Cookies are a magical food – especially when they’re studded with chocolate chips or chunks. They’re an instant pick-me-up and all-around great snack. You can make them at home, of course, but another option is to leave the measuring and mixing to Trader Joe’s. The company has gone cookie-crazy, packing their store shelves with tubs of every kind of chocolate cookie – big, small, crispy, crunchy, buttery, nutty and seedy. The only question is which one to buy.
For this taste-off, we picked up every Trader Joe’s cookie that involved chocolate and asked the big question: Does it satisfy our chocolate and cookie cravings? Here’s the scoop on the 10 cookie variations we found at our local T.J.’s. (Apologies if we missed your favorite.)
Unless otherwise specified, the nutrition information below refers to a 1-ounce serving.
?Way More Chocolate Chips Cookies
Lots of dark chocolate chips and a huge hit of vanilla make these sweet, tender-crisp, slightly crumbly cookies highly addictive. Made with real butter, these taste like homemade. Three cookies have 160 calories, 11g fat, 35mg sodium, 12g sugar. (Four stars)
?Kitchen Sink DunkersPacked with oats, sunflower seeds, raisins, pecans and chocolate chips, these are a delicious and relatively nutritious – but not so chocolaty bite. These are the right pick for those who like nuts, seeds and grains in their cookies. Two cookies have 140 calories, 6g fat, 100mg sodium, 9g sugar. (31/2 stars)
?Dress Circle Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
A touch of malt and coconut make these tiny, kid-friendly cookies ?very fun, even if they do taste a little manufactured. A dozen cookies have 150 calories, 9g fat, 75mg sodium, 11g sugar. (3 stars)
?Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Dunkers
Visually, these cookies are a total win. Big and shaped for dunking, these cookies have had their entire bottom side dipped in chocolate. The main flaw is that the chocolate coating tastes more like sugar than chocolate. Two cookies (1.3 ounces) have 190 calories, 9g fat, 80mg sodium, 14g sugar. (3 stars)
?Chocolate Chip Cookie DunkersA touch of malt, a pleasant crisp and crunchy texture and plenty of mini chips make these a solid choice for anyone looking for a basic, nonbutter cookie. Two cookies have 160 calories, 7g fat, 85mg sodium, 10g sugar. (21/2 stars)
?Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies
The generous chocolate chunks and a caramel note are welcome, but the untoasted almonds offer so little flavor, they could be mistaken for oats. Three cookies have 140 calories, 7g fat, 80mg sodium, 10g sugar. (2 stars)
?Soft Bite Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti
A dash of chocolate-hazelnut flavor and a pleasant crunch add up to a tasty bite. Add more chocolateand they would be more satisfying. Three cookies have 140 calories, 6g fat, 60mg sodium, 10g sugar. (2 stars)
?All Butter Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Filling
These very sweet, buttery cookies have nice flavor, but the chocolate in the center tastes more like a dollop of sugar and fat thanchocolate. Two cookies have 130 calories, 7g fat, 90g sodium, 6g sugar. (11/2 stars)
?Laceys Cookies Dark Chocolate Almond
Sandwiched with dark chocolate, these thin, nutty cookies are more like candy than cookies. The flavors work, but the nuts are slightly stale. One cookie has 120 calories, 8g fat, 20mg sodium, 10g sugar. (1 star)
?Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These dry, airy cookies are exactly what you do not want when you reach for a chocolate chip cookie. They taste as if they were made last year. Six cookies have 150 calories, 7g fat, 110mg sodium, 12g sugar. (No stars)
Reviews are based on product samples purchased for tasting or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail.com. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.
![Magnum-toting senior thwarts home invasion [News of the Weird]](https://www.readingeagle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/readeag.jpg "Magnum-toting senior thwarts home invasion [News of the Weird]")
