13 Trader Joe's Cookies, Ranked Worst To Best

There should be a fandom name for Trader Joe's diehards because when people love that grocery store, they really love it. From its wide variety of items to the way it creates stress-free shopping, it's one of the best grocery store chains around. We enjoy TJ's as much as the next person and are always eager to try out new fun snacks you can't get anywhere else, as the items in Trader Joe's are always the store's own brand.

We decided to take a gander at some of the pre-made, pre-packaged cookies Trader Joe's has to offer. You can usually find these cookies in the frozen aisle above the freezers, which can sometimes be a difficult location since you have to really reach over the frozen stuff to get to the pantry sweets — but it is what it is. We'd happily struggle to reach over freezers any day for some of these cookies, while others we'd leave on the shelf. Here are some cookies at Trader Joe's, ranked from worst to best, so you know which ones to skip and which ones are worth running to the store for.

Don't worry Fig Newtons, you guys have nothing to fear. There's no competition here. Trader Joe's Fig Cookies are its version of the famous Fig Newtons, and we didn't realize Fig Newtons actually did so many things right until we tried TJ's. Firstly, even if you're not a huge fig fan or a huge jelly fan, there's just something about the original Fig Newtons that are delightful, even if you'll only eat one of them. We now realize that Fig Newtons have a good balance going between the sweet cookie and the more savory (but still a little sweet) fig filling.

These Fig Cookies missed the mark for us. We have a hunch that the formula for Trader Joe's jelly-esque fillings is a bit off (we get more into that with the All Butter Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Raspberry Filling). In fact, that's what's going on here. The fig flavors are incredibly potent and overwhelm any good the cookie would be doing to balance it out, and that's not to mention the fact that the filling is pretty sticky. We'll pass on these.

If you want to remember what being let down feels like, try these cookies. Is that dramatic? Yes. Is it accurate, though? Also yes. These Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Cookies look absolutely incredible. The chunks of chocolate, the inviting shape of the cookie, the label's fun branding, and the name all lead you to picture what you think this cookie will taste like. In our case, we were expecting the same perfect texture from the Way More Chocolate Chips Cookies (more on those later) that's not too hard and not too soft, with a kick of bitterness from the dark chocolate and a nice crunch from the crushed almonds.

We were sorely mistaken. Instead, what we got at the first bite was a betrayal. These cookies may look good, but the taste is like a very stale, very low-quality cookie that has all the right elements with none of the execution. You can barely taste the almond, the dark chocolate doesn't stand out at all, and the cookie is so hard that we could see it hurting someone's tooth. Save your money and look elsewhere.

We hate to be such downers, but the Triple Ginger Snaps cookies from Trader Joe's are just, well, bad. And we don't hate ginger snaps in general. We find that a quality ginger snap cookie has a perfectly satisfying crunch along with the right amount of ginger and nutmeg flavors intertwined — you don't want a mouthful of spices that overwhelm your palate. We had high hopes for these cookies, but we were sorely let down.

The main downfall of these cookies is that, for whatever absurd reason, there are literal chunks of crystallized ginger in each cookie. If you're wondering why, so are we. The crystallized ginger chunks made us want to gag. It was such a weird texture to throw in there, and they didn't do anything for the flavor, either. The best way we could describe their texture is that they're akin to a piece of hard candy that's been in your mouth for a while; they're sort of gummy, extremely chewy, and before long you want to spit it out. Sorry to the folks at Trader Joe's who made these Triple Ginger Snaps, but they really were not our favorite.

Talk about inception. If you've tried the cookie butter from Trader Joe's before, you'll know that it tastes as if sweet cookies were blended up. We usually enjoy cookie butter with things like toast, pretzels, or other savory (but still mild and bland) items to balance out all that sweetness. The Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies had the exact opposite idea here.

If you're wondering what cookie butter in a cookie tastes like, just know that it's a complete sugar overload. Seriously, even our intense sweet tooth couldn't handle it. If you're a cookie butter aficionado and buy multiple jars of the stuff at a time, there's a chance you would like these sandwich cookies. But if you're just someone looking for a little sweet treat to keep in your cupboard at Trader Joe's, walk on past these. We also do have to note that these were by far the messiest cookies on this ranking. Upon opening the packaging, we found that there was sticky cookie butter everywhere — on the outside of the cookies, on the plastic container, and then all over our hands. Don't give these cookies to toddlers you don't feel like cleaning up after.

