15 Best Keebler Cookies Ranked Worst To Best

They may make cookies in the trunk of a hollowed-out tree, but those Keebler elves have been turning out some of the most successful snack creations in the grocery store for decades. It seems like every time you hit the cookie aisle, you find a few new variations, waiting to tempt you away from your shopping list and into the sweet arms of sugary bliss. Even knowing the untold truth about Keebler doesn't make its line of treats any less enticing. Not even changes in ownership and packaging could deter those magical beings from reaching the pinnacle of snack time sweets.

The ever-changing variety of Keebler cookies made us wonder how the most current selection lines up. So we shook the sugar tree and ranked the existing Keebler cookies from worst to best, based on flavor combinations and popular opinion. Not all flavors shown on the Keebler website were available for sampling. You may be surprised to find that there are some truly crummy selections on the list, dictating a definite hierarchy that puts some ahead of others. As they say in the world of sweet snacks, that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

If strange chemical flavor is what you're looking for in a cookie, Chips Deluxe Soft Batch delivers in spades. The texture is a welcome change from the otherwise crispy Keebler collection. But something in the mix doesn't come across well. Perhaps there's something sinister in the softening agent ... good luck identifying that ingredient on the list. So while you're captivated by the tender goodness of the cookie itself, your enchantment is short-lived when the unnatural taste finally makes its way from your taste buds to your brain.

At this point in the tasting process, you may be wondering what made you so foolish as to choose this inferior specimen when there were so many better choices lining the shelves in bright yellow packages before you. It's a cookie lover's dilemma that can only be overcome through experience or advice from a wiser source. Consider us that source, and skip the soft batch. Head back toward crunchier fare, preferably something with a chocolate coating that can stand up to being dunked in milk. 

Though the name declares these chocolate-robed graham crackers "deluxe," the mix of chocolate over wheaty graham flour in Keebler's Deluxe Graham Cookies cancels out any enjoyment. The result is a bland bite that never really gets going. Maybe the two recipes are too similar to make a proper partnership. It's an odd assumption, considering that one of the best food inventions ever to hit humanity squarely in the hunger pangs, that campfire classic called s'mores, is entirely based on the combination of chocolate and graham crackers. Sadly, this is one take on that timeless blend you'll want s'less of.

With a commitment to a more bittersweet chocolate or an earthier graham cracker, the Keebler elves may have been able to pull off what children at summer camp perfected ages ago. Instead, Deluxe Graham Cookies offer a mouthful of sweetness that leaves you with a sense of longing and enough sugar in your teeth to make your dentist very wealthy. And if that's going to happen, something that's actually delicious should be the cause at least. These cookies aren't worth the dental pain or the financial drain.

Vienna Fingers are the elevator music of the Keebler universe. These vanilla crème sandwich-style nibbles do their best to emulate tea time biscuits in the best European tradition. What they actually do is disappoint the taster by being almost entirely lacking in flavor. The recipe is saved by a touch of vanilla that leaps out just before you finish chewing each bite. It's either a near-miss or a near-hit, depending on which direction you lean. In this list, it's a near-miss, especially with so many more full-flavored options to choose from.

To be honest, Vienna Fingers may be familiar, but they aren't the cookie you think of first when you hit the Keebler section of the cookie aisle. You're cruising for mind-blowing inventions, which the company delivers in so many different packages. Vienna Fingers are more like the cookies you keep in the back of your pantry to serve to guests so they don't devour the good stuff. So while we don't necessarily advise grabbing a pack for your own snacking or dessert needs, keeping a decoy package handy ensures you'll still have your favorites when your friends finally go home, leaving you to snack in peace.

You would think that any treat studded with M&Ms would be an automatic success. Eyeing these colorful cookies, we thought the same thing, and our hearts leapt with sugar joy at the idea of combining Keebler cookie craft with such brilliant and beloved chocolate confectionary magic. Maybe the whole thing falls apart under the weight of such lofty expectations, but Chips Deluxe with M&Ms aren't what they're cracked up to be.

What could have gone so wrong with such an inspired combination? The M&Ms are working their hardest to provide a blast of fun chocolatey joy, but their efforts are in vain. Something about the plainness of the cookie body comes off as almost flavorless, as if the elves are afraid of overdoing it and preventing the candy from shining. If there were more M&Ms in each cookie or a dough of a different flavor, there might be hope for sweet salvation. As it stands, these munchies are firmly middle of the road, which places them low on the list.

Who would have thought that adding cranberries and almonds to an innocent butter cookie could cause so much grief? For Cranberry and Almond Sandies, Keebler proudly announces on the package the use of real cranberries and almonds. But the pieces are so tiny, you barely get a hint of the cranberry bits hidden in the dough. And the almonds add a touch of crunch with a kick of flavor at the end of the taste profile, but by then this cookie has lost your attention. Full-blown cranberry raisins that didn't feel like they spent too long in the dehydrator would surely ramp up the zing factor, while larger almond slivers could help bring the flavor to the fore instead of leaving it as an afterthought. Barring any of these improvements, the potential presented by Cranberry and Almond Sandies is wasted on a dream of better-tasting cookies with more enjoyment to offer.

