Aldi's Fall Cookies Ranked, Worst To Best
If you've been dreaming of all the fall products Aldi might have this year, we bet your list includes fall cookies. While they tend to trickle in at first, there is eventually a whole avalanche of fall cookies at Aldi to choose from. They're located everywhere from the bakery to the end caps and beyond. As we nibbled and ranked Aldi's fall cookies from worst to best, we were surprised at the results. Some of the ones we thought would be real winners ended up at the bottom of our list, while ones we expected to be just okay soared to the top. So, you can't necessarily guess what you'll like just by looking sometimes.
We enlisted an extra tester to help get a better consensus on which of Aldi's fall cookies you'll want to pass up and which are worth throwing in the cart. In the end, it came down to how each one tasted. There were some that we took one bite of and knew they were a firm "no." Luckily, the best ones were just as obvious — after just one bite, you knew they were keepers.
Our list includes both Aldi brands and well-known name brands. There are two oatmeals, two apples, and two pumpkin spices on our list. Other flavors include salted caramel, cranberry, maple, hazelnut, and s'mores. After you take a look at our ratings, we're confident you'll be ready to make the best Aldi fall cookie choices this season.
10. Lofthouse s'mores
We were excited to find s'mores among Aldi's fall cookies. When you think of s'mores cookies, you imagine them tasting mainly like graham crackers, with a marshmallowy topping, and a bit of chocolate drizzle. It's a flavor that's hard to get wrong. Unfortunately, in this case, Lofthouse has ruined s'mores. We're not sure how these made it past the testing phase.
The bottom portion of the s'mores looks like chocolate chip cookies. They're soft. However, they taste like the least exciting chocolate chip cookie you've ever tasted, even though they're made from graham flour. However, it's the topping that ruined it for us. The supposedly marshmallow-flavored white frosting tastes extremely bitter, which is odd since there's no food coloring in it. Then, there are ordinary chocolate sprinkles on top, and graham cracker crumbles that taste like the chocolate chip cookie base. Cinnamon and molasses are among the ingredients, but they couldn't redeem it. However, the bitterness of the frosting lingers long after you've taken a bite (longer than for the sugar cookies).
A serving is a single cookie. It ties for the highest amount of calories (170) and has the most sugar (17 grams) of any of the products on our list. It also has 8 grams of fat (3.5 grams are saturated fat), and 25 grams of carbs. The only thing these s'mores really have going for them is that they were made in a peanut and tree-nut-free factory. However, we cannot recommend them.
9. Lofthouse harvest frosted sugar cookies
Unfortunately, all the cookies we tried from Lofthouse were flops. The main problem seems to be bitter frosting. When we first tasted the Lofthouse harvest frosted sugar cookies, we expected the orange-colored frosting to be a little bitter, but not for it to linger after eating. The sprinkles are nice and harvest festive, but they don't have much of a flavor to add to the overall experience.
The sugar cookie portion has a lovely texture. They're soft and cakey without being too floury. They're also only lightly sweet. So, this product had a lot of potential until Lofthouse added the bitter orange frosting on top. If they improve their frosting next go-around, these could be top-tier cookies. But, alas, we can't really recommend them this year.
You can eat one of these for a serving. They are tied for having the second highest amount of calories (160) and the most carbs (25 grams) of any products on our list. They also have 6 grams of fat (2.5 grams are saturated), and 16 grams of sugar. Aldi-exclusive brands don't contain synthetic colors, however, these Lofthouse brand cookies contain yellow 6, yellow 5, blue 1, and red 40, which the International Journal of Occupational Environmental Health has found to be concerning for various health purposes. These dyes also likely contribute to the bitterness. While we found this product more likable with the frosting scraped off, we don't really recommend them as a whole.
8. Bake Shop apple oatmeal cookies
We were really excited about the Bake Shop apple oatmeal cookies, which is probably why they disappointed us so much. We expected it to taste like apple pie or maybe an apple crumble. The part that got us excited most was the dried apple pieces taking the place of raisins. Unfortunately, we feel like Bake Shop really missed the mark with this flavor.