If you're a jam and jelly enthusiast, you will adore these. If you're a grandma, there's a good chance you'd like these. But if you're anyone else, you'll probably take one or two bites and then pass on the All Butter Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Raspberry Filling. Let's get one thing clear, first: The actual cookie element of these was phenomenal. The name is spot-on, as the shortbread was very buttery and sweet. We enjoyed that. We so loved the shortbread cookie element, in fact, that we hope to see it pop back up again in other forms (sans jelly). The cookie also was pretty soft, which was a nice break from all the harder cookies in this lineup.

Where we lost our appetite was the raspberry filling. We love raspberry-flavored things, like smoothies or yogurts, but it just didn't work in this cookie. The texture of the filling was very strange and gooey rather than a fresh jam. The filling almost seemed like jam that had been melted and then started to solidify again. It just wasn't the cookie for us, but we're sure it's probably the cookie for someone out there.

Well, the title certainly got things right. These Crispy Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies from TJ's are exactly what you think they would be. They're crispy. They're crunchy. They are very peanut buttery. That's all you need to know.

In all seriousness, we found that these cookies were pretty one-dimensional. They're your standard, crunchy peanut butter cookie, and while sometimes simplicity works wonders (see: Speculoos and Belgian Butter Waffle Cookies), in this cookie's case, it's missing something. After eating the first cookie (and they're pretty petite), we found that we were over the peanut butter and were looking for another element in these. They were just okay. If you want to get a peanut butter-forward cookie at Trader Joe's, try out one of the ones ranked higher on our list. Overall, the Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies just weren't doing it for us, and we doubt you'll think differently.

Let it be known that we are maple syrup snobs, and we are not ashamed. Maple syrup is meant to taste like it just came out of the tree, and the gooey, sticky, chemical stuff that comes in plastic bottles at the grocery store is just not maple syrup. So when we picked up these Maple Leaf Cookies from Trader Joe's, we were hopeful (yet doubtful) that the flavor in them would be of true maple syrup, instead of the artificial stuff. We are delighted to report that the flavor was in fact true maple syrup.

With that being said, that doesn't mean we were instant fans of the cookie. The maple leaf shape is cute (and these would look perfect on an autumn charcuterie board), the maple flavor was there, there is a good amount of the filling in the middle, and the cookie itself is soft without falling apart. What we've come to realize with this cookie is that maple syrup is amazing, but it's pure sugar. It works best when paired with other elements, like pancakes or bacon. On its own, it is incredibly sweet, and we had enough after half a cookie. These were pretty middle-of-the-road.

The land down under really got these cookies right. If you love chocolate, or if you have a pretty intense sweet tooth, these are your new favorite cookies. The Aussie-style Chocolate Crème Sandwich Cookies are chocolate on chocolate on chocolate on chocolate, and we love it. If you're wondering why this dessert is called "Aussie-style," it's because Trader Joe's knows where to give credit where credit is due. Have you ever heard of Tim Tams? If not, it's totally okay, and you're probably just from the U.S. If you have caught wind of Tim Tams, you've probably heard that they are a beloved Australian cookie that many grow up eating and stay fond of into adulthood.

The Aussie-style Chocolate Crème Sandwich Cookies are the Trader Joe's version of Tim Tams, and we're kind of stoked about it. We enjoyed the fudgy outside layer of chocolate, which then opens up into a crunchy chocolate cookie with, you guessed it, a chocolate inner filling. What's not to love? If you're an Aussie in the U.S. and can't get your hands on your beloved Tim Tams, give these a whirl. We're sure they're not exactly the same, but they're pretty darn close.

These Belgian Butter Waffle Cookies are eerily close to Italian pizzelle, but we'll let it slide. If you do enjoy pizzelle, you're bound to like these cookies from Trader Joe's. They're very light, thin, and sweet without being sickly, and we imagine these would fit right in at a garden party or with an afternoon cup of tea.

