Chefs share their favorite store-bought cookie dough, and there's one brand they can't get enough of

Alisha Ivey, the pastry chef of Il Solito in Portland, Oregon, said she especially likes the Nestlé sugar cookie dough, which she uses to make "dessert pizzas."

"My mom used to make these for birthdays [when I was] growing up," Ivey said. "It's a sugar cookie base rolled out into the shape of a pizza, baked, then topped with a layer of cream cheese icing and a layer of homemade strawberry jam."

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Alex Levin, the culinary director of pastry for Alta Strada in Washington DC, said he conducted research as a culinary student to find the best store-bought cookie dough. When compared to doughs from Trader Joe's, Nestlé, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker, Nestlé emerged triumphantly.

"The Nestlé chocolate chip was the most flavorful, and the dough had a very buttery [taste]," he said. "The dark brown sugar, butter, and good chocolate chips are the three key things [needed] for a great cookie ... they nailed it on all fronts."

Steven Lona, the executive chef of Waterbar in San Diego, California, likes that Nestlé chocolate chip cookie dough makes fool-proof cookies.

"[Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Dough is] consistent and yields the perfect cookie every time," he told Insider. "I portion out the cookie dough, sprinkle them with some almonds and dust them with sea salt, plus a mixture of cinnamon, clove, and cayenne pepper, to give them more complexity."

The majority of chefs we spoke with said that Nestlé Toll House cookie dough is the best of the bunch.

Chef Matt Ward of NICO in Charleston, South Carolina, said he loves the simplicity of the pre-cut Nestlé cookie doughs, which he likes to jazz up by adding extra chocolate candies.

"The pre-cut ones literally take no time at all and can curb any sweet tooth [craving] in about 15 minutes, start to finish," he told Insider. "Not to mention, when baked, they're pretty solid cookies."

Texas-based pastry chef Amanda Rockman thinks that Nestlé dough has achieved the perfect cookie texture.

"[Cookies made from Nestlé dough] have the perfect crunchy outside and gooey, soft inside texture that you want from a cookie," she said.

Chef and registered dietitian Julie Harrington told Insider she recommends a more allergen-friendly store-bought cookie dough that's perfect for people who follow a wide range of diets.

Sweet Loren's has doughs that are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and kosher.

"From both a chef and registered dietitian standpoint, I would recommend Sweet Loren's store-bought cookie dough," she told Insider. "With a simple ingredient list, these cookies are delicious right out of the oven."

Ron Paprocki, who was the pastry chef for the acclaimed Gotham Bar and Grill in New York City before it closed, prefers to make doughs from scratch. But if he's relaxing at home and wants something quick and easy to customize, he said Whole Foods 365 sugar cookie dough is his go-to.

Paprocki told Insider this classic sugar cookie dough is especially great to customize.

"What I really like to do is make a simple cream cheese frosting, spread it on a cooled baked cookie, and decorate it with rainbow sprinkles, an almost exact replica of the Schmackary's famous Funfetti sugar cookie," he said.

Clare Langan, a New York-based chef, food stylist, and TV culinary producer, said that she grabs a package of Trader Joe's chunky chocolate chip cookie dough when she needs to whip up a batch in a hurry.

"[The cookies] come out looking homemade and taste pretty close, too," she told Insider.

To jazz up the premade dough, Langan said she suggests "adding a handful or two of unexpected mix-ins: chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans, toasted hazelnuts, or even crushed potato chips for a sweet-and-salty vibe."