The texture is great. They're soft, chewy, moist, and have the perfect mouth feel. However, they seem to have gone down a spice route that's more suited to gingerbread than to apple oatmeal cookies. The ingredient list includes cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and ginger, which are some of the ingredients you might find in apple pie spice. However, it tastes like someone tripped when adding nutmeg and just kept pouring. So, the overwhelming flavor here is nutmeg, which you'll be tasting long after you've taken a bite. If you love nutmeg, you might like this product, however, if you aren't nutmeg's biggest fan, you're probably going to regret your purchase.
A one-cookie serving contains only 2 grams of saturated fat, which is the least of any of the others on our list. So, it has that going for it. Otherwise, it has 150 calories, 6 grams of fat, 23 grams of carbs, and 13 grams of sugar. If an oatmeal nutmeg gingerbread cookie with apple pieces sounds good to you, go for this one. Otherwise, you might want to skip it.
7. Deutsche Küche doppelino hazelnut sandwich biscuits
These sandwich biscuits are definitely cookies, but are they good? It's a tough call knowing what to say about Deutsche Küche doppelino hazelnut sandwich biscuits. If you're looking for something to fill that sweet-flavored hole in your life without being too sweet, they might just work. They have a super-slight hazelnut flavor, but we're not sure you'd guess they were hazelnut unless someone told you they were. There are hazelnuts in the ingredient list, but the flavor is light. Malt syrup and artificial vanilla flavor complete the taste profile.
Our co-taster for this ranking suggested that they taste like cardboard. We can't disagree with that analysis. However, it's a crunchy, sweet, and sort of tasty cardboard. It kind of reminds us of the flavor of those big pulp-wood puzzles from kindergarten. Oddly enough, the creamy filling has the same cardboard flavor, so we're a little perplexed.
The good news is that you can eat four of these for a single serving instead of just one. They also tie for the least amount of sugar per serving of any cookie on our list. As far as other stats, they have 160 calories, 9 grams of fat (5 grams are saturated), and 19 grams of carbs. They're not horrible, and they'll satisfy your craving for something sweet without being overly sweet. However, they're not the greatest thing in the world either. We mainly recommend them to people looking for a less sweet fall cookie.
6. Benton's salted caramel crème filled wafer rolls
We have mixed feelings about Benton's salted caramel crème filled wafer rolls. You know those coffee flavors that you can't quite identify that get random names that don't quite fit the flavor? Yeah, that's the experience you get with these. When you open the tin, you smell cookies, vanilla, and something else that you can't quite put your finger on. It's not really salted caramel, so you keep chomping away trying to identify the flavor, but you probably never can. The ingredient list is no help either. It includes caramel color, vague "artificial flavors," and cocoa inside. But that's not what you're tasting.
We like that the cookie part is light and crisp like a cake ice cream cone. And the filling is light enough to not be overwhelmingly sweet. Plus, they come in a tin, which will keep them fresh while you decide if you are interested in trying them again. We won't necessarily crave these, but we won't turn them down if we're searching the cupboards for something sweet one night.
One nice thing is that four of these make a serving, so you can keep chomping away before hitting your limit. They also tie for having the least amount of saturated fat among all the products on our list (2 grams). Otherwise, they have 150 calories, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 24 grams of carbs, and 13 grams of sugar.
5. Benton's maple leaf creme cookies
Many Aldi customers like Benton's maple leaf creme cookies and look forward to their return every year. When you first open the box, you get a huge whiff of fake maple syrup. While these cookies contain real maple syrup, they also contain other natural flavors to help bring out the smell and taste people expect from maple-flavored items.
We understand the appeal of this product. The flavor grows on you after a few bites. The outside of this sandwich cookie is crunchy and shaped like a maple leaf, with a lovely maple flavor. The inside is like a creamy confectioner's sugar frosting. Since the sweet, maple flavor lingers after eating one, you'll likely be reaching for more with the memory on your tongue.
One cookie makes a serving. While it tastes extremely sweet to us, it ties in place for having the least amount of sugar of any of the products on our list. In fact, it's the "healthiest" cookie on our list having lower scores for calories (110), fat (5 grams), saturated fat (2 grams), and carbs (16 grams) when compared to the other ones. So, go ahead and buy a box or two.
4. Benton's pumpkin spice crème filled wafer rolls
Everyone does pumpkin spice a little differently, and Benton's puts its own spin on the flavor with its pumpkin spice crème filled wafer rolls. It vacillates between tasting like gingerbread and pumpkin spice, which we like. Unlike the other wafer roll on our list, this one doesn't have a fake flavor profile.
