10 Best Store Bought Cookies in 2023 (Oreos, Chips Ahoy!, and More)

One of the most popular cookie choices is the chocolate chip cookie. They have chocolate morsels that have been baked along with the dough. 

Sometimes, salt is used to balance out the sweetness of the dough, giving it a sweet and savory taste. If you are a chocolate lover, this popular pick is the cookie for you!

Butter cookies have the simplest recipe comprising fresh butter, sugar, and flour. With this type of cookie, the savory buttery taste stands out, making it perfect for people who love a simple tasting yet savory snack.

Shortbread uses a lot of butter or shortening. Shortening is any type of fat, like margarine, vegetable oil, or lard. These ingredients give the cookie a dry, crumbly texture. No leavening products, like baking powder or baking soda, are used.

This gives it that “short” dough that is not stretchy and elastic, but is instead mealy and flaky. These are for cookie lovers who love savory and crumbly cookies!

Sugar cookies are primarily made up of eggs, sugar, flour, butter, and vanilla, and baking powder or baking soda. These cookies are usually designed to have designs like hearts, stars, flowers, and other fun-looking shapes. 

They are often topped with sprinkles or icing that give it an extra sweet flavor. These are for people who truly love snacking on sweet treats.

Macaroons are made of shredded coconut, egg whites, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and occasionally ground almonds. They have a ball-like shape with a crumbly coconut coating. Sometimes, they are dipped in chocolate to give them extra sweetness.

Macarons, on the other hand, are made of meringue, which is heavily beaten egg whites mixed with sugar, confectioner’s sugar, almond flour, and food coloring. They also have tasty fillings like fruity jams, buttercream, or ganache. 

They have a light, airy, and delicate texture with a chewy and cake-like taste. This type of cookie is for those who enjoy light yet flavorful snacks. Both macarons and macaroons are naturally gluten-free, although of course you should check each product individually.

Cookie sandwiches are made up of two cookies that have a filling pressed between them. The cookies can be any kind or a mix of two different types of cookies. The fillings can include chocolate, lemon icing, jam, peanut butter, buttercream, and more! Cookie sandwiches are for people who want more flavors in their snacks or desserts. 

Snickerdoodles are known for their appearance of having a cracked surface. They are made of butter, white sugar, oil, and flour and are rolled in cinnamon sugar before they are baked. A key emulsifier in snickerdoodles is cream of tartar, making them soft, chewy, and slightly crispy on the outside. 

These are perfect for people who love the sweet combination of white sugar and cinnamon.

Ginger snaps contain common cookie ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, and baking powder with the addition of several spices. Molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove are mixed in with the flavor of ginger to create this flavorful cookie. These snacks are perfect with a glass of milk and make an excellent crust for cheesecake or pie!

If you want a snack that is both sweet and savory, peanut butter cookies are perfect for you. They go well with additional ingredients like vanilla or chocolate chips. Sometimes, an extra egg is added to make them extra chewy.

These sweets get their name from their round shape and powdered sugar coating that makes them appear like snowballs. They are made of flour, sugar, and the rich flavors of butter and pecan. These ingredients create a savory filling that compliments the sweeter outer coating. These are perfect for the holidays!

Besides the classic flavors, some food manufacturers add certain ingredients to the cookies to give them a savory flavor or to add a twist to the original recipe. 

For example, brown or burnt butter, which is butter that has been cooked until it turned brown, is added to cookies to give them a nutty, butterscotch taste. Another ingredient that adds a twist to classic cookie recipes is coffee grounds that give those savory mocha undertones. 

Some cookies have oatmeal or nuts mixed into the dough to give it that balance of chewy and crunchy. If you want to spice things up, there are cookies with add-ins like fruit, spices, and candy pieces. You can also go for unique flavors such as matcha, peppermint, and toffee.

The most common allergens in cookies include milk, eggs, soy, wheat, tree nuts, coconuts, and peanuts. Under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules, it is required that these ingredients be labeled in bold text for consumer protection.

We advise that you double-check labels to keep yourself safe from potential allergic reactions. If you're buying cookies for a party or event, make sure to keep allergen-free ones separated from the regular ones when you serve them, too.

If you are on a sugar-restricted diet, it is handy to know the difference between "sugar-free," "no added sugar," and "unsweetened."

Sugar-free means that it contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving. No artificial sweeteners have been added, but the cookies may include natural sugars that come from dairy or fruit products.

No added sugar means no sugar has been manually added during the process of making the cookies. But artificial sweeteners, natural sugars, and sugar alcohols may still be present. Lastly, unsweetened means it contains no added sugars, artificial sweeteners, or sugar alcohols but still contains natural sugars.

The building blocks of cookie making include eggs and butter, which are animal-based. Luckily, vegan recipes have found ways to replace these with plant-based products that produce cookies just as tasty. 

Dairy butter is often replaced with coconut oil, vegan butter, or coconut butter. Eggs are replaced with silken tofu, vegan mayonnaise, or non-dairy yogurt. These are some substitute ingredients that you can check for when choosing vegan cookie options.