I tried 10 of Aldi's most popular cookies, and I'd buy 6 of them again
- Shoppers often compare Aldi's Benton line to name-brand and Girl Scout cookies.
- The peanut butter fudge and caramel coconut fudge cookies looked and tasted like the real thing.
- A few staples, like the oatmeal and Danish cookies, fell flat.
Bargain hunters who love name-brand cookies need to check out what might be Aldi's best-kept secret.
The budget grocery store's Benton brand offers cookies that shoppers say remind them of Samoas, Tagalongs, and Chips Ahoy, and according to Aldi fans, they're are just as good for a fraction of the cost.
As someone who doesn't like having to wait until the brief six-month period between January and April to stock my freezers and cupboards with Girl Scout cookies, I knew I had to try them for myself.
Read on to see how Aldi's popular bargain cookies stacked up against each other.
I found 10 different cookies at my local Aldi, though it was sadly out of a few I wanted to try
At first glance, there seemed to be a lot of cookies in the snack aisle, but some varieties I'd been really excited to try - namely the fudge mint cookies (which seemed similar to Thin Mints), the white chocolate and cranberry cookies, and the double-stuffed sandwich cookies - were sold out.
But I was still able to snag 10 different kinds of cookies for under $20.
The Danish cookies didn't have a nice texture or flavor
Cost: $2.99
Rating: 1/10
Aldi's Danish cookies were on the more expensive side. However, after seeing that these buttery biscuits were made with real butter and without any preservatives, I had high expectations.
That is until I took my first (and only) bite.
Not only were the cookies not buttery, but they had a crumbly texture and a strange, chemical aftertaste.
The vanilla wafers weren't very exciting
Cost: $1.59
Rating: 2/10
I don't think name-brand versions of these cookies are usually anything to write home about, so I didn't have the highest hopes for these similar cookies.
And I was right. They were some of the most disappointing cookies I tried during my taste test.
Once I took a single bite, the cookie completely crumbled in my hand.
I also noticed that it had an artificial vanilla flavor that tasted sickly sweet and left a bad aftertaste.
The oatmeal cookies were super cheap, but they were bland and overly crispy
Cost: $0.89
Rating: 3/10
Benton's oatmeal cookies ended up being one of the more disappointing offerings, even though they were the cheapest.
I usually love store-bought oatmeal cookies, but these ones were rock hard and seemed a little bit stale.
The flavor was decent, but there was no chewy center and I felt like I was biting into a burnt piece of toast.
The fudge marshmallow cookies were overpoweringly sweet
Cost: $1.89
Rating: 4/10
I went into my taste test excited to try the fudge marshmallow cookies, which looked just like little glazed chocolate doughnuts.
Although they had plenty of rave reviews online, I found the marshmallow to be a little too sweet, and I wasn't a huge fan of the doughy texture.
These would probably be a hit with someone who likes s'mores-inspired treats.
I'd prefer the lemon dunkers served alongside some tea or coffee
Cost: $3.89
Rating: 5/10
The lemon dunkers were the most expensive cookies on my list, and I was definitely a little skeptical when I opened the package and smelled an overpowering scent of artificial lemon.
But the texture was crisp and buttery, and I could definitely taste the lemon without it being overwhelming.
This is a cookie I could imagine dunking in some tea or coffee, but probably not something I'd eat by itself.
The chocolate-chip cookies reminded me a lot of Chips Ahoy
Cost: $1.39
Rating: 6/10
Aldi's Benton chocolate-chip cookies reminded me of classic Chips Ahoys.
The cookies themselves were fine, nothing to write home about. But they were crispy, and I could see myself mindlessly finishing off a sleeve while watching a TV show before bed.
The simple pecan shortbread cookies were beautifully buttery
Cost: $1.35
Rating: 7/10
The pecan shortbread cookies didn't look very exciting, but the flavor and texture made for a pleasant surprise.
The flavor was much more buttery than the Danish cookies, and the taste of the pecans - which were generously sprinkled throughout - definitely came through.
I wouldn't be able to tell the peanut butter-stuffed fudge cookies apart from a Girl Scout Tagalong
Cost: $1.45
Rating: 8/10
My first impression was that this fudge-covered cookie looked just like a Girl Scout Tagalong.
Once I took a bite, I definitely felt like it had been inspired by the peanut-butter cookies, with similar layers of nut spread, thick chocolate, and a crunchy biscuit.
I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these and a Tagalong.
I was pleasantly surprised by the maple-leaf cookies
Cost: $1.99
Rating: 9/10
I was a little wary about these crème cookies because of the overpowering scent of maple.
But I rated it above some of the others I'd normally prefer because the biscuits tasted fresh and had a good authentic maple flavor without being overwhelming.
Additionally, the filling had a creamier texture than I expected and didn't taste like something I'd get in a box at the grocery store.
Aldi's caramel coconut fudge cookies could fool any Samoas fan
Cost: $1.35
Rating: 10/10
This was one of the cookies I was most excited to try due to a number of rave reviews online. One customer even said she had to "pretend not to see" them when she went to the store because she'd eat the whole box.
I was, understandably, pretty hyped to test these out.
When I opened the package, my first impression was that it looked just like a classic Girl Scout cookie, with a chocolate base, crispy toasted coconut, and fudge drizzles on top.
Once I bit in, I was convinced I might as well have been eating a Samoas. They were pretty much identical.
Plus at just $1.35 for an 8.5-ounce carton of cookies, it was a total steal.
The caramel-coconut and maple-leaf cookies reigned supreme
As a whole, I was really impressed with Aldi's Benton cookie line.
Most of these varieties would stack up against any name-brand cookie. And considering the majority of the cookies' packaging said they were made with real ingredients like butter, cocoa, and maple syrup, their prices can't be matched for the quality.
That being said, the caramel coconut fudge, maple-leaf crème, and the peanut-butter-stuffed fudge cookies were easily the most delicious out of the bunch.
On the other hand, the Danish cookies, vanilla wafers, and oatmeal cookies were at the bottom of the pack, and I wouldn't purchase them again.
Benton definitely has me sold, and I'm excited to try more popular flavors - including the fridge mint cookies and the pumpkin-spice-flavored créme cookies - in the future.
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