Key Takeaways
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Target’s Good & Gather semi-sweet chocolate chips were the unexpected winners of the taste test, praised for their creamy and chocolaty qualities.
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The taste test involved eight different brands, all sampled blindly to ensure fairness.
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Editors noted diverse flavor profiles, from fruity and candy-like to bitter and sharp, across the different brands.
When it comes time to bake chocolate chip cookies—whether you’re leaving them out for Santa or simply satisfying your sweet tooth, the type of chocolate chip is essential to the perfect cookie.
But perhaps even more importantly, chocolate chips should taste delicious to snack on throughout the baking process. What is the best overall chocolate chip? What brand feels like it can deliver on both counts?
Our editors gathered to determine the best tasting chocolate chips. We tasted all semi-sweet chocolate chips, which are a little more bitter than milk chocolate chips, but still hold that sweetness that makes for a decadent chocolate chip cookie. There was one clear winner, and it delighted and surprised us. Here’s what we learned:
How We Tested
Our editors did a taste test of eight common chocolate chip brands. Chocolate chips from each bag were poured onto a plate for editors to scoop and label on their own plate, then eat and compare. No branded bags were in sight to ensure no one knew which chocolate chips they were tasting.
The Contenders
We took to the aisles of all of our favorite conventional grocery stores—including Trader Joe’s and Aldi—and scooped up a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in each. Target’s brand Good & Gather provides both organic and non-organic options for chocolate chips, so we got both out of curiosity.
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Tollhouse Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
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Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
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Walmart: Great Value Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
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Aldi: Baker’s Corner Chocolate Chips
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Publix: Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
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Trader Joe’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
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Good & Gather Organic Chocolate Chips
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Good & Gather Chocolate Chips
How Each Brand Scored
Tollhouse Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
One editor guessed that these were Tollhouse—and they were correct! These morsels were smooth, consistent, and sweeter than others. Another editor named a “candy-meltish quality” in these chocolate chips, while several other editors identified fruity notes.
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
“I would bake with these,” one editor said confidently, noting that these chips were definitely on the bittersweet side of things. A strong note of vanilla flavor came through for several editors, but these chocolate chips got the most praise for their meltability—not too waxy or firm.
Great Value Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
“This one feels like a true semi-sweet,” said one editor. “An equal balance of the two notes [milk chocolate and bitter chocolate].” One editor noted a “marshmallowy” taste.
Baker’s Corner Chocolate Chips
“Sweet, milky, and almost almondy,” said one editor. Another commented on its different taste, citing notes of coconut. Some editors absolutely loved this one, but others didn’t—which makes sense given somewhat divisive flavor profiles. One thing is for sure: These chocolate chips were smooth, with even balanced flavor, and seemed like they’d melt well. All important qualities of a chocolate chip.
Publix Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
According to one editor, these chocolate chips had “more of a zing than others,” which came through mostly in the aftertaste. “Very standard taste,” said another editor—and these chocolate chips, while not performing very high, did have the most nostalgic qualities of taste for our editors. “This one is smooth,” said one editor. “Good for baking into other things.”
Trader Joe’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
These chocolate chips were slightly larger in size and wider than others, which most editors noted. “I like the size of the chip,” one editor said. “Good for a cookie because [they’re] bigger.” While many editors also noted a sweetness in this brand of chocolate chip, several editors called out a subtle but pleasant “sharpness” or bitter note in its aftertaste.
Good & Gather Organic Chocolate Chips
A few editors noted that these chocolate chips had a chalky appearance, and while that may have been initially unsettling, uncertainties were quashed when these morsels were tasted. This brand of chocolate chips got consistently high ratings, but only one editor named it their favorite, noting that it was noticeably best for dark chocolate lovers. “As a dark chocolate person, I like this one,” they said. “It has a slight bitterness, way less sweet than the others [in the taste test].”
Good & Gather Chocolate Chips
“Reminds me of hot cocoa or a Tollhouse cookie,” said one editor, who appreciated just how creamy, smooth, and chocolaty this brand was. Several editors called out these chocolate chips as their favorite for flavor, creamy meltiness, and the confidence that these would be as both good for eating alone and consistently “good in cookies.”
Credit: Photo: Robbie Caponetto; Stylist: Mary Beth Wetzel
The Results
Target’s regular (non-organic) Good & Gather brand of semi-sweet chocolate chips won out. Editors preferred it for its “creamy” and “chocolaty” qualities.
“I would go for these as a snack,” said one editor who named these morsels their favorite. Other editors called out how “pronounced” the chocolate flavor was—almost resembling dark chocolate, but with a pleasant sweetness.
And while editors didn’t know this at the time of tasting, it’s a plus that while not technically “organic,” the Good & Gather chocolate chips don’t have artificial flavors, preservatives, or synthetic colors.
Read the original article on Southern Living