I can quite pinpoint why these were so much blander than the other cookies, because with these ingredients that shouldn't be physically possible. For some reason, none of the elements quite worked, and they didn't come together as a whole. The so-called "salted caramel chips" didn't taste like much of anything and had an oddly pasty texture, while the pretzel pieces were nicely crunchy but, again, I could barely detect any salt. About 90% of the bites I took were just sweet, and while I enjoyed the brown butter base, I wanted it to be richer and nuttier. The best part was the chocolate chips, but with that being the case, why would I reach for these over Kirkland's far superior chocolate chunk cookies? I wouldn't.

Whenever I try Kirkland Signature's double nut cookies, I wonder what the thought process was behind this recipe. They're called double nut, which refers to macadamia nuts and cashews, but the primary ingredient isn't a nut at all, but white chocolate chunks. Perhaps Costco doesn't want to call them white chocolate cookies because they're hesitant to step into the debate over whether it's really chocolate? Regardless, I love macadamias and cashews on their own, but both are soft in texture and mellow in flavor so they don't bring a ton of interest or contrast to the table. 

These cookies are soft and chewy, the nuts are soft and chewy, and the white chocolate chunks are soft, mild, and very sweet, making these cookies taste one-note. If either of the nuts was swapped out for something crunchier or more flavorful — maybe a walnut or a pecan — I could see them working better, or if the cookies themselves were crispier. These cookies do melt in your mouth, which is pleasant, but I wish there was some sort of flavor or texture contrast to bring more dimension.

Of all the Kirkland Signature cookie varieties I tried, the mini chocolate chip cookies tasted the least like they were baked fresh. If you told me these were a mass-produced brand, I wouldn't doubt it for a second. These cute little cookies also suffer from comparison to Kirkland's full-sized chocolate chunk cookies, which effortlessly blow them out of the water. 

That said, these do have a few things going for them. First, they're chocolate chip cookies, and even a mediocre chocolate chip cookie is still delicious. Second, the small size makes them fun to eat and easily portable. Third, they're positively packed with chocolate chips, so you never get a plain bite. Unfortunately, these chocolate chips just don't have the same satisfying intensity as the chocolate chunks in Costco's other cookies, and when I tasted them side by side, I lost interest in these so fast I got whiplash. 

These mini chocolate chip cookies made our list of Costco's overpriced bakery items, with multiple reports from customers about their inconsistency, particularly regarding texture — sometimes chewy, sometimes crispy or even stale; you just never know what you'll get. My batch was okay, but nothing I'd run out to purchase again.

I try not to be an oatmeal raisin cookie hater, because I do think that when they're well made, they can be wonderfully delicious, with intriguing textures and just enough sweetness. I do have an instinctual aversion based purely on the number of times I've been burned by them, having mistakenly expected chocolate chip and then experiencing the catastrophic letdown of biting into a raisin instead. Going into Costco's cookies clear-eyed and knowing what to expect, however, I had a much more positive oatmeal raisin experience.

Some oatmeal raisin cookies I've had in the past have tended to be too dense, coming across more like a protein bar than a sweet treat. Kirkland Signature's manage to avoid that pitfall. They offer a rich, honeyed sweetness, with a pop of cinnamon flavor that adds a pleasant warmth to each bite. These cookies are pleasantly chewy without being tough, satisfyingly sweet without being cloying, and they don't taste like they came from a health food store. While these cookies check all of the boxes they're meant to check, they just aren't exciting enough to fall anywhere but the middle of the pack. 

One may argue that a madeleine is more of a cake than a cookie, and there is certainly some truth to that. Madeleines are made from Genoese sponge batter that's baked in a specific pan, which gives them their distinctive scalloped shell shape. Because of their small hand-held size, they're utilized more like a cookie, often dipped in tea or coffee and sometimes frosted or glazed. Costco sells its traditional madeleines by the dozen in the cookie section, so for our purposes here, we're throwing them in the cookie category. 

Kirkland Signature's madeleines may not send you on a psychological journey like Marcel Proust, but they are a delightful version of the classic treat. Soft, spongy, bouncy, and light, they exude a pleasantly simple and sunny personality.  These madeleines are delicate and cheerful, with a subtle buttery sweetness that allows them to be enjoyed any time of day — I had one with my morning coffee, and another with an after-dinner dessert wine, and they were lovely on both occasions. They are a bit of a blank slate, which adds to their versatility, but keeps them out of the top spots in this ranking.

While Kirkland Signature's marshmallow crispy cookies landed in second place, they do take the title as the most surprising. I'm not usually that crazy about marshmallows, so my expectations were on the low side, and boy were they upended. These cookies have a texture that's unlike any of Kirkland's other bakery offerings, thanks to the inclusion of crispy rice that adds a satisfyingly airy crunchiness. Basically, these are rice krispies treats in the form of a cookie.

What works so well here is the gooeyness of the melted marshmallows, which add pockets of silky sweetness to complement the golden brown crunch of the cookie base. The contrast of textures, along with the fact that the cookie part itself isn't too sweet, allows each element to shine even as they effortlessly meld together. My love for these cookies was so out of left field for me that it was tough not to give them the gold medal just because of the surprise factor, but after revisiting an old favorite, these faded a bit into the background. Still, I think Costco's marshmallow crispy cookies are an absolute triumph of baking ingenuity. I might need to experiment with some Rice Krispies toppings on these cookies just for fun, but they certainly stand on their own.

If you come at the king, you best not miss, and Kirkland Signature's chocolate chunk cookies are the undisputed reigning monarch of Costco's bakery cookie section. Despite some strong showings from other contenders, no one else had what it took to dethrone what has historically been by far my favorite of the classic Kirkland cookie variety pack, and rightfully the only one that's also sold on its own. Some heretics out there will tell you that these chocolate chunk cookies aren't worth the price, but I would disavow you of that notion. I defy you to find a chocolate chip cookie that's more unabashedly, decadently packed with the good stuff.

Unless you are nibbling at these like a squirrel, you're unlikely to get a single bite of one of these that isn't at least equal parts chocolate and cookie. The rustic, uneven sizes and shapes of the chocolate chunks give each cookie a mountainous topography that creates dips and craters so that some bites are thin and crisp, while others are lusciously thick and soft. My only nitpick about these cookies is that they're so rich, so chocolatey, so intense, that it's hard to get through an entire 24-cookie package while they're still fresh. That's an easily solvable problem, though, if you're willing to share. Don't worry, you won't lack for people who'll take you up on that offer.

I shopped at my local Costco and purchased all of the Kirkland Signature cookies that were available in the bakery department. I tasted each variety individually and assessed them all based on taste, quality, and texture.

Once I had noted my initial impressions, I returned to the cookies over the course of a few days to reassess and see how well they held up. I also took into account the opinions of friends and family members who tried them, in order to break any ties.