Costco Bakery Green Chile Corn Bread Review
Is that yellow pollen on my corn bread?
I saw this Green Chile Cornbread in a Costco Facebook post, and immediately wanted to try it. It looked and sounded amazing. I’ve generally been a fan of most Costco Bakery items I’ve tried so far, so it seemed like a sure thing. Unfortunately, this cornbread was a disappointment and not something I’d purchase again.
There are five big issues, which I’ll address individually.
Problem #1: There is too much sugar
Sugar is the first ingredient, so this is VERY sweet cornbread. It’s as sugary as cake, but the texture and green chiles aren’t really compatible with that level of sweetness. There are certain circumstances under which a cake-like cornbread is suitable, but this isn’t one of them. The savory ingredients and coarser texture just don’t work with the dessert-like sweetness.
Problem #2: The texture is gritty
I don’t mind texture in my cornbread; in fact, I usually relish it! Unfortunately, the texture in THIS cornbread is a bit overboard. There is a lot of very coarse, dry, rough corn grit mixed into the batter and stuck to the top. It ends up tasting half raw and half cooked. I found it a particularly strange combination, because the bread is otherwise moist and soft. Using a more finely-ground cornmeal would be my preference. I think Costco could just dial back the texture by 50%, and it would work.
Problem #3: There is almost no flavor
My flavor-loving stomach yearned for this cornbread as soon as I saw the words “Green Chile” in the promotional ad. I bought it primarily for the peppers, so I was particularly disappointed when I couldn’t actually taste any peppers. Roasted jalapeno and poblano peppers are really the only “flavoring” in the bread, besides corn and sugar, so this is pretty sad. The only way I can get a tiny glimmer of pepper taste is to pick apart the bread where a little glob of green stuff is and pop just that nugget in my mouth. Otherwise, nothing. There is no spiciness in this bread, regardless.
Problem #4: The yellow cornmeal garnish looks like pollen
I love yellow. Yellow makes me happy. But not in this instance. The top of the loaf is dusted with a mound of loose, powdery, vivid yellow cornmeal — like an eruption of sneeze-inducing pollen. My sinuses spasmed just looking at it. I don’t even know where Costco found such brightly-colored yellow cornmeal. At first, I was certain it must have artificial dyes in it, but the ingredients don’t list any. This corn meal is impressively fluorescent yellow, like a strip of crime scene tape. It’s also very coarse, and dry, and extra-gritty. It falls off and scatters everywhere when the loaves are served. This sandy yellow stuff doesn’t add any value to the loaf, and its appearance made me less hungry.
Problem #5: It’s overpriced
In my opinion, this bakery item is NOT a good value. Cornbread is generally a low-cost, budget-friendly item, and this isn’t a particularly large loaf. The current price of $7 simply isn’t justifiable for what you’re getting. There are perhaps 6-8 muffin-sized servings in this loaf. Maybe I’m just out of touch, but I still expect Costco products to offer a significant savings over conventional grocery stores — that’s why we’re paying a membership fee and buying in bulk!
Ingredients in Kirkland Green Chile Corn Bread
Again, sugar is the first ingredient. Soybean oil is the predominant source of fat, which is a disappointment. At least there are no artificial flavors or colors.
Here are the ingredients:
- Sugar
- Bleached enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- Degermed yellow cornmeal
- Water
- Eggs
- Soybean oil
- Roasted peppers (poblano and jalapeno)
- Modified corn starch
- Leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate)
- Butter (cream and/or milk, salt)
- Dextrose, Wheat gluten, Whey, Non-fat milk, Salt, Egg whites, Soy Lecithin
As an aside, there is more wheat flour than cornmeal in this bread, so it’s more wheat bread/cake with a splash of gritty corn.
On the upside, the slices cut neatly without crumbling too much. They need to be fairly thick slices, however.
I like how nicely browned the crust is, although mine wasn’t crisp.
The loaf comes in a narrow cardboard box with an aluminum pan inside.
You can slice this while the loaf is still in the aluminum pan, or you can gingerly remove the whole loaf for serving. I like to keep mine in the pan, to preserve the moistness as long as possible. You can also re-bake the whole loaf before serving, if you want it to taste fresher.
Price & Shelf-life for Costco’s Green Chile Cornbread
The current price is ~$7 per 30 ounce loaf. I would estimate 6-8 servings per pan, which is $0.88-1.17 per serving.
Mine had a sell-by date approximately 3 days after I purchased, it but I stored it in the refrigerator (in the aluminum pan!) and it stayed fresh for at least a week.
More Reviews of Costco Bakery Items You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews of Costco Bakery items I’ve recently written:
- Costco Sourdough Bread Boule
- Costco Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Pie
- Costco Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
- Costco Strawberries & Cream Bar Cake
- Costco Plain Cheesecake
Author’s note: I have no affiliation with Costco, and I was not compensated in any way for this review.
