Sacrificing Ourselves for Science (AKA Peanut Butter Cookie Mix Experiment)

We tested boxed peanut butter cookie mixes to find which were better than others. Toughts on Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value Peanut Butter cookie mixes. - SahmReviews.com

Scott and I share duties around the house and I believe we both have strengths and weaknesses. However, I was recently informed by Madison and Kennedy that Dad is better at grocery shopping. I think my sensible purchasing habits lose out to him because he comes home with multiple items exclaiming, “Let’s do a science experiment and see what type of peanut butter cookies are the best.”

I bring home broccoli, milk and eggs and he arrives with the same items as I do but additional items too. Most recently, three kinds of peanut butter cookie mixes. How can I compete with that? I can’t.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!

We tested boxed peanut butter cookie mixes to find which were better than others. Thoughts on Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value Peanut Butter cookie mixes. - SahmReviews.com

The girls have been saying they want to do more in the kitchen. They’re perfectly capable so I agreed to let them run the experiment themselves as long as I was allowed to participate in the taste-testing. Scott purchased three kinds of peanut butter cookie pre-mixed packets – Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value (Walmart house brand.)

The girls gathered the ingredients together for each one, prepared them according to the directions, used the same utensils, mixing method (wooden spoon and bowl), utilized a pre-measured scoop for consistent cookie size and used the same baking sheets for all three.

Here’s the summary of what each included, how much they cost and what we thought:

We tested boxed peanut butter cookie mixes to find which were better than others. Thoughts on Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value Peanut Butter cookie mixes. - SahmReviews.com

Betty Crocker Naturally Flavored Cookie Mix

Cost was $1.98 and it required two teaspoons of water, three tablespoons of oil and one egg. Package indicated it would makes three dozen 2″ cookies.

Me: I liked the flavor of the cookie and thought the process was extremely easy. I thought it had a light peanut butter flavor. This one was not my favorite and was not the least either at first. After continuing to sample, this one is still fighting to not be on the bottom. More testing needs to be done.

Madison: These cookies are pretty good. If you are looking for a cookie that has a good appearance for a party of some sort, this is it. There isn’t a lot of peanut buttery flavor, but is still satisfying!

Kennedy: The Betty Crocker cookies are very peanut buttery. They are soft and sweet. Needs more peanut butter. This is my second favorite.

We tested boxed peanut butter cookie mixes to find which were better than others. Thoughts on Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value Peanut Butter cookie mixes. - SahmReviews.com

Krusteaz Bakery Style Double Peanut Butter Cookie Mix

Cost was $1.68 and it required one egg and 1/4 cup of butter. Package indicated it would make 16-18 2 1/2″  cookies.

Me: I have to admit that flavor-wise, this was my favorite. It had a creamier taste than the other two but it also had the advantage of using butter instead of oil and water. It’s hard to compete with butter. It may also be the chips that are part of the batter that gives them that extra umph.

Madison: These cookies look more crumbly than the others, but pack a lot of flavor into it. This cookie is great for dipping in milk! By far, these are definitely my favorite.

Kennedy: The Krusteaz cookie is great. Soft and sweet, has lots of peanut butter and also has peanut butter baking chips. This one is different because it uses butter. This is my favorite.

We tested boxed peanut butter cookie mixes to find which were better than others. Thoughts on Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value Peanut Butter cookie mixes. - SahmReviews.com

Great Value Peanut Butter Cookie Mix

Great Value Double package cost $2.86 and it required two teaspoons of water, 3 tablespoons of oil and one egg (per batch). Package indicated it would make 36 cookies. We only made one of the two batches in the package for this experiment.

Me: The flavor probably had the richest peanut butter flavor of the three. I felt the cookie itself was drier than the others which is probably why at first it my least favorite. I wouldn’t say it was dry, just not as moist as the other two. BUT after letting them rest for a day, they seemed to settle a bit and didn’t seem as dry. They’re fighting for second place!

Madison: The Great Value cookies are delicious! They may not look the best as the others, but they have lots of that peanut buttery flavor you are looking for.

Kennedy: The Walmart brand is probably the sweetest and most peanut buttery. But is kind of dry. This is my least favorite.

We tested boxed peanut butter cookie mixes to find which were better than others. Thoughts on Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value Peanut Butter cookie mixes. - SahmReviews.comWe tested boxed peanut butter cookie mixes to find which were better than others. Thoughts on Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value Peanut Butter cookie mixes. - SahmReviews.com  We tested boxed peanut butter cookie mixes to find which were better than others. Thoughts on Betty Crocker, Krusteaz and Great Value Peanut Butter cookie mixes. - SahmReviews.com
All three yielded about the same amount of cookies per batch and were the same approximate cost per package. The Krusteaz required butter compared to the oil used in the other two. The flavors of all three were very similar and all would benefit from the addition of peanut butter in place of or in addition to some of the oil/butter.

Given how close in flavor and texture these are, I would likely purchase whichever was on sale. The girls felt Krusteaz was the winner so I’m sure they would ask that I only purchase that one. Personally, I think we should try more kinds and incorporate a home version as well into the next test!

Do you usually make peanut butter cookies from scratch or do you have a favorite type of peanut butter cookie mix?

17 thoughts on “Sacrificing Ourselves for Science (AKA Peanut Butter Cookie Mix Experiment)

  1. I vote for Scott to do the grocery shopping!!!!! What a great and delicious way to perform experiments and learn the scientific method first hand. I don’t usually make cookies but I definitely like that butter is used instead of oil and water in the Krusteaz brand, If I was to buy any of these it would be Krusteaz–but maybe I would add a bit more peanut butter.

  2. My husband comes home with double or triple of each item every time he goes solo to the grocery store! Fun experiment at your house. Nooooow, I have to go and get some peanut butter cookies. Homemade is always better, but laziness wins – most of the time. I just won’t send my husband. I don’t want enough cookies for a month in our house! Cute nail polish on the baker!

  3. This is really cool! I love baking with the kiddos and these packages make it super easy for kids to bake them up without much skill or effort required. Love this!

  4. This is such a great idea to let the kids do this “experiment.” I love a good peanut butter cookie! I have never tried any of these before!

  5. I love peanut butter cookies so you can imagine I’ve tried all those brands too. You favorite choice is mine too…. 🙂

  6. What a delicious experiment! My daughter loves to bake cookies, so we should experiment too, but maybe with chocolate chip cookies. I prefer butter to oil too.

  7. I love how you did this! Having more the one opinion shows that some people like different things about each type of cookie. I have never tried the Krusteaz brand for cookies, but I may have to now!

  8. That’s was fun to read! I wonder if my son would like to try this experiment. He loves helping me out in the kitchen. I’ve only made peanut butter cookies once, and it was from scratch. They turned out so good.

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