It has almost a floral flavor, and you can detect both ginger and cloves in the spice mix. The ingredient list also includes cardamom, and just the right amount of nutmeg so as not to be overpowering. There's also buttermilk powder and pumpkin powder in the ingredient list, and we absolutely approve since they add a pleasant richness to the overall flavor profile. Buttermilk wasn't something we ever thought we needed with pumpkin spice filling, but it takes this product to the next level.
If you find yourself going for more, you're going to be happy to know that four wafer rolls make a serving. They tie for having the least amount of fat (5 grams) among the items on our list. You'll also find that they have 150 calories, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 25 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of sugar.
3. Bake Shop oatmeal cranberry cookies
Going in, we didn't expect the Bake Shop oatmeal cranberry cookies to place so high on our list because they seemed so ordinary. But sometimes ordinary is a good thing. Imagine the perfect oatmeal cookie but with tart and sweet dried cranberries instead of raisins. That's exactly what Bake Shop has managed to do here. They're the type of cookies you'll find yourself recommending because they're a good twist on a classic, and it works. If you don't normally like oatmeal cookies because you don't like raisins, this version just may rescue the whole category for you.
They're chewy and soft, and the spice mix is such that no one flavor stands out, which makes it perfect. The ingredient list simply includes "natural flavors" instead of specific spices. Perhaps there's cinnamon? Honestly, though, it doesn't matter because it's perfect.
A single cookie is the serving size for this one. It does tie for the most calories (170) and carbs (26) among the items on our list. Otherwise, it has 7 grams of fat (3 grams are saturated), and 15 grams of sugar. If you like oatmeal cookies and you like cranberries, we're fairly certain this is going to be a good choice for you, so we suggest you go for it if it piques your interest.
2. Oreo pumpkin spice flavor creme
It almost doesn't seem fair to include Oreo pumpkin spice cremes. Oreo has been in the cookie business for over 100 years, and there's a reason they're still going strong; they make excellent cookies. So, you can't be surprised that a fall Oreo cookie made its way toward the top of our list. It's a classic sandwich cookie with a classic flavor, so it was bound to be good.
The cookie portion is more savory than sweet with just a hint of sugar, which works like a real pumpkin pie crust. The filling tastes very much like lightly spiced pumpkin pie filling. So, we feel like it has appeal to pumpkin pie lovers as well as pumpkin pie spice lovers (there's a difference). What ingredients are responsible for the flavors inside? Who knows? The package just lists natural and artificial flavors without giving away any flavor secrets except that it contains cinnamon.
You get two Oreos per serving, which is nice. And the nutritional stats are on the low side of our list. It has 150 calories, 7 fat grams (2.5 grams are saturated), 21 carb grams, and 12 grams of sugar. Unfortunately, they contain high fructose corn syrup and several concerning food dyes (red 40, yellow 5, and blue 2). If you're a pumpkin pie fan and an Oreo fan, or just want a taste of fall without too much risk of not liking the cookie, this flavor is a good choice.
1. Benton's caramel apple crèmes
The best Aldi fall cookies are undoubtedly Benton's caramel apple crèmes. If you think of the best apple juice you've ever had and turn that flavor into a filling, you get an idea of what these taste like. Are there real apples in this product? It's doubtful. The ingredients list natural and artificial flavors but not actual apples. Regardless, it's a flavor we love, and it easily beats every other product on our list.
Like with the Oreos, the cookie part isn't overly sweet. So, it leaves room for the sweetness in this filling in this sandwich cookie to shine. There's also a slight fake maple scent and flavor we detect with these, which we suspect is supposed to be the "caramel" part of the caramel apple flavor. While Benton's doesn't quite get the caramel right, the maple flavor is light enough to be complementary rather than cloying. The flavor compares to Oreo apple cider donut cookies.
Like Oreos, you can eat two of these for a serving. The nutritional content is also very similar to the Oreos on our list, staying on the comparatively lower side. It has 150 calories, 7 grams of fat (2 grams are saturated), 21 carbs, and 12 grams of sugar. The only negative is that they contain high fructose corn syrup. If you like the flavor of apples at all, we think you're going to love this cookie, even if sandwich cookies aren't usually your thing.