12 Pepperidge Farm Cookies Ranked Worst To Best
If you enjoy any kind of baked good –- whether that is a loaf of bread, a cookie, or even a baked salty snack — then you have likely picked up a product from Pepperidge Farm. The company has been around since the 1930s, baking products that are quintessential parts of many of our childhood — we are looking at you, Goldfish. But nothing brings a snacking crowd together quite like cookies, and Pepperidge Farm knows a thing or two about baking everyone's favorite sweet treat.
From Milano to Brussels to Chessmen, Pepperidge Farm is responsible for some pretty iconic cookies over the years. Plus, it has a variety of chocolate chip cookies that cater to multiple taste palates. If you are new to the Pepperidge Farm game, take a look at your snack aisle on your next trip to the grocery store and you will immediately realize your breadth of options. How does one choose what cookies to add to their shopping cart?
That is where we are stepping in. We meticulously examined a dozen different Pepperidge Farm cookies and ranked them so you know which are worth a try. Whether it is the flavor, texture, or value, there are several factors we kept in mind when determining which Pepperidge Farm cookie is top dog.
12. Milk Chocolate Milano
Talk to any Pepperidge Farm fan and most will shake their heads in dismay when you mention the O.G. Milk Chocolate Milano. What was once considered by many to be as tasty of a sandwich-style cookie as an Oreo, the Milano has largely fallen off the radar as a snack worth the price. Many fans have blamed "shrinkflation," pointing out that there is noticeably less filling between the two cookies now than there used to be.
Across the board, Pepperidge Farm consumers have one consistent piece of criticism for the Milk Chocolate Milanos: There simply is not as much filling as there used to be. One Redditor even shared, "I took the two boxes of Milano cookies I bought from Kroger back for a refund." Another user on Reddit shared their disbelief at how there seemed to be less product in the package than years before. "We opened the package and just looked at each other in disbelief. [It's] a smaller, thinner cookie. Not the Milanos I remember."
There are a variety of other Milanos, some of which add just enough of an extra flavor to win over some consumers. But, for the most part, the original Milk Chocolate variety has fallen sharply in the hearts and minds of fans.
11. Montauk Milk Chocolate Chunk
Pepperidge Farm has plenty of Milano and Verona flavors to go around, but they also offer a wide variety of chocolate chip cookies. But for those who want a no-frills snack with any added ingredients some may deem unnecessary, there is the Montauk Milk Chocolate Chunk cookie. There are few if any surprises here: If you like your chocolate chip cookies as plain as can be, then you will likely find yourself reaching for a bag of these at the grocery store.
If you are a chocolate chip cookie aficionado, however, you may scratch your head at one curious detail. As the name implies, the Montauk cookies are made with milk chocolate chunks and not the typical semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate you find in a chocolate chip cookie. If milk chocolate is your preferred chocolate variety, then this might not seem like a huge issue. But there is a reason chocolate chip recipes call for semisweet chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate. It mainly has to do with the fact that semisweet and even bittersweet offer a nice contrast to the already-sweet cookie dough. But milk chocolate, which contains more added sugar, does not offer much in terms of added flavor. Pepperidge Farm's decision to go against the grain is not winning many people over.
10. Mint Chocolate Milanos
While chocolate can stand on its own, every once in a while, we might feel the urge to spice things up. Fortunately, a lot of other ingredients pair wonderfully with chocolate, like mint. It is, after all, no surprise to many that Thin Mints are one of the most popular flavors of Girl Scout Cookies. So you would assume that the same logic would apply to the Mint Chocolate Milano cookies from Pepperidge Farm.
While the mint flavor does bump it higher than the regular Milk Chocolate Milano for some, as is the case with one Redditor, they did mention that they "do feel like the taste is a lot less strong now." Others are still perfectly fine with the level of mint, with another Redditor noting how the "Mint Milano is my kryptonite." The addition of mint gives it something a little more interesting than just chocolate, but even that added ingredient does not seem to be enough to make up for the fact that Milano cookies seem thinner than they used to be.
