Kirkland Signature
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
TL:DR
In 2 Sentences
Warehouse-club value with premium macros: a milk/whey isolate core, low sugar built from erythritol and stevia, 7g of fat mostly from cashews and cocoa butter, and real chocolate flecks for the cookie‑dough feel.
When to choose Kirkland Signature Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Best for budget‑savvy macro hunters who want a high‑protein, low‑sugar daily snack and don’t mind a chewy bite or modern sweeteners. Not ideal if stevia tastes bitter to you, sugar alcohols upset your stomach, or you have a milk allergy.
What's in the Kirkland Signature bar?
Kirkland Signature’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar takes a modern route to a nostalgic flavor. Its protein engine is a dairy duo—milk protein isolate plus whey protein isolate—landing it among the highest‑protein bars while staying relatively light on calories.
The cookie‑dough feel comes from cashew butter (the creamy dough), flecks of unsweetened chocolate set in cocoa butter (the chips), and a pinch of sea salt and natural flavors to round it out.
Carbs and sweetness skew engineered rather than oat‑and‑date rustic: soluble corn fiber and isomalto‑oligosaccharides add bulk, while erythritol and stevia deliver sweetness with little sugar. If you want high protein and low sugar and you’re comfortable with refined fibers and sugar alcohols, this formula is built for you.
- Protein
- 21 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 22 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Calories
- 190
Protein
2115HIGHProtein comes from a blend of milk protein isolate (casein + whey) and whey protein isolate—complete, highly digestible dairy proteins with very little lactose. That mix delivers both fast and sustained amino acids and places this bar near the top of the category for protein, though it’s not suitable for anyone with a milk allergy.
Fat
79MIDThe 7g of fat is driven mainly by cashew butter (largely unsaturated) with a supporting role from cocoa butter (more saturated, mostly stearic acid, which tends to be neutral for LDL). No heavy seed oils here—just a touch of sunflower lecithin for texture—so you get creamy bite and decent satiety without a greasy finish.
Carbs
2220MIDMost carbs come from soluble corn fiber and isomalto‑oligosaccharides—refined, starch‑derived fibers that add bulk and a hint of sweetness while generally keeping blood sugar steadier than table sugar. A smaller share comes from cashew butter and the chocolate, and erythritol (a sugar alcohol) contributes sweetness with minimal calories. Expect a steadier energy curve than a syrup‑sweetened bar, though some people feel bloating from these fibers or polyols.
Sugar
24MIDSugar stays low because sweetness is built from erythritol (a zero‑calorie sugar alcohol) and stevia (a highly purified plant sweetener), with about 2 grams coming naturally from cashews, trace lactose, and minor sugars in the fiber mix. This trims sugar without dates or syrups, but note that polyols can bother sensitive stomachs at higher intakes.
Calories
190210MIDAt 190 calories, this is a relatively lean bar for the protein you get. Calories are anchored by protein and a modest amount of fat, while much of the carbohydrate comes from fiber and erythritol, which contribute fewer usable calories than sugar. It’s an easy between‑meal snack that won’t crowd out dinner.
Vitamins & Minerals
No big vitamin boosts here. You get about 8% daily value of calcium from the milk proteins and around 6% iron likely from the chocolate and cashews, but nothing tops 10%. Think of it as a protein‑forward snack, not a multivitamin.
Additives
This bar leans on a modern toolkit: soluble corn fiber and isomalto‑oligosaccharides for bulk and chew, erythritol and stevia to sweeten without much sugar, plus sunflower lecithin to keep fats and water playing nicely. These are highly refined ingredients that deliver low sugar and a dough‑like bite. If you prefer whole‑food sweeteners and grains, it will feel engineered; if low sugar is the goal, the trade‑off makes sense.
Ingredient List
Skim cow milk
Cow's milk whey
Corn starch
Cashew kernels
Cacao beans
Corn or wheat starch
Cocoa beans
Sunflower seeds
Stevia leaves
What are people saying?
Sources
Range
“They’re still the best protein bar out there, in my opinion”
“I love them, they are very chewy so they’ll give your jaw a workout . I think they have the best protein to fiber ratio with respect to value (price). That being said my wife prefers the brand that tastes like a candy bar.”
“That, and the Kirkland bars are the only ones I have found at Costco that offer great macros (20g protein or more per 200 calories), and they taste substantially better and have better texture too.”
Main Praise
Fans keep coming back for the numbers-to-price story and the satiety.
Redditor ihave3apples calls out that these bars hit that coveted “20g of protein or more per 200 calories” sweet spot and, for them, taste and texture beat other options in the warehouse aisle.
Amazon reviewers echo the practicality: Pug Dog owner says the chew is “just right,” while Ripley J notes the bars reliably help hit protein goals and hold off hunger for hours.
Value comes up again and again—diprivan69 even praises the protein-to-fiber payoff at the price point. Among flavors, cookie dough often lands in the “actually tasty” camp for people who want less candy-bar gloss and more protein-first function.
Main Criticism
Taste and texture are the dividing lines. EatingWell’s testers flagged an overpowering stevia note; Allrecipes grouped these bars among Kirkland items to skip for being dense and artificially sweet.
On Reddit, guitar-econ summed up a common sentiment—“Good macros, shit taste”—while rainyfort1 described a hard, sandy, almost play‑dough‑like bite. Several shoppers and Eat This, Not That!
have noticed consistency swings: sometimes soft, sometimes firm. And because sweetness leans on erythritol and stevia, a slice of people report an aftertaste or minor GI grumbles—especially if they’re sensitive to sugar alcohols.
The Middle Ground
So who’s right: the macro‑loving loyalists or the stevia‑averse skeptics? Both—but for different reasons.
Objectively, the nutrition design is strong: complete dairy protein, modest 7g of fat from cashew and cocoa butters, and about 190 calories without leaning on syrups. Subjectively, sweeteners and refined fibers are a taste and tolerance fork in the road.
Redditor ChaInTheHat calls these “the best” for daily protein, while rainyfort1 says they’re “vile”—that’s not drama; it’s palate genetics and expectation.
If you’re used to Quest‑style bars, you’ll likely find the chew familiar and the sweetness acceptable; if you want a candy‑bar clone, you may side with EatingWell’s stew of stevia complaints.
Texture quirks also have reasonable explanations: high‑fiber, low‑sugar bars skew chewier and can firm up when stored cold, a pattern Eat This, Not That! highlighted as inconsistency.
The open question is less about macros—they’re solid—and more about whether your tastebuds and stomach are on board with the modern sweetener toolkit.
What's the bottom line?
Kirkland Signature’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar is a workhorse, not a dessert. It delivers serious protein for the calories, a creamy‑chewy bite from cashew and cocoa butter, and very little sugar thanks to erythritol and stevia. If your goals are protein and value, it’s easy to see why Amazon averages are strong and why Redditors like ihave3apples keep recommending it.
If stevia tastes bitter to you, you crave candy‑bar sweetness, or sugar alcohols don’t sit well, you’ll likely join the skip‑it camp. In other words: terrific for gym bags, commutes, and hold‑you‑over afternoons—so long as you’re comfortable with engineered fibers and that unmistakable stevia signature. It’s not trying to be a brownie; it’s trying to be protein.
Listicle blurb: Kirkland Signature Cookie Dough delivers premium dairy protein at about 190 calories, with 7g fat from cashews/cocoa butter and only a couple grams of sugar sweetened by erythritol and stevia. A budget win with real satiety, but the chewy texture and stevia aftertaste split the room. Best for high‑protein, low‑sugar seekers who tolerate sugar alcohols; skip if you want a candy‑bar clone or you’re stevia‑sensitive.