19 Trader Joe's Cookies, Ranked Worst To Best

Every time I walk down the aisles of my local Trader Joe's, I'm amazed by how many products I notice that have never caught my eye before. On my last visit, I looked up from the frozen section and, for the first time, took in the magnitude of the store's cookie selection. From end to end, there were tubs and boxes of cookies of all stripes and sizes. My initial sense of overwhelm was quickly replaced by glee as I grabbed as many packages of cookies as I could fit into my cart.

The goal of this shopping spree: to taste, review, and rank all of these Trader Joe's cookie options, in order to help guide fellow TJ's shoppers to the best of the best. Once I unloaded my haul, I proceeded to thoroughly investigate each cookie's taste and texture. Which Trader Joe's cookies are the most craveable, and which varieties should you skip? Read on to discover how they all stacked up.

I dug through this box of Trader Joe's Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies to try and find one single cookie that looked remotely like those pictured on the box. Maybe the chocolate was running low the day this batch was made, or something went wrong at the filling station, but the amount in the middle of every one of these cookies was laughably meager and unevenly applied. I thought that perhaps the chocolate's intensity would make up for its scarcity, but that wasn't the case. If I tried one of these blindfolded, I wouldn't even know it was there.

Despite the filling's scant amount and faint flavor, it does provide one thing: an unpleasantly firm bite. That's a shame, because the cookies that surround it are soft and light, not too sweet, and have a subtle nutty flavor. It's jarring to let your teeth sink into such a tender exterior only to have them smack into a hard barrier. Whatever's going on with these cookies, none of it makes sense.

Speaking of not making sense, Trader Joe's All the Things Cookies are baffling. I get that they're going for a sweet-savory, chewy-crunchy study in contrasts, but they're so jam-packed that nothing stands out and the whole cookie seems like a muddled mess. I'm all for over-the-top sweets, but sometimes less is more.

Here's what's thrown into the mix: corn flakes, pretzels, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crispy rice. There are maybe one or two chocolate chips per cookie, sometimes zero. A few times I got a bite that was all pretzel, purely salty with no sweetness whatsoever. These cookies have no identity, no purpose. It's chaos. By trying to be everything, they end up being nothing. If you like your cookies to send you on an existential, philosophical spiral, you might have an interesting experience with All the Things. Otherwise, I'd skip them.

With unimpressive performances by the two major elements that make up the French Chocolate Crepe Wafer Cookies from Trader Joe's, these ended up being one of the more underwhelming products on this roster. If a few things were tweaked, I could imagine these cookies being a home run, but as is, there's not much there. I mean that literally — the interior of these cookies is mostly empty space.

I have no problem with light, airy baked goods. The issue here is that the center of each cookie, which is a crepe that's been rolled up and crisped, is so brittle that one bite starts a chain reaction that causes the entire thing to crack and disintegrate. I barely got any crepe on my first time around, as it ended up as dust and shards on my table, leaving me holding half of an empty chocolate vessel, which had an odd carob-like flavor that I wasn't crazy about. Nothing here quite works.

Joe-Joe's are the Trader Joe's version of Oreo cookies, and some fans prefer them. I'm not the biggest fan of Oreos to begin with, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I found these to be a disappointment. The first issue I found was consistency. Pulling the tray from the package, I noticed that the cookie-to-filling ratios were all over the place, and everything looked haphazardly slapped together.

Messy food isn't a dealbreaker as long as the taste and texture make up for it, and while these cookies were fine in those departments, they didn't particularly impress in either. The chocolate cookies themselves are thinner and softer than Oreos, and while the creme has a recognizable vanilla note, it's not particularly flavorful. I don't see Joe-Joe's dethroning the reigning champion of sandwich cookies anytime soon.

Cherries are one of my S-tier fruits, so I was giddy when I saw these Cherry Pie Flavored Cookies at Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, they missed the mark and didn't please me as a lover of cherries or a fan of cherry pie. That's not an easy feat to accomplish, making these cookies almost impressive in their inability to wow me.

The best element of these cookies is dried Bing cherries, which offer a rich, deep, leathery cherry flavor, although not one that made me think of cherry pie. There are also white chocolate chips mixed in — another odd addition if you're going for this fruit pie flavor. The cookies themselves have a buttery flavor and crispy texture, but it's the topping that takes this cookie sideways. Described by Trader Joe's as "cherry pie flavored crunchy bits," these neon pink sprinkles taste like the kind of cheap maraschino cherries that get mindlessly thrown into kids' Shirley Temples. This candied, almost cough syrup-like flavor completely takes over. I'd much rather eat a slice of cherry pie — or even an actual cherry, for that matter.

