You know how there’s that well-known adage that says you should never visit the grocery store hungry? It’s true, and I can vouch for it. But there’s a lesser-known alternative to that side of the coin: don’t go to a grocery store full, either. Sure, you might save a little on your grocery bill since nothing looks even remotely appetizing, but you’re going to end up with barely anything in your cart except sweets.
And that is how I ended up with this in my cart. And their name-brand cupcake knockoffs. And ice cream. Yet not even enough food for the rest of the week. Oh well. These enticed me because I’m a plain person who loves the simple taste of chocolate chip cookies, and these seem to be pretty well loaded with them evenly across each cookie. They had another variety called “kitchen sink” cookies that lost me with the inclusion of coconut (along with, as the name implies, about thirty other ingredients); I’ve since learned they won an award as Best Private Label Cookie of 2015 according to the PLMA (Private Label Manufacturer’s Association, an actual organization). I’ll probably be going back for those next time.
But that’s a story for the future: the focus now are on Village Bakery’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies, available all the time at Aldi stores nationwide. The cookie looks like a cookie, which is a good thing. Each one is pretty uniformly round, and you can tell just by looking at them that they’re going to be chewy—that’s a good thing for me (and most others that I’ve talked to about preferred cookie strength), but if you like yours burnt or crispy, then this is probably not the cookie for you. Sure enough, a single bite confirms exactly the softness that I thought. The actual cookie here is pretty much standard cookie, though it is pretty flavorful, with a sweetness that gradually gives way to some kind of finish that I can’t accurately detect because I have a terrible palate. It’s good, but nothing to write home about.
As it should be, the main focus is on the chocolate chunks, and each cookie is loaded with them. There’s no reason that, assuming you are a fully-grown human being, you should end up with a bite completely devoid of them, because they’re all well spread throughout. The chocolate chips are nice and sweet, but not overly so, and blend very well with the cookie portion. In other words, these actually approach the same flavor and consistency of supermarket bakery cookies, at least in my humble opinion. But of course you’re not going to be paying the price for fresh-baked cookies…I honestly don’t remember the exact price, a fact that I am ashamed of, nor can I find pricing info online, but I believe they are $2.79, or thereabouts. For ten cookies, that runs about a quarter each, which is a great deal for cookies this delicious.
I’ll end this story with an anecdote that explains how I actually first encountered these: I was at a friend’s party and helped myself to a cookie. Upon taking a bite, I stated (it was an upscale party, hence the larger words) how delectable the cookie was, and inquired if he was the baker responsible for creating such a delicious treat. That’s when he pointed to a large Aldi poster he had hanging on his wall. Without saying a word, I understood, and began to nod approvingly. That’s a true story. Well, some of it.
Overall: 8/10. I don’t eat sweets all that often, but after loading up on lunch at a tasty local establishment, I was craving dessert, and ended up with these (and ice cream, and cupcakes, etc.) in the cart. This is a delicious cookie, nice and chewy with the perfect texture. The chocolate chips are milk chocolate (my favorite), and are fairly sweet, but not overly so. The cookie itself is sugary (of course), but also has an added flavor (Perhaps vanilla? My tastebuds suck) that actually gains in intensity; it wasn’t the plain, boring cookie that I was expecting. The end result is a bakery-style cookie that beats out most other store-bought cookies. This is actually the first time I’ve ever bought them myself, but I will definitely be grabbing another package, and in the near future, too.
They are the best cookie I have had in years!!!
Which one, the kitchen sinks? They are pretty tasty. They also carry a kitchen sink ice cream once in a while as a special buy, which I've not tried but would definitely be game for.
Just stay away from their white chocolate macadamia nut cookies…awful.