Who Actually Makes Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Trader Joe's is a beloved and trendy store catering to the demands of everyday shoppers, foodies, and novice cooks alike. Stores are full of bargain trademarked products like frozen meals, snacks, wine, and even pre-chopped salad mix kits. Many of its products bear a striking resemblance to mainstream counterpart brands, sparking questions and speculation about possible collaborations. While Trader Joe's doesn't deny using third-party companies and factories to manufacture its name-brand products, it also doesn't divulge who these anonymous partners are.

One of Trader Joe's popular snacks is the Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies. These bite-sized, thin chocolate chip rounds come packaged in an attractive plastic tub. Until recently, Trader Joe's also offered Crispy Crunchy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, which offered the same addictive flavor and crunch. However, it was the packaging on the gluten-free version that led speculators to theorize that the "ghost baker" behind both cookie varieties is Tate's Bake Shop.

Not only was the packaging on the now-defunct Gluten-Free chocolate chip cookies from Trader Joe's identical to that of Tate's Bake Shop, but the irresistibly crunchy texture was a match as well. The tub of Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies remains just as crunchy, with the same buttery, sweet flavor as Tate's Bake Shop. While there's no definitive confirmation, and while Tate's Bake Shop cookies are larger and thinner than the bite-sized rounds you get at Trader Joe's, the crunch and flavor are too close to write off as mere coincidence.

Just as there are numerous theories floating around as to the silent partner behind Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies, there has also been widespread outcry about alleged changes in ingredients and quality. Reddit threads have popped up in 2024 complaining about a sudden and unfortunate decline in taste and texture. Former cookie fans lament a paler color, bland flavor, and an overly hard texture. Others have uploaded pictures of ingredient lists on newer and older tubs of the cookies for comparison.

According to these comparisons, the latest version of Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies lack coconut, which is what many fans say they love about the original recipe. That said, customers from around the nation have reported that certain locations still use the old formula. Perhaps the change in recipes alludes to a new manufacturing partner or the incorporation of a secondary producer that supplies certain regions. Since Trader Joe's keeps a tight lid on the identity of its partners, mysteries will remain unsolved.

If you've noticed a change in the chocolate chip cookies at your local Trader Joe's, the brand has plenty of other cookies to try. The same customer base that bemoan a change in Crispy Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookies recommends the individual bags of Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, which they compare to Famous Amos.