I tested supermarket bakery cookies and the winner beat M&S

I put four supermarket bakery cookies to the test, including budget options from Aldi and Sainsbury's, to see which could beat Marks and Spencer's Milk Chocolate Cookies - and the winner was a complete surprise There's little that compares to biting into a warm, soft, chewy cookie fresh from the oven. But making your own can be quite the challenge, especially when time is short.

While I love baking cookies at home, they don't always turn out perfectly. So when the craving strikes, I usually head to my local supermarket to pick up a packet from their in-store bakery.

When it comes to supermarket cookies, Marks and Spencer is the gold standard. But at £3.10 for a pack of five, they're far from cheap.

I wasn't able to get hold of M&S Milk Chocolate Cookies for this taste test, but having tried them before, I'd give them a solid four out of five. I love the milk chocolate pieces and the chocolate-to-dough ratio.

They're wonderfully buttery without being too rich, and have the perfect texture - chewy with just a hint of crispness. At 62p per cookie, though, I think they're overpriced - and I'm sure there are better options out there.

So I tested four supermarket bakery cookies to find the best of the bunch. To keep things fair, I stored and tasted each cookie the same way, rating them on taste, texture and value for money.

• 1. Aldi

I was genuinely surprised by how good these were. They're not traditional chocolate chip cookies, but the only real difference is the shape of the chocolate pieces. They look slightly lighter in colour than the others, which made me think they might be less tasty or a bit too chewy.

I was quickly proved wrong. These have a great chew and a saltiness that the others simply didn't.

That salty edge gives them a more grown-up flavour, bringing out the cocoa and making them very moreish. The chocolate isn't top quality, but I don't think that's what makes a great cookie - and this proved it.

In my view, these beat M&S hands down. Loads of chocolate, a lovely salty-sweet flavour and the perfect texture.

5/5

• 2. Co-op Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies, £1.75 for five (35p each)

Co-op's cookies were really enjoyable. They had plenty of chocolate and the ideal chewy texture. They were slightly on the smaller side, but the flavour was great.

Sweet without being too much, with a buttery, lightly caramelised taste. I wouldn't quite put them level with M&S, but they're a great option - and much better value.

3.5/5

• 3. Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference cookies were the priciest of the four and the most premium-feeling.

Despite a strong 4.2 out of five rating on Sainsbury's website, I wasn't that impressed with the texture or the chocolate flavour. If you like buttery biscuits, these would suit you well.

But I found them a little too buttery for my taste. The texture is similar to shortbread, which is fine, though after a few bites, they started to feel quite dry.

They also didn't keep well. Left in the cupboard for a day, they became crumbly and a bit awkward to eat.

The Belgian milk chocolate chunks were evenly spread and tasted decent, but I didn't feel the premium chocolate made much difference to the overall experience. These were the biggest cookies in the test, so the higher price does reflect the size - they're noticeably larger than the competition.

A good pick for fans of buttery, crumbly cookies. But I missed that satisfying chew, and the flavour felt a bit flat.

2.5/5

• 4. Sainsbury's Milk Chocolate Cookies, £1.50 for five (30p each)

The cheapest per cookie, and perhaps that shows.

These were pretty average. They were perfectly fine, but nothing stood out.

The chewiness was decent enough, but they were light on chocolate and could have done with a pinch of salt.