9. Blueberry Verona
If you have never tried a cookie that comes with a fruit-flavored jam filling, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. But those who are in-the-know will tell you how great the flavors go together, which is why Pepperidge Farm made sure to include some options in its lineup. If you see a package that says Verona, know that it is Pepperidge Farm's version of a thumbprint cookie. Thumbprint cookies can be filled with your favorite kind of jam or ganache to give it a nice burst of flavor. You can currently find them in blueberry, apricot raspberry, strawberry, and cherry. But, today, we are going to discuss the Blueberry Verona.
The blueberry filling is what gives this particular Verona some mileage, as one Redditor points out. Another replied and mentioned "As far as store bought cookies go they're actually pretty good," but they certainly do not seem like the kind of cookie to write home about.
8. Chessmen
We will admit that part of what gave the Chessmen cookies a bit of a bump on the list is that they are at least fun to look at. We know you are not supposed to play with your food, but the fact that Chessmen cookies come in different designs based on all of the various chess pieces is clever. Redditors have even pondered over how many packages of Chessmen you would need to purchase before you have a complete set to play a full game of chess with.
Chessmen have been know to make an excellent topping for a banana pudding. However, you definitely do not have to go through the trouble of making an entire pudding for these cookies to reach their full potential. In fact, Chessmen get a lot of points from the simple fact that many of us grew up with these in our cabinets. As one Redditor points out, "Oh man, I remember these cookies! Cue the nostalgic feels." Fun to play with, but no one is shouting from the rooftops when it comes to flavor.
7. Farmhouse Thin & Crispy Milk Chocolate Chip
When it comes to showing your preference for how you like your chocolate chip cookies, there are two major camps. You either like your cookies soft or crispy. For those who like them with a little extra crunch, Pepperidge Farm offers a Thin & Crispy lineup of cookies. Among them is the next entry on our list, the Thin & Crispy Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies are a solid option if you want a simple, crispy cookie with no frills. As one Redditor describes, less is more: "They have it all. Butter, chocolate and a slight saltiness."
But one of the biggest perks in our estimation, and why the Thin & Crispy variety of Pepperidge Farm's Milk Chocolate Chip cookies rank higher than their soft counterparts, is that there are more of them in one package. Thanks to their thinner structure, each package contains 14 crispy cookies, compared to the eight soft-baked Montauk varieties. Sure, one could argue that two crispy cookies is the same as one soft-baked cookie, but the fact that it will take you just a bit longer to work your way through one package of Thin & Crispy cookies makes them a better bang for your buck.
6. Caramel Apple Soft Baked
The arrival of different seasons throughout the year is usually marked by some familiar flavors finding their way back onto the market. Whether you love or hate pumpkin spice, there is no doubt that summer is coming to a close when Starbucks rolls out its ever popular Pumpkin Spice Latte. But if pumpkin is not your thing, there are other fall flavors you can enjoy seasonally, including caramel apple. To get in on the autumnal vibes, Pepperidge Farm has its very own Caramel Apple Soft Baked cookie.
Fall flavors should be an instant win, and when it comes to this particular cookie, Pepperidge Farm makes it at least part of the way there. It is certainly not a bad cookie by any stretch of the imagination, and there are plenty of great reviews to back that claim up. But there are plenty of hesitant reviews as well, including on Walmart's website. One of which laments, "I had hoped these would taste more like apples, instead they have a pretty artificial taste." If you are an expert on all things fall, you might be more sensitive to artificial flavors than others. That said, we appreciate Pepperidge Farm's efforts at including more unique cookies in its lineup.
5. Farmhouse Thin & Crispy Dark Chocolate Chip
If there is anything that can make a chocolate chip cookie even more decadent, it is swapping your milk chocolate chips out for dark chocolate instead. The bitter flavor you taste from the dark chocolate contrasts well with the sugary taste in the cookie dough, making an already great snack even better. So when we are talking about ranking Pepperidge Farm's straight-up classic chocolate chip cookies with no bells and whistles in the form of extra ingredients, it has got to be the Farmhouse Thin & Crispy Dark Chocolate Chip as a highly rated choice.
