A little treat is often the thing that gets us through the day, and a chocolate chip cookie can be just the ticket to make that afternoon slump a little more bearable.
If your much-anticipated treat turns out to be a fizzer, it can really put a dampener on your day – after all, what's the point of an indulgence if it's a disappointment?
That's why we tend to stick to our favourite brands and products – we know exactly what to expect when we open the pack, and we know it'll hit the spot every time.
After years of successful biscuit-making, you'd assume that Arnott's has choc chip cookies nailed, but how do they actually stack up?
Arnott's is one of those tried and trusted brands: it's been around since the 1800s and is responsible for many iconic favourites such as Tim Tams and Iced Vovos.
After years of successful biscuit-making, you'd assume that Arnott's has choc chip cookies nailed, but how do they actually stack up against other brands?
Surprisingly, not as well as you might think.
Prepare to have your cookie-craving mind blown: you don't have to stick to the well-known brands to get your fix of perfectly crunchy, biscuit-y bliss. You can actually pay less for a tastier treat.
(That means you can eat more of them, right?)
We'll tell you which cookies to put in your biscuit jar, and which to leave on the shelf.
Cookies were stripped of their branding and blind taste tested.
How we found the best choc chip cookies
We set three experts the difficult task of blind tasting 22 different choc chip cookies (tough gig, we know).
They didn't know which was which, so couldn't be swayed by branding or packaging.
They judged each cookie on its own merits, assessing things like flavour, texture, aroma and appearance, giving a score for each aspect.
Each cookie's Health Star Rating was converted into a percentage; this then made up 10% of each cookie's overall score. (Although we know people don't exactly eat cookies for their health!)
The results of our taste test might surprise you – and perhaps change your shopping habits.
Are Arnott's chocolate chip cookies the best?
According to our expert judges, no.
In a shock turn of events, the well-known biscuit brand didn't even make the top three, being ousted by – shock horror – supermarket home-brand cookies.
Turns out you don't need to buy based on brand to get the best bikkie.
So how did the Arnott's cookies score? Not as well as you might expect.
Top-tier taste at a budget price: Coles Ultimate Cookies.
The budget bikkies that beat Arnott's
If taste is everything (and let's be honest, it is for most of us when it comes to treats), then one unassuming supermarket cookie takes the biscuit: Coles Ultimate Cookies 40% Chocolate Chip.
Coles' cookies scored 84% in our taste test, and only narrowly missed out on the top spot overall because of their low Health Star Rating of 0.5. (The cookies that took out the top spot have a 1.5 Health Star Rating).
While your doctor might not be a fan of these, your tastebuds definitely will be. And at 19 cents a cookie (compared to 24 cents a pop for Arnott's), your budget will be happy too.
Plus, they're made from real dark chocolate chips – unlike Arnott's and most other brands that use compound chocolate, which is made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa fats/solids.
These Aldi cookies are another supermarket biscuit that out-scored Arnott's.
Want more bikkie for your budget?
To get the best cookie for your coin, head to Aldi for its Belmont Signature Cookies.
They beat Arnott's in our taste test and will cost you just 22 cents a cookie, or $1 per 100g – the cheapest unit price (per 100g) of all the top scorers.
Like the Arnott's and Coles cookies, they also contain 40% choc chips, but knowing that you're getting the same chocolate hit for less might make them taste even better.
These Coles bakery cookies are perfect for when you want to splurge on a treat.
The luxe options
If you really want to treat yourself, you need to get out of that packaged biscuit aisle and over to the bakery, stat!
Two of our judges' favourite cookies overall are baked in-house at Coles and Woolies. They took out first and third place in our taste test. You'll notice they cost a lot more per cookie than some of the options above, but they're also significantly bigger – their price per 100g is only slightly higher than the Arnott's cookies (Coles $1.83, Woolworths $1.77 vs Arnotts $1.61).
First place: Coles Dreams Crumb True New York Choc Chip Cookies
- CHOICE score: 78% (Recommended)
- Price: $5.20/pack; $1.30/cookie
Third place: Woolworths Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- CHOICE score: 75% (Recommended)
- Price: $5.50/pack; $1.10/cookie
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
