10 Store-Bought Cookie Doughs, Ranked Worst To Best

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From delicious frosted sugar cookies to quickly crafted peanut butter cookies, there are few things I enjoy more than one of these little sweet treats fresh from the oven. But sometimes even the 10 to 15 minutes it takes to whip up a batch of the simplest cookies takes too much time or effort — especially on weekdays after work, school events, supper, and a million other things. When this happens, I like to reach for store-bought cookie doughs. These convenient options are already pre-mixed and formed into little balls or squares, which takes practically all the prep work out of baking. Plus, they have a leg up on boxed or bagged cookies because you still get that fresh-out-of-the-oven, warm cookie experience. Unfortunately, not every store-bought cookie dough is worth purchasing. How can you tell which will satisfy your sweet tooth and which will leave you disappointed?

I was wondering that same question after a few negative experiences over the years. Thankfully, I was given the opportunity to answer it by taste testing several store-bought cookie doughs. After judging them based on taste and texture using my food industry background and other relevant experiences, I reported my findings back here by ranking each cookie dough from worst to best. You can find more about my methodology at the end of this article if you're interested. Ready to discover which cookie doughs have earned their spot in your grocery cart? Let's get into it.

Sweet Loren's is a brand I wasn't previously familiar with, but I was intrigued by because it offers cookie doughs free from the top nine major allergens. The facility where its cookie dough is manufactured is also dedicated free of gluten, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame — making this brand an excellent option for people with food allergies. That being said, the Gluten-Free Monster Cookie Dough wouldn't be a flavor I recommend.

The texture was a bit grainier and more distinctly gluten-free than the other Sweet Loren's options on this list. Unfortunately, the taste followed suit. It had a distinctly gluten-free edge to it — although not nearly as much as some lower quality brands I've tried in the past. Despite the rest of the cookie being okay and baked appropriately, the colored chocolate bits were either burnt in the middle or so hard I could barely chew them.

Overall, I'm not a fan of this specific flavor, and wouldn't recommend it. While this option may have ranked in last place, allergy sufferers and people who need to eat gluten-free needn't be disappointed, as there are other wheat-free options that ranked higher.

Puff Cookies are unlike others on this list. They're meant to remain in little "puffs" or balls, which alters the textural ideal slightly from what I was looking for, as there aren't any sharply defined edges. That being said, the texture was just strange — it was a bit too grainy, with a mouthfeel that was simultaneously way too soft and too heavy. The flavor was bland, and the only reason it ranked higher than the last option is because it had no taste, rather than a bad taste.

Puff Cookies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough has allergen warnings for wheat, eggs, milk, and soy. There's also a cross-contamination warning for tree nuts and peanuts, with the tree nuts being walnuts and pecans. On the flip side, some people may like to know that these cookies are free of high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial flavors or dyes.

If you're craving them, I recommend taking the time to make chocolate chip cookies at home instead. I know I wouldn't buy or eat these (or any other Puff Cookies products) again.

These Puff Cookies had the same textural issues as the previous option: They were too grainy, too soft, and somehow also too heavy. However, ranking these one spot above their brand counterpart was easy because at least this one had some small semblance of taste. Although it was still quite bland; instead of pure "nothing," this carried faint notes of chocolate and sugar. The flavor wasn't quite semi-sweet, as it felt like someone dumped a bit of granulated sugar on unsweetened morsels without melting or combining them properly.

Puff Cookies Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough has the same allergen warnings as the previous product. Honestly, there weren't any striking differences between the two Puff Cookies brand products, and both left me disappointed. I wouldn't buy nor eat them again, and I'd recommend you also avoid them.

Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough, which was labeled "safe to eat raw" on the packaging, contains wheat and egg. There are also cross-contamination warnings for peanuts and macadamia nuts. This Pillsbury cookie was the definition of mediocrity. Texturally, it was okay, although it was a bit too crumbly (even for a sugar cookie). The taste was a little too subtle, with only the faintest hints of butter, sugar, and starch merging together. And I do mean faint, as in all the flavors were ghost-like instead of being fleshed out. The cookies themselves were a little small, but that wasn't a deal breaker.

I wouldn't buy these again. But since they're only mediocre and not terrible, I might be tempted to politely eat one if it was offered. Since excellent bakery-worthy sugar cookies are easy and quick to make from scratch at home, I recommend doing that if you have a craving for this specific type of cookie.

The Pillsbury Pumpkin Cookie Dough with Cream Cheese-Flavored Chunks provided yet another mediocre experience. The texture was fine overall, but the cream cheese chunks didn't offer the complexity I assumed they would. In fact, the cream cheese didn't come through in the flavor profile, either, so it may as well not have been included. The entire flavor of this cookie was overwhelming pumpkin paired with faint warming spices. Although not bad, there was no real depth, which might have been fixed had the cream cheese come through at all.

Like many Pillsbury products, this one is labeled "safe to eat raw." Although I know, from my food background, that most raw cookie dough carry a salmonella risk, Pillsbury appears to circumvent this by using heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs, which makes the dough safe to eat. Outside of this, these Pillsbury cookies have allergen warnings for wheat, milk, soy, and egg, as well as cross-contamination warnings for peanuts and macadamia nuts.

This is another cookie that falls under the umbrella of "not terrible, but not noteworthy." I wouldn't buy it again and would rather make my own cookies using some of the best store-bought pumpkin spice syrups if a specific craving struck. But I would have a few nibbles if someone else offered me one.