The most interesting discovery we made while sampling this fruit-and-nut Sandies iteration is that the closer Keebler comes to including natural-adjacent add-ins into its recipes, the further it gets from what makes its cookies so much fun. It's best that Keebler sticks with its fundamental magic.

When cookies go wrong, it's usually because they're so sweet you can't discern any actual flavor. This is the story with Fudge Sticks, a crispy wafer cookie that could use a little less fudge and little more of whatever is hidden between the ice cream cone-style layers within. These over-sweet treats resemble the fancier options found in high-end gourmet cookie tins given during the holidays, fooling you into thinking you're getting something better than what you end up with.

In our estimation, a bolder filling could pull the other flavors forward — a raspberry jelly, maybe, or an orange crème. But that's not what you get with these chocolatey rods. The over-saturation of chocolate gives you a mouthful of mush before you arrive at the delicate crunch of the cookie, and whatever's hovering in the center pretty much disappears without adding its two cents to the overall taste. The flavor meter goes from gourmet to no way in less than two bites. To be clear, we did power through to finish an entire cookie for the taste test, just to make certain our first impression was correct. (Bad news: it was.)

Sometimes, more chocolate is just too much. Such is the case with E.L. Fudge Double Stuffed. Taking a cue from the Oreo world, Keebler doubles up on the chocolate filling in its original E.L. Fudge treats. While the novelty feels familiar, the fudge frosting isn't tasty enough to warrant the extra. How does such a winner in its original form go so haywire in what would seem to be a satisfying improvement? It could be the thickness of the filling, which measures out into what can only be called a huge glob, to use the sloppy snacker measuring standard.

Keebler has experimented in the past with adding fudgy middle stuff to its cookies, as it did with Magic Middles (remember those?), but something about the structure of these bites just doesn't set off fireworks. With so much manic flavor bouncing around in the tree house kitchen, it may be best for the elves to stick with what works best: simple combinations of ingredients that don't test the bounds of food physics. Ambition is nice, but snacks that make sense and taste great are better.

These elf-shaped sandwich cookies contain a schmear of chocolate frosting that gives the impression of an inside-out Oreo created with Ernie the Elf's image. In an industry where branding is key, adding the mascot to the cookies themselves is an inspired move, reserved for the most recognizable of figures. Ernie fits the bill, having served as the spokesperson for Keebler for more than 50 years. If anyone deserves to be mass-produced in cookie form, Ernie is the elf who's earned the honor.

As for the cookies, they're an unqualified hit of a sandwich snacker. Similar to a Vienna Finger but with a bigger blast of flavor, E.L. Fudge serves up the right distribution of chocolate and vanilla, thanks to a carefully balanced cookie-to-filling ratio. Whether they're considered supernatural bakers of the magical realm or paranormal woodland food scientists, those elves really know what they're doing with this one. And every time you grab one out of the package, you see the sweet, smiling face of the animated guy who heads up the crew. Beat that, Oreo!

The pretty pattern is hypnotic, especially if you spin these donut-shaped disks on your finger. But you don't need to be in a trance to understand how special the original Fudge Stripes cookies are. These fun goodies have been exciting cookie fans for generations with eye-catching strips of fantastic frosting adorning a thin, graham-flavored wafer embossed with lacy hieroglyphics. What kid doesn't love digging into a wiggling, artful chocolate design that looks strikingly similar to animal prints, only easier to get your hands on and much more delicious? For that matter, what adult doesn't love it just as much? And there's more chocolate on the bottom ... the wonders just don't cease here.

These circular striped wonders greatly lend themselves to the effort of fun food creations. They can serve as train wheels on a homemade gingerbread train just as easily as stacking up to create cookie castle towers. But if using them as industrial ingredients seems like more effort than you're willing to exert, rest assured that they do just fine as a dessert or a snack without any added labor.

Who would say no to Fudge Stripes that were "accidentally" dipped in too much chocolate? With Whoopsy! Fudge Stripes, those clumsy elves have inadvertently *wink* coated the entire cookie in fudge dressing, to the dismay of management but the delight of Keebler Neeblers (the unofficial name we've chosen for members of the Elf Cookie Fan Club). The additional fudge in no way prevents the shortbread flavor from shining through. This is one instance in the Magic Tree Bakery where more chocolate is the right decision. Good on those clever elves ... they really did the cookie world a solid here.

