Mondelēz International is bringing Chips Ahoy! further outside of cookies with the launch of Baked Bites.
The snacking giant said Baked Bites are available in a Blondie variety, with more flavors to come. Unlike prior Chips Ahoy! innovations that centered predominately on the round crunchy cookie, the square bites not only have a different shape but are chewy and viewed as a more indulgent treat. The product comes in snack packs and is aimed at on-the-go or at-home consumption.
“Our ambition is to be a very prominent sweet-snacking brand overall, and I think for us to achieve that, we have to venture out into new and different formats,” Chris Park, director of Chips Ahoy! and cakes/pastry innovation at Mondelēz, said in an interview. We want to “see what the opportunities are beyond the chocolate chip cookie so that we can appeal to a more, broader usage occasion.”
Baked Bites are the latest move by Mondelēz to bring Chips Ahoy! beyond cookies, following the prior launch of products such as muffins and cereal. But cookies remain its sweet spot. The 62-year-old Chips Ahoy! is a leader in the chocolate chip cookie space with sales of approximately $1 billion and more than 50% market share.
Chips Ahoy! has attracted interest from Gen Z consumers looking for a sweet indulgent treat. Its popularity among younger consumers, coupled with a rising interest in snacks among the broader population, has made Chips Ahoy! one of Mondelēz’s fastest-growing brands.
Shortly before and during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company took a deeper look at the brand and realized it could reach more consumers by expanding it into other flavors and formats. Since then, Mondelēz has launched a bigger-sized cookie, a gluten-free option and later this month, a Chocolate Caramel flavor.
One of its biggest innovations in a decade came in 2024 when Mondelēz updated the recipe for Chips Ahoy!. The cookie now includes chocolate chips with a higher cacao content and concentration of Madagascar vanilla extract resulting in a “well-rounded chocolate flavor while reducing bitterness.”
Park said “the possibilities are endless” for growing Chips Ahoy! He noted Mondelēz is looking at other offerings in sweet baked goods and also could decide to incorporate the “chocolate equity” associated with the brand in future innovations.
“We’re exploring a lot of different avenues on how we can continue to be aggressive with our innovation,” he said. “Chips Ahoy! is a huge brand already and I think, for us, it’s how do we get even bigger.”
