The 2023 Christmas season is here and with that comes a whole lot of gingerbread. Whether you're going over to your local Starbucks for one of their holiday drinks or heading to Loblaws to pick up a gingerbread men decorating kit, there's a lot the holiday season has to offer.
I love gingerbread cookies as much as I enjoy dipping them in a warm cup of hot chocolate. Unfortunately, the only season when that's appropriate is during the winter months. But which gingerbread cookies are the best ones from your local grocery store?
These cookies often don't stick around long enough to build up a reputation, so I decided to put them all to taste test and find out which is best.
Gingerbread cookies from Loblaws.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity
I went to a Loblaws near me and headed straight to the bakery section to look for fresh gingerbread cookies, but there were none. So instead, I took it upon myself to try every kind of seasonal gingerbread product at the grocery store to see which one was worth the money and time so I don't spend another day eating a gingerbread cookie I don't like, because time is of the essence.
I bought ShaSha pre-made gingerbread cookies, Create A Treats gingerbread village and family decorating kits, Pillsbury's gingerbread cookie dough and PC's gingerbread cookie baking mix.
Here's how the taste test turned out.
Create A Treat Gingerbread Village Kit
Create A Treat Gingerbread Village Kit
This is a great box of goodies for many reasons, except taste.
The Create A Treat Gingerbread Village kit is perfect for an at-home fun activity. Maybe it's something you buy when you're hanging out with your best friends, and you're really just in it for the building experience. Pour out some hot chocolate and put on some Mariah Carey and this is a very enjoyable couple of hours.
However, if you were hoping to eat the village you built afterwards, I would suggest buying a different kit.
Let me preface this by saying this kit would win the taste test if we were ranking them based on creativity over taste, but since I'm a foodie and taste always matters, this isn't the case.
So, let me tell you some positive things about the box before we talk about why it scored last place in this competition.
Within the box comes five mini assorted gingerbread houses with icing used to put them together and sprinkles, jellybeans and candy used to decorate. The Create A Treat Gingerbread Village kit gets significant points for these, but it looks better than it tastes.
For starters, the houses didn't taste like ginger or cinnamon, which, in my opinion, are the two most important ingredients. Additionally, the pieces were too hard to bite into, which is a great thing for building but not the most pleasurable experience for eating.
In my opinion, gingerbread cookies should be held together firmly, but once you bite into them, I would like them to melt in my mouth.
So, if you were looking for a fun activity at an affordable cost, this $20 gingerbread village is a good way to go, but if you were hoping to indulge in the cookie afterwards, I'd skip it.
Price: $15.99
Score: 4/10
Create A Treat Gingerbread Family Cookie Kit
Create A Treat Gingerbread Family Cookie Kit
This gingerbread family cookie kit is distributed by the same company as the one mentioned above, Create A Treat, but this kit tasted better than the other one.
The gingerbread family kit comes with so many different cookies to decorate. From big gingerbread men to children, a dog and a cat, these cookies could fit into your gingerbread village quite well if you wanted to go all out.
Even though they are from the same company, the cookie experience was better with these than the village because I could actually bite into them without feeling like I was about to break a tooth.
The ingredients are pretty similar and give off the same aftertaste, but they did feel more edible, which is why the gingerbread cookie kit comes in second to last.
This kit has different decorating tools like four icing colours, sprinkles and jelly beans.
Still, this kit is better if you're looking to decorate gingerbread characters, but not so great if you want to eat them afterward.
Price: $9.99
Score: 5/10
ShaSha Gingerbread Cookies
ShaSha Gingerbread Cookies
At first, I thought these cookies would be the winner of this taste test because they are simple and to the point.
The already baked and packaged gingerbread cookies are by far the most gingerbready. They come in a sealed container with many cookies to choose from that are all still intact, so you've got plenty to work with if you want to decorate them.
However, the box has no decorating tools, so that would have to be purchased on the side.
For the price of the cookies and the quantity alone, this definitely is the most cost-efficient, but they aren't the most delicious or fun.
The cookie was crispy and crunchy, not moist and soft like I like them. However, they were the most convenient and delivered what they were supposed to be: gingerbread cookies in a box.
Price: $5.49
Score: 6/10
PC's gingerbread cookie baking mix
PC's gingerbread cookie baking mix
I've recently become a fan of President's Choice because it often delivers delicious, affordable and convenient products.
In this taste test, PC's gingerbread cookie baking mix nearly won first place, but it was a hassle to make the cookies and they lost points for that.
You'll need an egg, half a cup of butter and two tablespoons of water for the baking mix. Ideally, using your hands to blend it all in is the way to go because you can knead it better.
The mixing process took time, strength and energy, which might not be a thing for everyone. The mixture also made a massive mess in my kitchen.
But, to make a gingerbread cookie, you need a cookie cutter in your desired shape. I only had a star one, so I used it.
I managed to make around 22 cookies with the batter, but they weren't as pretty as I hoped they would be. I think the key is your cookie's thickness, but that would take some time to figure out.
Once I baked them and took them out of the oven, they smelled delicious and filled the house with so much Christmas joy. However, that was the end of the journey because I had no tools for decorate them, which would've definitely put this at the top of my list.
Overall, the cookies were crunchy on the edges, but they did feel a bit too buttery and didn't have enough ginger or cinnamon.
Still, if you don't want your flavours to be intense and you've got the time to make them, then I would definitely suggest buying a box of PC's gingerbread cookie baking mix.
Otherwise, I think the top choice in this taste test would be a go-to for many gingerbread fans out there.
Price: $3.99
Score: 8/10
Pillsbury gingerbread cookie dough
Pillsbury gingerbread cookie dough
You've got to leave the best for last, and in this case, it's Pillsbury gingerbread cookie dough.
I've always loved Pillsbury because they put flavour and convenience over everything. Whether you pick up their cookie dough, cinnamon rolls or even croissants, the company's products do not disappoint.
Not only does your apartment end up smelling delicious, but it's also filled with treats that didn't cost you much.
Pillsbury's gingerbread cookie dough comes raw, and all that's required is to place it on a tray and pop it in the oven.
I used the same star cookie cutter and they came out picture-perfect —that is, before I dropped them on the floor. Regardless, the cookie was crispy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside, and had the perfect cinnamon-to-ginger spice ratio. I could eat the whole tray if I wanted to. Also, the fact that they are warm and fresh beats all the store-bought pre-made cookies any day.
Now, I wish they put an icing tube in there somehow to make it the ultimate best gingerbread product at Loblaws and for that reason, it doesn't get full points.
Still, this is the best gingerbread cookie you can buy at Loblaws.
Price: $4.99
Score: 9/10
