The Store-Bought Break-And-Bake Cookies That Let Us Down Big Time

When a cookie craving hits, you might not always be prepared with cookies on deck. In fact, unless you are a Keebler elf, you probably don't have cookie dough reliably on hand at home. And while premade Chips Ahoy and Pepperidge Farms cookies are welcome additions to any snack pantry, there's just something about that fresh-from-the-oven cookie that boxed brands can't quite capture. Break-and-bake cookies give the best of both worlds, removing the hassle of baking but preserving the fresh-baked experience. We ranked 12 different break-and-bake cookies and found the fudgy brownie cookies from Sweet Loren's to be the most disappointing.

These cookies are gluten-free, plant-based, and non-GMO verified, so we had high hopes that these could be a "cleaner" dessert choice on the market. Unfortunately, we found the clean ingredients to be about the only positive. These cookies had the same mealy texture that sadly plagues a lot of gluten-free baked goods. They also developed a hard texture after baking and, to put it bluntly, resembled "animal dung." Perhaps the greatest travesty, though, was the lack of chocolate chunks that are clearly depicted on the front of the packaging. We did not taste or see any chocolate pieces in these cookies, solidifying Sweet Loren's fudgy brownie cookies as the worst of the dozen that we tried.

The fact that Sweet Loren's fudgy brownie cookies are gluten-free gave us high hopes. While the options for gluten-free dietary restrictions are expanding, they remain limited to a small fraction of grocery items at the average store. If you live a gluten-free lifestyle and are excited at the idea of these fudgy brownie cookies from Sweet Loren's, it might still be worth giving them a try. 

While our reviewer certainly didn't have a good experience with these break-and-bake cookies, reviews online seem to rave about them. The cookies have 4.7 stars on the Target website, with one reviewer saying, "This is some of the very best gluten-free cookie dough I've ever tasted." Some gluten-free foodies on Reddit seem to agree, but several commenters mentioned that the Immaculate brand gluten-free cookies are superior.

If you have a delicious homemade gluten-free cookie recipe in your arsenal, try prepping and refrigerating the dough for a DIY break-and-bake cookie. Prep your dough balls, layer them on parchment paper, and seal them in a plastic food storage bag or airtight container. Remove as much of the air inside your storage vessel as possible and then pop in the fridge. You can also conveniently freeze cookie dough for up to three months. Gluten-free or not, it's never a bad idea to have some cookie dough on hand.