Trader Joe's Orange & Cream Flavored Cookies are a notch above the Cherry Pie variety, but the two have a lot in common. I am guessing that both cookies come from the same producer based on their similar descriptions on the Trader Joe's website. The orange and cream flavors of this cookie at least present a cohesive flavor profile, bringing to mind childhood memories of cream-filled popsicles and trips to Orange Julius at the mall.

Once the initial flood of nostalgia faded, another sense memory crept in. I couldn't place it at first, but as I continued to ruminate, it hit me: Flintstones vitamins. There's a candied orange sensation that I can only describe as chalky that supersedes all other flavors and textures, and reminds me exactly of chewing on orange-flavored Flintstones vitamins as a kid. I presume this is thanks to the "orange and cream flavored crunchy bits" that are scattered across the tops of these cookies (per Trader Joe's). It's too bad, because there's a tasty orange cookie in there somewhere underneath that medicinal finish.

Compared to the previous two cookies on this list, which had one too many elements, Trader Joe's Crispy Oatmeal Cookies seemed to be lacking something. When a cookie's flavor profile is this simple — basically, it's just butter, sugar, and oats — it really needs to be exceptionally executed, and this cookie is fine, but unmemorable.

I found the texture to be a bit gritty, almost sandy, rather than buttery and rich. While typically I'm a proponent of adding extra salt to sweet treats, it doesn't quite work here. There's not enough sweetness to balance it out, so the salt lingers on your palate in a strange way. There's nothing too offensive about this cookie, but it's not something I'll ever crave.

Based on Nabisco's wildly successful Newtons, Trader Joe's Fig Cookies are an admirably close dupe of the popular snack. The figgy filling, in particular, is satisfyingly rich, fruity, and jammy without being cloying, thanks to a subtle tartness that brings the sweetness into balance. The cookie that's wrapped around the filling is the weakest part, but it's not necessarily bad — it simply falls short of the quality of the filling.

Compared to its brand-name competitor, Trader Joe's cookie exterior is lighter in color but a bit denser in texture, and not quite as moist. That said, if you're in this for the figs, the cookie's shortcomings can be easily overlooked, as they won't interfere much with your enjoyment of the fruit filling. Have these with a beverage to keep your mouth from drying out, and you'll be fine.

Considering these Soft-Baked Snickerdoodles are vegan and gluten-free, they're very impressive little cookies. Tender and moist even after a few days in an open container, these one- or two-bite morsels have a subtly sweet flavor with hints of earthiness and caramelized sugar. The thing is, these are not similar in color, size, or flavor to any snickerdoodle I've ever had.

Understandably, because of the ingredient swaps from a classic recipe to make them wheat- and animal-product-free, these were always going to be a bit different. I'd barely call these snickerdoodle-adjacent. There's no cinnamon-sugar coating to speak of, which is a part of the snickerdoodle cookie's identity. I found myself hunting for cinnamon and yearning for a bit of that crackly, crunchy exterior texture. These are tasty cookies and make a delightful accompaniment to tea and coffee, but classic snickerdoodles they are not.

Rustic, chunky cookies are usually the kind that I gravitate toward, so I was surprised when I found Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Cookies to be lackluster. While I don't need every cookie in the package to be a carbon copy, the variations in size, texture, and flavor from cookie to cookie in this tub were a noticeable problem.

Some of the cookies were tough to bite through, with sharp hunks of almond piercing out of the dough, while others had so much chocolate there was practically no cookie to taste. When I finally got a well-balanced bite, it was heavenly. Unfortunately, those were too few and far between.

Having never been to Belgium, I'm no speculoos expert, but I'm quite familiar with the type of crispy biscuit that one enjoys with a cup of coffee or tea. Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookies are delightful in that regard. The flavors here are subtle, not punchy, but they're pleasant and inviting, and the texture is snappy without being brittle.

There's nothing in particular I can fault these speculoos for. They serve their purpose. I've passively enjoyed every one I've tried, and then promptly forgotten about it. While these cookies aren't higher up on the list, this is a variety that I can imagine keeping around the house regularly to enjoy with a beverage, but I wouldn't go out of my way.

If you don't love ginger, these are not for you. For everyone else, Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps are a punchy, zippy treat that deserve a spot in your snacking rotation. These flavor-packed little discs include ginger three ways: puréed, ground, and crystallized. Every bite is an eruption of ginger fireworks.

While the crystallized bits of ginger add a welcome crunch, the cookies themselves could stand to be a touch snappier. The texture here is softer than I expected, a bit closer on the spectrum to gingerbread than I want from this type of cookie. That's a minor nitpick, though, because the ginger flavor is stunning.

Trader Joe's French Galettes don't appear impressive. In fact, they look more like Ritz crackers than butter cookies. That humble appearance is part of the charm of these exceptionally balanced cookies that prove that simplicity doesn't have to be boring.

