I Asked 5 Pro Bakers for the Best Chocolate Chips, and the Top Pick Totally Surprised Me

close up on a metal baking sheet of chocolate chip cookies — Photo:
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS

When it comes to chocolate chip cookies, are you Team Big and Chewy (like the rendition Reddit believes are the “pinnacle of perfection”), Team Thin and Crispy, or Team Best-of-Both-Worlds, a la Chef John’s crispy-edged, chewy-middle Chocolate Chip Cookies? Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum and no matter which recipe you personally believe yields The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever, there’s one feature we can agree on that is an essential element: chocolate chips.

The little morsels pack a big dose of chocolate flavor. But with more than a dozen different options at most major retailers these days, how is a baker supposed to choose among the chocolate chip brands?

We put six brands of chocolate chips through the paces in a staff taste test a few years ago, and Ghiradelli came out on top. Still, we know that we didn’t sample the full array of options and new contenders that have since entered the market.

So, to help all of us shop wisely and bake better, we tapped a panel of professional bakers and cookbook authors to dish about their top choice for chips.

Our Panel of Chocolate Chip-Rating Bakers

Erin Clarke, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based recipe developer and the author of ”Well Plated Everyday”
Alyssa Gangeri, pastry chef and managing partner at The Butter Milk Ranch in Nashville, Tennessee
Meggan Hill, the Valencia, California-based executive chef and CEO of Culinary Hill
Yumna Jawad, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based CEO and founder of Feel Good Foodie and the author of "The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook: 125 Recipes Enhanced with Mediterranean Flavors"
Alisa Woods, owner of Sift n Sprinkle Bakery in Des Moines, Iowa

Qualities of the Best Chocolate Chips

“Chocolate chips aren't as smooth as bar chocolate because they contain stabilizers to hold their shape,” admits Erin Clarke, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based recipe developer and the author of ”Well Plated Everyday”.

The stabilizers are designed to keep chocolate from melting too much at high temperatures, “which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish when you are trying to melt chocolate,” adds Meggan Hill, the Valencia, California-based executive chef and CEO of Culinary Hill.

Our pro bakers agree that a chocolate bar reigns supreme in s’mores, when you’re craving irregular, larger pockets of chocolate (like in a chocolate croissant), or for most melted chocolate recipes like chocolate truffles or chocolate-covered strawberries.

Still, “I can’t deny the perfection of a chocolate chip in a classic cookie,” explains Alisa Woods, owner of Sift n Sprinkle Bakery in Des Moines, Iowa. And chips are ideal in many brownie, cake, muffin, and pancake recipes, too.

“For everyday, I do opt for chocolate chips more often because the consistency in their size and shape ensures even chocolate distribution in baked goods,” says Yumna Jawad, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based CEO and founder of Feel Good Foodie and the author of "The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook". "Plus, it’s much more convenient without the added step of having to chop a chocolate bar."

When it comes time to choose your chips, Clark reminds us that “all brands are not created equal!” The easiest way to land on your personal favorite is to taste them. However, the label can give you some good clues.

The best chocolate chips must...

Be made with real cocoa and minimal additives. “The chips should have a deep chocolatey flavor and turn smooth and creamy when melted,” Hill says. One factor that plays a major role in making this possible is cocoa butter. “When choosing store-bought chocolate chips, I focus on the quality of ingredients: high cocoa content, minimal additives, and natural vanilla if possible. I avoid chocolate chips with excess stabilizers or artificial flavors, as they can compromise both flavor and texture,” explains Alyssa Gangeri, pastry chef and managing partner at The Butter Milk Ranch in Nashville, Tennessee.
Be not be too waxy, dry, or chalky. The mouthfeel and the way chocolate melts just enough is crucial in a good pastry, Gangeri believes, “so a chip with too much waxy coating is a no-go!” (She should know: Gangeri’s Crookies, part-croissant, part-cookies are the stuff of legends at her Tennessee brunch hotspot.) Those chips with a chalky cast? Take a pass, our bakers agree.
Ideally, come in a few different size, shape, and sweetness options. Chocolate chunks and mini chocolate chips are ideal for certain recipes, and it’s also nice to be able to turn to one brand when you want semi-sweet, extra dark, or milk chocolate. For most baking occasions, Jawad recommends semi-sweet since the balance of sweetness and bitterness plays nicely with the rest of the recipe.

Chocolate chip muffins on a surface, with a muffin with the liner pulled down — Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

The Best Chocolate Chips, According to Pro Bakers

After earning three votes from our experts, Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips takes the crown as the best morsel for your money.

“My absolute favorite supermarket chocolate chip is Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. These chips have a superior flavor; they’re deep, dark, and chocolatey with the right balance of sweetness,” Hill explains. “Beyond that, they melt like a dream, and they somehow elevate every baking application they are used in. They really do taste the best, and it's not even close!”

Clarke and Woods echo those sentiments—also giving a hat tip to the Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Baking Chips and Milk Chocolate Chips as worthy investments—and adore the brand’s wide availability and larger size. The price is right, too, clocking in at about $4.59 per 12-ounce bag.

“Ghirardelli chocolate chips are a little larger than most, so they’re a nice big surprise in a chocolate chip cookie, and melt to be oh-so creamy,” Woods adds.

Four other brands earned an honorable mention from the pro bakers:

Guittard Extra Dark and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Both Jawad and Gangeri are sweet on Guittard because “I can actually taste the difference in the cocoa flavor when I compare it to other supermarket brands,” Jawad says. The flavor is intense in a good way, “which I love for balancing sweetness in cookies,” Gangeri chimes in. The texture is smooth and not one bit grainy. At $6.29 per 12-ounce bag, they’re a worthy little luxury.
Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. It’s a classic for a reason! If you’re looking for a budget-friendly pick (these clock in at about $4.49 per 12-ounce bag), Toll House won’t let you down, Woods and Gangeri agree. While they’re not as rich as higher-end brands, they are versatile—and for many Americans, they taste like childhood. “These are accessible, reliable, and strike a good balance between affordability and taste,” Gangeri says.
Trader Joe’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Clarke describes these as “great chocolate chips that are affordable and melt really nicely.” They clock in at $3.99 for a 12-ounce bag, which makes them the most budget-friendly of the bunch.

Valrhona Guanaja 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Feves. If you’re up for a little splurge, Gangeri assures us that “these are on the more expensive side, but the quality is unbeatable. They melt beautifully and provide complex flavors with notes of red fruit and espresso,” she says. For the uninitiated, “feves” are small discs that can be used just like chips or chunks. Gangeri likes to mix these with another chocolate chip or chunk for texture variety and to stretch the $25-per-8.8-ounce bag investment.

How to Use Chocolate Chips Like a Pro

Whether you switch teams to Ghiradelli—or any of the other baker-beloved chips—or stick with the store brand or another that has your heart, you’re going to want to stock up on a bounty of bags. Chocolate chip cookies are just one of the dozens of possibilities for using your chips.

Chocolate chips make an incredible addition to all of these pro-approved desserts: