What’s “the Best” Store-Bought Cookie Dough of All Time? 3 Pastry Chefs Had the Same Answer

Sure, homemade chocolate chip cookies are tough to beat, but let’s be honest: There are some pretty incredible refrigerated cookie doughs lining grocery store shelves these days. And there’s no shame in keeping a pack in your fridge, either. They save a ton of time.

As it turns out, even chefs and bakers agree. I asked a group of professional bakers and pastry chefs to share their favorite store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough, and one name kept coming up again and again: Nestlé Toll House Cookie Dough, specifically the yellow tub. Here’s why.

Katy Languidey is pastry chef at Vincente, a bakery and bistro in Charlotte, N.C. She’s very pro store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough (and not just for its time-saving abilities). Her go-to is the big tub of Nestlé Toll House Cookie Dough. 

“I love the way that they bake,” says Languidey. “They have the best taste straight out of the oven (when they’re still a bit soft but crunchy on the outside) and they hold their shape together well.” The bucket is just the added convenience if you want one cookie or need a whole bunch. 

Christine Yang, the founder of iloafyou, a sourdough microbakery in New York City, didn’t hesitate with her answer either: “It’s gotta be Nestlé Toll House.” She gave the “nostalgic” factor a 10/10.  

For Catherine Jessee, a former line cook and current recipe developer, it’s also extra sentimental. She “only ever uses Nestlé Toll House,” in part because she used to make it with her grandmother. The “buttery, chocolatey flavor” and sweet memories stay with her to this day. 

Buy: Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, $7.84 for 36 ounces at Walmart 

What’s your favorite store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough? Tell us about it in the comments below.