The Chain Chocolate Chip Cookie You Should Buy Every Time

Nothing compares to the comforting taste and gooey texture of a homemade chocolate chip cookie, but restaurant cookies can still come pretty close. These days, a huge number of restaurant chains offer chocolate chip cookies. So, which ones are worth ordering? We reviewed the best and worst chain chocolate chip cookies to help you decide which ones to indulge in and which to skip. A note: our reviewer chose the 10 chains that were closest to her, so there are other chain chocolate chip cookies out there that we have yet to try.

One standout was the chocolate chip cookie at sandwich chain Jersey Mike's. Our reviewer was already a fan of Jersey Mike's subs (giant and otherwise), and the cookie convinced her that "Jersey Mike's can simply do no wrong." She loved the taste but was especially impressed by the texture of the cookie, describing it as perfect and stating that it blew her away. She appreciated that it was soft and easy to eat. Her one mild criticism was that there weren't very many chocolate chips and she would have liked more of them. However, she didn't think this was something she would have noticed if the cookie weren't part of a taste test.

What makes the Jersey Mike's chocolate chip cookie so good? Its Instagram may hold a potential clue: as of 2024, Jersey Mike's makes its cookies with brown butter. Unlike melted butter, brown butter has been cooked a little longer to lightly cook the fat's milk solids and achieve a toasty, nutty flavor. It adds a rich depth to baked goods, but the additional effort is an unexpected extra step for a sandwich chain to take. This no doubt is part of what puts Jersey Mike's cookies a cut above the rest. Jersey Mike's employees also say that the cookies are at least somewhat freshly baked, as they report receiving pre-portioned cookie dough that they then bake in the store. This process likely helps them avoid the stale flavor that our reviewer found in some other chain cookies.

However, there is some controversy among Jersey Mike's fans as to whether they prefer the current iteration of the cookie compared to an older one. Some fans absolutely love today's cookie, but others yearn for the old times when Jersey Mike's sold a version known as the Decadent Cookie. (Other flavors of Decadent Cookie were also available.) Jersey Mike's diehards especially loved that the Decadent Cookie was available in a large size in addition to the regular size. The good news is that, according to several employees on Reddit, David's Cookies was the supplier of Jersey Mike's previous cookies (as well as its brownies). This means that Decadent Cookie fans should still be able to purchase them through David's Cookies.