I tried three different kinds to determine the best store-bought ginger cookie.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I tried three kinds of packaged ginger cookies from the grocery store.
Tate's gluten-free ginger zinger cookies impressed me with bits of crystallized ginger.
The best store-bought gingerbread cookies were Little Debbie's iced gingerbread cookies.
Nothing says the holiday season like a ginger cookie for dessert.
Many brands release seasonal versions of their most popular items during the holidays, from peppermint Milano cookies to Reese's peanut-butter Christmas trees.
I tried three kinds of ginger-flavored cookies, all of which can be found on most grocery store shelves and pack just the right amount of spice for the holiday season.
Here's how store-bought gingerbread cookies ranked, from worst to best.
My least favorite brand of cookie was Tate's Bake Shop's gingersnap cookies.
I tried Tate's Bakeshop gingersnap cookies.
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The bag cost $5.79 at my local Key Food Marketplace.
The bag came with 14 cookies.
The bag came with an impressive serving of cookies inside.
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This is comparable to other brands of packaged cookies I usually buy.
The cookies were very crispy, but they were not hard to bite into.
The cookies were slightly smaller than the size of my palm.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
Sometimes I find ginger snaps can be a little tough, but these ones crumbled easily.
The cookies were a touch too spicy for my liking.
The cookies had a little too much spice.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I thought the cookies tasted strongly of spices like cinnamon and molasses but were slightly off-balance in sweetness.
These cookies were borderline spicy, which I'm personally not a huge fan of. However, I did enjoy the texture.
Next up were Tate's gluten-free ginger zinger cookies.
I tried Tate's gluten-free ginger zinger cookies.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
These cookies, the most expensive of the ones I tried, cost $5.99 at my local Key Food Marketplace.
This package also came with 14 cookies.
The cookies were slightly thicker than the ginger snaps.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
However, unlike the ginger snaps, these cookies supposedly contained pieces of crystallized ginger. I was excited to see how the flavors would measure up.
The cookies were about the same size as the ginger snaps but slightly thicker.
They had a golden ginger color.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I could also see the pieces of ginger on the surface of the crispy cookies.
These cookies were sweet, with just the right amount of ginger flavor.
I preferred the texture of the ginger zingers to the gingersnaps.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I loved the texture of the crispy cookies and the crystallized ginger and thought these were just as good as any non-gluten-free cookies I've ever tried.
My favorite of the three kinds of ginger cookies was the Christmas gingerbread soft cookies from Little Debbie.
I tried the Christmas gingerbread soft cookies from Little Debbie.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
At my local Stop & Shop grocery store, a box of eight cookies cost $3.59. They were the least expensive, but the box also contained the fewest cookies.
Each cookie came individually wrapped.
The cookies came wrapped in festive packaging.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I thought these cookies would be a really cute touch for a festive school lunch or snack on the go.
The cookies were sweeter than the other two kinds I tried.
I loved the look of these cookies.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
The icing and smattering of red and green sprinkles upped the sweetness, but I also preferred the softer texture of these gingerbread cookies compared to the other two kinds.
Aesthetically, I also thought these were the most festive for the holiday season.
The cookies brought me back to my childhood with their perfect balance of sweetness, spiciness, and soft texture.
They were soft, sweet, flavorful, and extremely festive-looking.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
While I enjoyed all of these cookies, I would choose the classic gingerbread cookies for a sweet, festive treat.