They are not exactly pizzelle, though, as we found they were a little bit thicker and crunchier. We do not think these cookies are going to be your new post-dinner sweet treat craving, but they are good to put out at parties and would pair well with other things like cut-up fruit, Nutella, or even cookie butter. We also enjoyed the cross-hatch pattern on these cookies, and we found that it gave them a bit more dimension than if they didn't have that present. Overall these are a solid, albeit simple, choice.

If you're a TJ's superfan and you're thinking that the name Speculoos sounds familiar, you'd be right. Speculoos cookies are the base cookie used to make Trader Joe's iconic cookie butter (it's even in the official title on the jar), and we're happy to report that these cookies are as good (honestly, maybe even better) as their cookie butter offspring.

The Speculoos cookies are incredibly flavor-forward, and while they may not look like much, the flavor packs all the punch you need. Spices like cinnamon and nutmeg really shine through, but they still manage to not overwhelm and attack your taste buds. The size of the cookie is solid as well — it's not so small that you feel like you barely had any, but it's not so big that you need to split it with four people. These cookies surprised us by being one of our top favorites, and we think you shouldn't look past them on the shelf as something boring, rather, you should pick them up and try them with your morning coffee or after-dinner cappuccino.

For the bronze medal, we have TJ's Chocately Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers. Say that five times fast. While we weren't as over the moon about these as the Way More Chocolate Chips Cookies, they still hit the spot. Plus, they're pretty unique. The folks at TJ's took the idea of a regular chocolate chip cookie, basically made it into a biscotti shape, and then covered half of it in chocolate. That sounds like a winner in our book — and it definitely is.

We think these treats would be perfect at a picnic or a teatime situation, as they're not so hard you'll break your tooth, but they're not so soft that they'd melt in the sun outside right away. That perfect chocolate chip cookie flavor is present, and they're ideal if you always wished chocolate chip cookies just had a bit more chocolate. The chocolate coating on the back adds another texture and more dimension to these morsels, and we love it.

Taking the second spot in this cookie ranking are the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Joe-Joe's. If you're unfamiliar with Joe-Joe's, you're in for a very sweet treat. The concept of Joe-Joe's is simple, yet so very effective. You take a sandwich cookie of any flavor (ahem, knockoff Oreo), and cover it with chocolate. These sound simple, but they have the perfect combination of different textures with the smooth chocolate coating, the crunch of the cookie inside, and the creamy filling in the middle. The flavor combinations are also truly endless with this formula; we've seen chocolate peppermint Joe-Joe's and double peanut butter Joe-Joe's, and we think it could go forever. Personally, a Joe-Joe's variation we'd like to see is matcha and vanilla — kind of like a latte, but in a cookie form.

Anyway, these Chocolate and Peanut Butter Joe-Joe's are an absolute classic for a reason. We've always thought they taste similarly to Girl Scout Cookies (the Peanut Butter Patties), but are just more mature and elevated. These are easily some of the best cookies you can get at Trader Joe's, and you don't want to miss out on them.

We've finally reached the pinnacle of this ranking, and let us tell you, these cookies absolutely blew the rest of the bunch out of the water. It's not even a fair competition. Sometimes, when you really nail the classics, that can be better than any overcomplicated cookie variation. These Way More Chocolate Chips Cookies from Trader Joe's just got the classic chocolate chip cookie right. We can't think of a single way these suckers could be improved.

Chips Ahoy needs to step aside, because, at first glance, these cookies may remind you of them. But these sweets have the perfect balance between being crunchy and soft; they're not so hard you'll be massaging your jaw after biting into them, but they're not so soft that they'll fall apart in your hand. These chocolate chip goodies are easily the best dessert, in general, we've ever tried from Trader Joe's, and we have tried a lot of great Trader Joe's items. There's the perfect amount of chocolate chips in each cookie, the container is easy to close and perfect to put out at a party, and the consistency is just right. Trader Joe's, you've outdone yourself here. It goes without saying that if you're getting any cookies from this ranking, buy these.