We Baked Cookies With 13 Different Chocolate Chip Brands and The Winner Shocked Us

Whether you're whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies or popping them straight from the bag, chocolate chips are serious business. The right ones can turn a cookie (or an afternoon snack ) from just okay to downright irresistible (life's too short for mediocre chocolate , am I right?). 

But not all chocolate chips are created equal—and there are a shocking number of options at the grocery store these days. To find the best chocolate chips, you have to take into account so many things: price, ingredients, availability and sometimes even special certifications or seals, if you're into that kinda thing. 

At the end of the day, though, we all want the same thing: a rich, gooey chocolate chip that's sweet (but not too sweet), holds its shape in a cookie, and is good enough on its own for popping. To help you out, we took matters into our own hands (literally), and bought every bag of chocolate chips we could find to taste, bake, and put to the ultimate test to find the best chocolate chips for snacking and baking.

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What Are Chocolate Chips?

Chocolate chips are small bits of chocolate that are designed to hold their shape when baked. The ingredients vary ever so slightly from brand to brand but typically contain a mix of sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk fat, vanilla and some kind of stabilizer—usually soy lecithin—to prevent them from completely melting into puddles in the oven. 

Chocolate chips are, of course, used in cookies but can also be used in cheesecakes, brownies, trail mix and just for straight-up snacking. The classic chocolate chip is a semi-sweet chip but the variations range from mini chips to chunks, and white to dark chocolate. 

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What to Look for When You're Shopping For  Chocolate Chips

When choosing chocolate chips, you'll want to consider a few things before. Are you looking for something super dark as opposed to semi-sweet chocolate? What about a milk or white chocolate chip instead? Are special certifications or ethical sourcing important factors for you? And lastly, how much are you willing to spend on a 12-ounce bag?

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What Do the Certifications Mean on Chocolate Chip Bags?

While many of the bags of chocolate chips I grabbed were comparable, some of the bags had seals or certifications that deserve some explanation. Aldi, Walmart and Stop & Shop brand chocolate chips are all Rainforest Alliance certified, Ghirardelli chocolate chips carry a "cocoa farming program" certification and Whole Foods brand chocolate chips are Fair Trade certified. 

All of these certifications are similar in that they focus on environmental sustainability and social equity in the production of chocolate. Guittard chocolate chips are both Fair Trade and non-GMO (no genetically modified ingredients) and are also free from 14 major allergens. And Nestlé chocolate chips list "responsibly sourced cocoa" on their label. To learn more about each specific certification, look for website information on the package.

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How We Tested The Chocolate Chips

With so many brands and factors out there, I put together some ground rules for this test: semi-sweet chocolate only, regular-size chips (no mini chips or chunks here), and mostly nationally available brands, to make sure that mostly everyone could get their hands on the winners. 

I ended up with 13 different bags of chocolate chips and six very eager chocolate-loving friends to help me taste test. To ensure fairness, I separated each brand into little numbered tasting cups before my trusted team of taste testers—Cherie, Dara, Samantha, Calle, Michele, and Maddie—arrived. 

The group tasted each chocolate chip contender solo and also baked in a chocolate chip cookie. To make the cookies, I used a brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe from Justine Doiron's new book, Justine Cooks (which Cherie deemed a "life-changing" cookie). No one knew what brands they were sampling until the very end. 

Each chocolate chip rating was based on some key factors: taste (was the chocolate rich and balanced, or did it lean too sweet or artificial?); texture (did it melt smoothly, or was it grainy or waxy?); and size and structure (did it hold its shape well in cookies, or melt into oblivion?). 

Seven opinions on 13 chocolate chips and chocolate chip cookies was tough to wrangle, so after the excitement was over and everyone left, I tried these one by one on my own, before compiling everyone's opinions, sorting the final ranking and being the tie-breaker in some cases. 

