Chudleigh’s Apple Blossoms Review
Author’s note: Not a paid review. These are my own weird little opinions. I have no affiliation with either Chudleigh’s or Costco.
If James Bond baked a pie…
I’ve been wanting to try some fancy little apple pastries like this for a while. I saw similar frozen apple blossoms at Aldi and Target, but they cost up to 2 dollars per “blossom,” and even that was too rich for my blood. These little treats from Chudleigh’s were a better price at Costco, so I took the plunge. Which means I had to buy an entire dozen at once — a more than 3 pound package! ‘Tis the Costco way. I am not allowed to buy ANY MORE frozen food until further notice. My freezer door barely closes now.
Fortunately, these are pretty tasty. The pastry is crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s a thick crust, and flavorful without being very sweet. It has a delightful, subtle saltiness. Compared to traditional apple pie, there’s almost no apple pie spices in these desserts (just some sparse cinnamon), but they’re still delicious.
The apples are thinly sliced and tender-crisp without being mushy. There’s a lovely tangy taste (from the added lemon juice), but mostly mellow sweetness. According to the label, these are “Northern Spy Apples.” Probably the kind of apple James Bond would put in a pie.
The garnish on top is supposed to be a “crumble crunch” consisting of “brown sugar cinnamon oat crunch topping” — but I only know that from reading the label. My assessment is that the “crumble” is extremely minimal, and the “crunch” is virtually non-existent. Essentially, there are a few flakes of rolled oatmeal and some large sugar grains stuck to the top of the blossom. A bit anti-climactic, but I’m not mad. It definitely doesn’t look like the small volcano of powdery brown sugar that you see in the product picture. Mine was more like a little dab of sticky sweetness at the apex of the mountain.
Likewise, the eruption of apples shown on the box is… wishful thinking. There’s very little apple filling in these blossoms. At best, you’ll get a couple good forkfuls of apples. These are small desserts, and mostly pastry. I love pastry. I love this pastry. Again, I’m not mad. I also like that I can pull apart the petals of the pastry blossom one-by-one. It’s like a tiny, sweet version of a Bloomin’ Onion. This is a fun dessert to eat.
Personally, I think these desserts are best served with a side of ice cream or whipped cream. Perhaps even caramel sauce, if you have it. They are elegant little morsels, and they look great right out of the oven. BUT, because they’re so small, they can appear underwhelming on a stark white plate. Exhibit A:
These blossoms taste great warm, but they are also pretty good at room temperature. I didn’t like them as much after refrigerating— I think the flavors are best when not chilled. They’re small enough that even I did not have leftovers.
How to Cook Chudleigh’s Apple Blossoms
The box offers two ways to prepare these desserts:
- Microwave for 50-60 seconds on high
- Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees
I was surprised to see a microwave option on the label. I tried both methods. Conveniently, neither option requires any thawing or advanced preparation. Although microwave is wicked-quick and convenient, the oven method produced MUCH better results! I would only use the microwave if you are desperate. The microwaved apple blossom was too soft and lacked the satisfying pastry crispness. It’s almost insulting to eat them that way. I said what I said.
BUT, either way, you get a gorgeous, tasty dessert. This is a nearly fool-proof product. I love how self-contained these are — they don’t fall apart or stick to the baking pan. The bottoms are perfectly browned without being soggy.
Ingredients in Chudleigh’s Apple Blossoms
I love that apples are the first ingredient. I wish these were made primarily with butter, instead of palm shortening. Sugar is the fourth ingredient, which is sort of impressive for a dessert these days.
Here are the ingredients:
- Apples
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Palm Oil Shortening
- Sugar
- Water
- Brown Sugar
- Modified Food Starch
- Glaze (Sugar, Agar-Agar)
- Eggs
- Butter (Cream, Salt)
- Oats
- Salt
- Dextrose, White Vinegar, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Cinnamon, Yeast, Natural Flavor (Milk), Caramel Color, Enzymes.
Nutrition Facts
For being such a petite dessert, these DO pack a lot of calories! There are 350 calories per apple blossom, but fortunately only 13 grams of added sugar. There are 17 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber.
Price and Servings for Frozen Apple Blossoms from Costco
These were $8.99 for a box of 12 at my local Costco. Per each, that’s only 75 cents, which is a bargain. I think these are an especially good value for single people (ahem) or couples, because the servings are individually portioned and convenient to prepare.
You can also buy these apple blossoms at BJ’s, or from the Chudleigh’s website. In fact, Chudleigh’s has a whole array of single-serve desserts available on their website. I’d love to try them all (especially the Butter Toffee Sticky Cakes — oh my!), but my dang freezer is too dang full to even consider it. Alas.
Shelf Life
The expiration date on my individually-wrapped apple blossoms gave me nearly 2 years to eat these. Which is probably how long they will linger in my dang freezer.
Dramatic Conclusion
I love how convenient these single-serve Apple Blossoms are, and the baking process is flawless. The serving size is pretty small, however. And I wouldn’t microwave these. At Costco, these are a great value. As a bonus, I love how long they can be stored in the freezer.
The End.
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