In fact, this flavor is no stranger to ranking well on cookie roundups. This particular cookie was actually named the top winner in our Top Store-Bought Chocolate Chip Cookies list, receiving high praise for its optimal texture and generous chocolate-to-cookie ratio. Plus, since it is a Thin & Crispy cookie, Pepperidge Farm was able to fit more cookies into one package — take that, "shrinkflation." There may be other Pepperidge Farm cookies that rank higher, but this one seems to be the undisputed champ in the chocolate chip department.
4. Brussels
If there was any cookie that could give the Milano a run for its money, it has got to be the Brussles. And no, we are not talking about Brussels Sprouts. Pepperidge Farm makes another sandwich-style cookie called Brussels, and, by and large, consumers seem to prefer these over virtually any Milano cookie. When comparing the two, one Redditor points out that they are "thinner, crispier and crunchier" than a Milano, making it the preferred choice for many. And with so many Pepperidge Farm fans concerned over the seemingly shrinking size of its cookies, Brussels seems to bring some much-needed relief. As one Redditor points out, "That's like a full size Milano."
The love for Brussels is so real, that fans cannot seem to get enough of them even when they run out. So, what do they do next? Some take it upon themselves to bake their own Brussels cookies at home, as one shared on Reddit. It seems as though nothing can get in the way between us and our Brussels cookies, or as one Redditor describes them, "My all-time favorite of the Pepperidge Farm cookies!"
3. Bordeaux
Any cookie expert will tell you that there are plenty of tasty treats to be had that do not have a single trace of chocolate in them. So it is time for the chocolate chip cookies to step aside, because there is a caramel-flavored treat that fans cannot get enough of. Among all of the different cookies Pepperidge Farm sells, there is a slew of fans who believe the top choice is Bordeaux cookies.
Bordeaux cookies are a caramelized crisp snack that includes 27 in one package — much more than your standard chocolate chip cookies, and even more than what you would find in a package of Milano cookies. This product gets major points right off the bat for sheer volume. And once you dive into a package, you will find a truly delicious cookie that is considered by many to be their favorite Pepperidge Farm snack. The caramel flavor of Bordeaux pairs well with a number of different drinks and desserts, with one Redditor sharing how they pair these cookies up. They said, "Goes well with tea and creme brûlée."
2. Double Dark Chocolate Milano
Milano cookies have gotten some valid criticism from fans over the seemingly disappearing chocolate center. Gone apparently are the days of a perfectly balanced chocolate-to-cookie ratio, and shoppers are fed up and want their money back. But Pepperidge Farm might be redeemed solely from its Double Dark Chocolate Milano.
For starters, the dark chocolate center gets major brownie points if you prefer it over milk chocolate. But the real magic is in the fact that there is double the amount of filling. With a more lush chocolatey center, you are actually able to taste it. Who knew? One Redditor puts it into perfect perspective by sharing "Double dark chocolate has 'double' the chocolate in the middle, and it's my personal favorite. I agree about the other milanos having almost no filling anymore, I can't go back to any other flavor now because it's almost tasteless." There is definitely a noticeable chocolate flavor in the Double Dark Chocolate variety, harkening back to the days when all Milano cookies had a proper amount of filling. After buying a package, you will likely never look back and only invest in Milano cookies that are specifically labeled "double."
1. Sausalito Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut
There had to be a top Pepperidge Farm cookie, and it is actually a more difficult decision than it looks. But today, we have to hand it to the Sausalito Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut. It takes an otherwise basic chocolate chip cookie and adds macadamia nuts to elevate things to a whole new level. If you are the kind of snacker who likes to add nuts to your cookies, then this is probably a Pepperidge Farm product you are very familiar with.
You are also in good company if the Sausalito cookie is your preferred Pepperidge Farm product. Several fans took to Reddit to name it as their all-time favorite Pepperidge Farm cookie, and another Redditor exclaimed, "One word. Say it and I'm yours. Sausalito. Seriously the best cookie from them." There is something so impressive with how well macadamia nuts go with a chocolate chip cookie, and we will continue to sing the praises of this ultimate flavor combo.