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13 Chocolate Chip Brands, Ranked Worst to Best

13. ShopRite Bowl & Basket Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips ($4.50)

ShopRite's store brand, Bowl & Basket (which can also be found at Price Rite Marketplace and The Fresh Grocer), took the bottom spot. At first glance, these were a bit different. They were grayer than the others and noticeably harder to bite, indicating that perhaps the chocolate had "bloomed," which means it was exposed to temperatures that it perhaps shouldn't have, resulting in a texture and flavor change. While it's not harmful to eat bloomed chocolate, it can be unpleasant. And based on the comments on this one, including "chalky," "grainy" and "artificial," it didn't earn one of our top spots. And as for the cookie? Cherie summed it up nicely: "I don't love the chip in the cookie. It's chalky."

12. Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($3.79)

A classic chocolate, yes, but perhaps you're better off getting your Hershey's in the candy aisle instead of the baking aisle. While most of us agreed that the texture of this one was creamy and some noted "buttery," we also agreed the flavor was "chalky" with a "weird fake aftertaste" according to me and Michele. And while only Calle liked the cookie made with these chips, the rest of us couldn't get past the same dry, chalky taste that the ShopRite brand had.

11. Stop & Shop Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels ($4.79)

This store brand (also found at Giant under the same parent company) had a slightly fruity taste, wasn't too sweet and was pretty ok. "Nutty, rich, cocoa-laced," declared Dara. We didn't love it and didn't hate it and appreciated the fact that it had a Rainforest Alliance seal but overall, it just didn't sing like some of the others. The cookie made with these chips was "okay" and "nothing special" according to the group with all of us agreeing that the cookie dough on its own was way better than the bites speckled with these chocolate chips. 

Related: We Baked Cookies With 10 Different All-Purpose Flours and the Winner Won By a Landslide

10. Walmart Great Value Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($3)

Like Stop & Shop, Walmart's house brand is also Rainforest Alliance Certified but was a dollar and 50 cents cheaper. While Calle said these reminded her of a traditional chocolate chip and classic chocolate chip cookie, I thought they were a tad too sweet and took away from the cookie. Maddie said these chips reminded her of "a frozen yogurt topping." Michele said these chips were "fake," and "too bitter" and was not a fan of the cookies. Cherie said these "made me question if I like chocolate chips." Oof.

9. Aldi Baker's Corner Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels ($3)

These budget-friendly chips were one of the least expensive on the list and were also Rainforest Alliance Certified. Funnily enough, they had the exact same ingredient list as the Walmart chips. "It wasn't a standout but more of an afterthought in the cookie," said Calle, and overall "velvety," "waxy," "balanced" and "bitter at the end" according to the rest of us. Michele said the cookie itself was delicious but she "didn't notice if I liked or disliked the chocolate chips in it." 

8. Kroger Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels ($4)

Kroger's house brand (which can also be found at Ralphs, Dillons, King Soopers, Harris Teeter, and Fred Meyer) was in the middle of the ranking. "Not my favorite but if I needed something after a savory meal, a few of these would be great," said Maddie. I thought this one was smooth and pretty middle-of-the-road but ultimately a little boring—it didn't add a whole lot of depth or dimension to my cookie. Samantha agreed saying that this cookie wasn't her favorite. "The chips were forgettable, but the cookie was good," said Cherie. Calle added that she thought the cookie tasted like your classic everyday chocolate chip cookie.

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7. Guittard  Semi-Sweet Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips ($8)

Guittard chocolate chips are Fair Trade Certified, non-GMO, and free from 14 major allergens. The brand offers many varieties, but we went with the dairy-free version that's also free from 14 allergens to see how it stacked up to more traditional chocolate chips.

This bag costs a whopping $8 and unfortunately didn't even reach our top five. "This has a very bitter taste. Don't love," said Michele. Calle said these were too tangy and Samantha said they were "too earthy." My notes said they were indeed bitter but smooth with a rich glossy taste, like eating chocolate cake in chip form. Dara agreed saying it was "rich, silky and bitter." Maddie didn't love this one in the cookie, saying that she felt it "overpowered" the cookie dough and Cherie agreed: "The cookie was a little bit of a letdown. I might buy the chips for snacking." Overall, we were all a bit surprised we didn't totally love the most expensive chip on the list.

6. Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels ($5)

After every tiny cup of chocolate chips, Michele asked "Nestlé?!?" She was waiting patiently for the classic chip to pop up in our testing. And once it did: "CALLED IT. KNEW THIS WAS NESTLE. Tastes smooth and silky," she wrote on her form. Calle and Samantha were also fans calling this one "smooth," "perfectly balanced" and "basic but classic." Cherie ultimately pulled this one down in our ranking saying, "This one is the worst one so far. I made a face after eating this. It is way too bitter. The chips are so bad that this amazing [cookie] dough can't even save [them]." My description was that this one was fruity and a dead ringer for one of my favorite candies, Raisinettes. 

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5. Target Good & Gather Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($3.79)

Making the top five, Target's Good & Gather was one of the least expensive brands we tried and was pretty darn tasty. "More bitter, might be a light dark chocolate? Slightly chalky yet satisfying. But damn in cookie form it's PERFECT," said Maddie. "Bitter, creamy, velvety," said Dara. Cherie and Michele didn't love this one (a bit too "smoky" and "oily") so it fell slightly in our ranking. "I mind the flavor less with the cookie because the batter is BOMB," noted Michele. Calle loved these chips in the cookie, saying that this one was the most chocolate-forward. I thought this brand had a creamy, melty hot cocoa-ish flavor on its own and would totally buy it again for cookies. 

4. Ghirardelli Premium Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($7)

Ghirardelli chips were the second most expensive option on our list and were one of the bougier ones we tasted. "Mild, smooth and well-rounded with a good texture and a bit of fruitiness," I wrote. "Very chocolatey, almost fudge-like," wrote Samantha, and "This is weirdly bitter, but I like it?" wrote Cherie. "There's something unusual about this one but I can't put my finger on it. I really like this cookie, the chip made the dough really doughy and chewy, which is my preferred chocolate chip cookie texture." Maddie thought these had a weird aftertaste on their own and the others noted these chips were harder than the others we tried with a noticeable "crunch" in their cookies.

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3. Whole Foods 365 Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips ($4.29)

This Fair Trade Certified bag from Whole Foods earned a top-three spot with its balanced price point and nationwide availability. I thought these were the most well-rounded, not too sweet or too rich. These were Michele's favorite, with her declaring, "I like these. These taste more milk chocolate than the others. I would pop a handful of these babies for a snack." "Chalky, dark and deep," said Dara. Cherie preferred these plain for snacking rather than in a cookie. Calle said she loved this cookie and Maddie thought that these chocolate chips were nice in cookies because they tasted a bit darker and more bitter than the others (in a good way).

2. Trader Joe's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($4)

Trader Joe's earned our runner-up spot not only because their products are generally a fan favorite, but they have a great price and nationwide availability as well. They were lauded in our test for being the most classic chip with a "familiar semi-sweet flavor." They were also the largest chip we tried, so if you want a chip that acts more like a chunk, grab a bag of these. Almost all of us liked these, declaring them "dark, bitter and dense," and "full-bodied." Maddie said in cookie form, these chips were "mouth enveloping! Almost overpowering."

1. Signature Select Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($4)

This store brand from Jewel-Osco, Safeway, Albertsons, and other regional chains (depending on where you live) performed solidly. Some noted that these were too dry but others said the flavor was well-balanced in terms of bitter and sweet flavors, not too sweet, and was a bit chewier than the rest. "The cookie is very good and the salt in the dough provides a much-needed balance to this chip," said Cherie. We were all shocked that a simple, no-frills grocery store pick took the top spot, but in the end, its convenience, affordability, and perfectly balanced flavor and texture won us over—especially as the ideal match for the cookie dough.

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