Ghirardelli Classic Chocolate Chip Premium Cookie Dough contains egg, wheat, milk, and soy, so it's not suitable for a range of people with common food allergies. But if you can have it, this isn't a terrible option.

A soft, slightly chewy center was surrounded by a moderately firm edge and sprinkled with a modest number of gooey chocolate chips. I would have liked to see just a few more chocolate chips, but they did contribute a nice layer of rich chocolate to the flavor profile. You'd miss the faint, buttery hints of subtle brown sugar if you weren't looking for them. If the flavor had a little more depth, this would have ranked better. But it did have a stronger flavor than lower-ranked options, which made placing it in the middle of this list an easy choice.

Like most of the other cookie doughs sitting in the middle of the ranking, this one is exceptionally average. Although it didn't provide a terrible experience, it'll likely fade from my memories soon after this list has been written. That being said, I'd still definitely eat it again.

I know earlier I mentioned that Sweet Loren's was gluten-free and allergen-friendly, but it's worth noting that its products are vegan, too. This Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cookie Dough starts the part of the list where we go from mediocre cookie doughs to those I thought were quite good.

A robust pumpkin dominated the flavor profile, accented by mild warm spices and faint buttery tones. I would have liked to see a little more strength in both of these flavors, but overall, it was still a pleasant eating experience. Although the flavor profile was slightly lacking, the superb texture was what really pushed this ahead of lower-ranked options. When I think of the perfect chewy cookie texture, this is exactly what I think of: a soft interior with a mild grainy chewiness and a firm, somewhat crunchy edge. The best part was that I couldn't tell it was gluten-free either in terms of taste and texture. 

I would buy this again if I were specifically craving pumpkin spice, since this was the best ranked cookie dough of that flavor. And I'd definitely eat it again — especially during the fall months when I enjoy seasonal flavors like pumpkin, apple, and maple.

I had high expectations for Ghirardelli's cookies because they come from a brand I know well and have had overwhelmingly positive experiences with. I'm not the only one, either. Another one of our writers ranked its dark chocolate highly. While the lower-ranked Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough didn't really live up to those expectations, these Chocolate Chip Brownie ones absolutely did.

The first thing that stood out to me about these cookies was their incredibly robust chocolate flavor. Their boldness never felt overpowering, as the intensity was balanced by buttery undertones and a surprisingly strong brown sugar depth. The texture was soft and fluffy rather than chewy in the center, and they had a crisp edge. The package has allergen warnings for egg, wheat, milk, and soy.

I would definitely buy these again, since I'm a big fan of chocolate and this is the most chocolate-heavy cookie dough on the list. However, I'll mostly be sticking to my top two options when my sweet tooth strikes.

I expected that Pillsbury would do well overall, but it didn't quite stack up to other brands when compared side-by-side — except for this pack of Pillsbury Big Cookies S'mores Cookie Dough, which I grabbed last minute. I'm glad I did because it turned out to be the epitome of deliciousness.

Once baked, the cookies featured a fluffy center and a flavor that captures both campfire s'mores and a basic sugar cookie. The graham cracker bits infused a bit of crispy cinnamon-like punch into each bite and were accented by rich chocolate chips and gooey toasted marshmallows. Together, they created a complex flavor profile and textural intrigue — everything I wanted from a busy cookie. While this was an amazing cookie, it's not suitable for folks with allergies to wheat, soy, eggs, milk, macadamia nuts, or peanuts. But if you fall into this category, you'll especially appreciate the next option.

It was a near-tie for first place. Despite being quite different cookies, the top two options both excelled in every way in their unique category. Ultimately, I decided that the winner was superior in quality, which is why this Pillsbury option took second place. However, I look forward to eating these giant cookies again many times in the future and highly recommend you try them for yourself.

This Sweet Loren's Gluten-Free Chocolate Lover's Cookie Dough absolutely blew me away. I had to double-check the packaging to be sure it was gluten-free because it didn't taste or feel like it was. I'll even go out on a limb and say this was the best chocolate chip cookie from a store-bought dough I've ever had, gluten-free or otherwise — and I don't frequently make those kinds of claims.

What made these so good was the combination of simplicity, depth, and balance. The base cookie featured moderate buttery notes (not containing any actual butter), and a smoky molasses depth alongside light sugary notes. The generous combination of chocolate chunks and chips ensured there was gooey, melty chocolate in every bite. Texturally, those chunks and chips brought some interest against the soft, perfectly chewy center and slightly crisper cookie edges. I truly have nothing bad to say here.

Since these cookies are free from the top nine allergens and are also gluten-free, vegan, and pareve, nearly everyone can try them, which is why they earned the title of the best store-bought cookie dough. I highly recommend grabbing yourself a package the next time a craving for a good cookie strikes.

I chose store-bought cookie doughs that I could locate near me in Vineland, New Jersey. I judged each one based primarily on taste and texture. In terms of flavor, I was looking for a cookie that tasted like its advertised flavor. Texturally, I was looking for a cookie that was soft and a little fluffy or chewy in the middle, with crisp edges. Although I included allergens, this was not a factor in the ranking; it was to help people make the most informed purchasing decision based on their unique needs.

To make my final list, I primarily relied on my more than 15 years of experience in the food industry. Part of this career was spent in bakeries, where I made more cookies than I could ever hope to count in a wide range of shapes, flavors, and sizes. Baking cookies at home, extensive previous consumership of cookies, and prior work for Daily Meal also contributed. This includes a write-up of my professional tips for making rum cake, and my ranking of Chips Ahoy! Cookies. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased as possible about product quality.