There are only five ingredients listed on the box, which are expertly combined to create a cookie that's silky and rich, with a delicate flaky interior and a buttery golden crust. While these French galettes are wonderful to enjoy right out of the box, their pure, mellow sweetness also makes them versatile, a blank slate for any kind of topping — like one of Trader Joe's many jams or jellies. While they might not turn heads on a party platter or blow you away with bold flavor, they're one worth keeping stashed away in the pantry.

After falling in love with Trader Joe's French Galettes, I thought they might be a sneaky frontrunner for the top spot — and then I tried these. Dark Chocolate Dipped French Butter Cookies take an elegant, sophisticated cookie from day to night, like a butter cookie that's put on a little black dress.

The thinness of both the cookie and the chocolate coating are part of what makes this seem so chic and refined. It's also something of a drawback. They're so light and slim, it's easy to forget you're even eating these cookies, and there aren't many in the box. I appreciate these for what they are, but they do seem to lack a certain substance.

They're not advertised as pie flavored, but Trader Joe's All Butter Apple Shortbread Cookies reminded me more of a fruit pie than the cherry cookies that made such a claim. The soft yet firm buttery shortbread ovals have a crust-like consistency, and each one is packed with flavor.

The apple note, from dried apples and concentrated juice, has a vibrant natural flavor and a subtle citrusy bite that gives it freshness and dimension. There's vanilla, too, which makes me think of a slice served à la mode. Apple usually isn't a flavor I get excited about, but these impressive cookies are nudging me in that direction.

This is a very different fruit and shortbread experience from the apple version, and while both were excellent, I gave the All Butter Shortbread Sandwich Cookies from Trader Joe's the edge. Rather than baking the fruit into the shortbread, these are sandwich cookies with a layer of raspberry filling. Tart and sweet, soft and crunchy, delicate and rich — these cookies check every box.

The shortbread cookies have a lightness to them, a fine crumb, and simply melt on the tongue. There's just enough sweetness in the raspberry filling to complement its acidity, which brightens and energizes each bite. These may not have taken the top spot, but if you prefer fruit to chocolate, these may be your favorite.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this tub of Way More Chocolate Chips Cookies. I've been burned plenty of times by store-bought chocolate chip cookies in big plastic containers — chalky, stale, skimpy on the chocolate. These, though, are a completely different story.

A little bigger than bite-sized, these are impressively studded with, as the name rightfully claims, more chocolate chips than it seems should be able to physically fit in cookies this size. You couldn't get a bite without at least one chip if you tried. Yet, there's balance. The cookie itself has a soft, almost fluffy quality and a just crisp enough golden exterior. TJ's may have discovered the ideal cookie-to-chip ratio. I could easily (and probably will) eat these every day.

While the standard Joe-Joe's didn't excite me, their glowed-up peanut butter cousins were another story. These would be superior cookies even without the peanut butter coating, because the cookies underneath are exactly what sandwich cookies should be, with ample filling and a pleasing contrast of textures.

The sleek peanut butter coating drizzled with chocolate takes an already great cookie over-the-top. Alternating layers of tender, creamy peanut butter and crunchy, crumbly cookie work in perfect harmony thanks to their spot-on ratios. Peanut butter Joe-Joe's cookies are rich and decadent, more of a special treat than an everyday snacking cookie, and for that purpose there was only one other cookie I liked more.

It almost doesn't seem fair to pit Laceys Cookies against the rest of the Trader Joe's selection. Not only are these treats in another league, they're all-pro, all-star perennial champions in that league. Based on a Florentine lace cookie, they consist of caramel-based dough pressed into thin rounds and baked to a crispy golden brown, studded with almonds and sandwiched around a layer of rich dark chocolate.

The cookie texture is unlike anything else, pliable yet crisp and crunchy, becoming meltingly silky as you eat it. The filling is reminiscent of ganache in texture and concentrated flavor, and brings a brooding and velvety dark chocolate taste with a subtle cocoa bitterness that keeps this cookie's richness from becoming too much. When I got down to my last Laceys, I found myself breaking it into smaller and smaller pieces so I wouldn't run out. By the time you're reading this, you can be sure I've gone to Trader Joe's to grab more — and you should, too.

There are more cookie varieties available at my Trader Joe's location than I could include in this list, so the first step was to narrow it down. For the most part, I stuck with classic styles, wanting to include as many popular cookie types as possible. I omitted variations that were too similar to others, such as gluten-free versions of existing products. Once I had the selection finalized, I purchased all of the cookies and prepared to taste.

I tried each cookie on the day of purchase to ensure I had the freshest possible experience. Over the course of several days, I tasted them again to see how well they held up. Each cookie was judged primarily on flavor, texture, and consistency. For cookies based on a classic style, like go-to chocolate chip cookies or the less-revered snickdoodle, I also took into account how well they exemplified their type.