Undoubtedly, more chocolate on another type of cookie could have been a mistake. Even Keebler Dunk-Mmms, which are Fudge Stripes in a modest size, constrain the chocolate coating. But it's a gambit that works out to everyone's advantage in Whoopsy! Fudge Stripes. Sure, the stripes are practically invisible due to all the extra coating. You'll get over it pretty quickly once you start snacking. And if there happens to be twice as much chocolate on the cookie than usual? Oh darn. You'll just have to eat it and see how it goes.

Real pecans scattered throughout crisp shortbread makes Pecan Sandies a butter blend that cookie connoisseurs have loved for ages. Unlike the addition of cranberries and almonds to the recipe, including pecans in the batter turns out to be a stroke of genius that imbues the butter essence with a sweet and nutty sophistication that makes cookie lovers of all stripes happy snackers. This mix is a great negotiation that doesn't compromise the core goodness of the original cookie, a must in any newfangled attempt to elevate the base recipe.

Younger snackers are bound to gravitate toward the more dazzling members of the Keebler cookie club. It's not fair to expect kids to love a fairly plain treat when there are treats with stripes and faces and chocolate waiting within reach. This is not a bad thing. While the youngsters are busy gorging themselves on richer selections, the grown-ups can settle in and have an elegant time enjoying a cookie clearly made with the discerning snacker in mind. Everybody wins.

The original shortbread cookie from the Keebler tree, Sandies are simple and pure, treats that stay at the top of their game without trying too hard. Who could find fault with such a classic flavor? There's nothing the least bit offensive in a store-bought shortbread that tastes remarkably buttery and has a crumb the quality of the Danish cookies in the blue tin. You probably won't want to store your sewing supplies or your Hot Wheels in an empty Keebler Sandies package like you would with the blue tin, but that's a small concession to make for a cookie you can grab anytime you're in the mood for something sweet, but not too gooey.

Of all the cookies in the Keebler collection, Sandies may be the best option for dunking. There's no chocolate coating waiting to melt all over your fingers when you get too close to coffee or hot chocolate, and there are no competing flavors that might make the experience too sugary. Just imagine the gently buttery flavor softening to hold whatever drink you find dunk-worthy. Any warm cuppa or cold glass of milk becomes a party and a half when Sandies join the celebration.

The combination of real coconut and chocolate chips is a winning combination in these classic cookies. Chips Deluxe Coconut stirs up nostalgic recollections of old-fashioned macaroons, the coconutty kind that dominated the cookie aisle before Instagram turned macaroons into influencer-famous food. It's something of a vanilla-flavored double-down that makes the chips taste even more chocolatey.

The most special aspect of these reserved goodies is the overall sensation they provide when you dig in. The added toothiness gives your teeth a sweet something extra to chew on, providing a textural complexity that usually comes from pecan chunks or walnut pieces. While those might serve a traditional purpose in the recipe, Keebler goes in an unexpected direction that elevates a simple cookie into a special treat. What you get in the package is a thoughtful take on a timeless cookie that brings something new to the table. Instead of following the crowd and adding salted caramel or brownie bits, Keebler keeps it classic and freshens up an old-fashioned favorite. Those elves are something else!

Samoa fans without patience for their local Girl Scout troop to show up selling boxes of their favorite cookies can quell their hunger with Coconut Dreams. The blend of coconut, caramel, and chocolate is close enough to make you forget your once-a-year splurge and add these decadent treats to your weekly shopping list. The texture is sublime, and the slowly separating flavors are superior. An al dente toughness in the chewy center layer that makes you work to get through the toasted flakes until you find the crisp cookie base? If Twix ever created a tropical take on its candy bar in cookie form, this would be the result. Too bad the candy company didn't think of it first.

Tasting these primo Keebler prizes had us imagining ways to incorporate Coconut Dreams into other eating opportunities. How about having them frozen, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two? A tropical ice cream sandwich fantasy come true! Or maybe used in place of a graham cracker crust for a cheesecake or a chocolate silk pie? The mind reels at the sweet possibilities. This delicious potential places Coconut Dreams near the top of the list.

Grasshopper cookies are as close to Thin Mints as you can get without waiting for cookie season to circle back around. With treats this special in the Keebler assortment, you know have a sure winner for a taste-and-rank round-up. These all-time classics bring together crisp chocolate wafers and mint-flavored fudge coating with so much phenomenal flavor that it's surprising that snackers don't have mint-scented steam streaming from their nostrils when they eat them. It would be a fun feature, if the elves could ever figure out how to make that happen.

You might think they're a bit too close to the Girl Scouts' top cookie moneymaker, and you aren't wrong. Keebler may have been sued over its inauthentic use of the word "fudge", but these chocolate mint wonders are created in the very same factory as Thin Mints, packaged and sold under the Keebler banner. The factory is even called Little Brownie Bakers, a fun overlap to the name of the introductory level of the organization where all fledgling Girl Scouts begin. So when you jump into a box of Grasshoppers, you're actually eating honest-to-goodness Thin Mints. If that doesn't take top prize in the cookie stack, nothing does.