Chocolate Chip Cookies: Pillsbury Vs. Trader Joe's Vs. Meijer

The perfect chocolate chip cookie is a thing of beauty. Whether you like yours chunky, chewy, thick or thin, finding that perfectly crafted cookie is a difficult task. The average bakery cookie can cost upwards of $2-3 a piece, and the typical supermarket variety - Chips Ahoy, Keebler, etc. - lacks that desirable fresh-baked taste. Since not everyone has time to whip up a batch from scratch, the frozen, ready-made cookie dough is a viable alternative. Pillsbury, Trader Joe's, and Meijer all offer reasonably priced options - but how do they taste?

First, the Pillsbury cookie dough - who could hate a cookie endorsed by that cute little blob of a chef? At $2.50 for a pack of frozen, scored dough, I couldn't resist. All I had to do was separate the cookie cubes, arrange them on two cookie sheets, and insert said sheets into the oven for about eleven minutes. While the cookies certainly smelled good and looked authentic under the oven's dim interior light, the resulting treat was less impressive. Compared to other cookies tested, the appearance was dull; this was not a cookie that would stand out on a banquet smorgasbord or party spread. The cookies did not contain an abundant amount of chips, and the dough's color baked to an artificial yellow. Fresh from the oven, any cookie will taste good, but within a day, the Pillsbury cookies tasted stale. I liken them to chalky store-bought varieties such as Chips Ahoy. I presented the Pillsbury cookies to two expert cookie consultants, and they both were left unfulfilled.

Next, Trader Joe's. I generally trust Trader Joe's products to be high quality; the store's cookies are no exception. Trader Joe's cookie dough comes frozen in individual cookie "balls." In other words, if you are just looking to bake a few cookies, it's easy to remove five little cookie forms from the box, arrange them on a cookie sheet, and slide that sheet into the over for about ten minutes. Then just stash the box back in the freezer for future midnight cravings. After about ten to twelve minutes, the finished product is a visually appealing cookie: hearty, rich brown, and with chunks of chocolate jutting through the surface. The cashier at the local Trader Joe's told my shopping companion and me that the cookies were rather large and could actually serve two; sadly, he was mistaken. The cookies are comparable in size to other brands we tried; a half a cookie would not suffice. The cookies taste homemade. On our multiple baking tests, my companion and I swapped out baking sheets, changed oven temperatures, and altered the baking times. On just about every occasion, the cookie bottoms browned more so than other brands. The overall cookie erred on the crunchy side; so be warned, chewy cookie lovers may be disappointed.

Meijer brand cookie dough, a bargain at $1.00 a pack, was a definite dark horse candidate. (For those not in the know, Meijer is the Midwestern Walmart - only better) Trader Joe's would be difficult to top. The baking instructions for the Meijer cookies were similarly uncomplicated - simply break apart cookie cubes, place on baking sheet, and bake. Somewhat surprisingly, my panel of taste testers seemed to like this cookie the best. The baked product came out of the oven a pale golden brown color with ample chocolate chips peaking through. Perhaps the appearance didn't surpass that of the more rustic Trader Joe's cookie, but the texture did. The cookies were slightly chewier, and sweet without tasting horribly processed. The chocolate chips also lived up to the flavor expectations of my taste testers, all of whom have eaten their share of cookies over the years. And even after a few days, the cookies still tasted fresh.

The bottom line is that any freshly baked cookie will taste better than the packaged variety from the cookie aisle. All of the above mentioned cookies are similar in size and nutritional content; it's just a matter of preference. Pair you cookie with a tall glass of milk, and enjoy.