Aldi Butter Bars (Specially Selected) Review
Author’s note: Not a paid review! I have no affiliation with Aldi. This is my own unwashed opinion.
At least 120% as good as the hype.
These are the famous Aldi Butter Bars. I’ve been mislead before by internet hype (ahem, such as this Aldi Sourdough Bread), so I almost didn’t buy these bars. They were impishly placed near the check-out registers in the store, so that I was forced to look at them while standing in line. I stared them down for several minutes before guiltily slipping them into my cart.
I’m pleased to say, these naughty little treats exceeded my expectations. They are even better than the frenzied internet chatter. These are scrumptious bars — one of the best Aldi bakery items I’ve tried so far. In my humble opinion, they do not even taste like a grocery store product. They have a high-quality homemade (or even boutique bakery) taste. Truly as good as everyone says. Whoever “everyone” is. Hmmph.
What do they taste like?
Aldi’s Butter Bars are somewhat similar to the St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake. I would describe the taste as akin to a lemon bar, but without the tangy citrus zing. Instead, there is a strong, rich butter flavor. In fact, butter is the second ingredient! Yaaaas! Butter! There’s also a slight cheesiness (from the cream cheese), and a pleasant-but-subtle saltiness.
I wish I could tell you these are entirely a natural flavors, but alas. There are artificial flavors, too. More about the ingredients later.
Mmmm, textures!
Texture-wise, the butter bars have a delicate baked custard filling, with thin, crisp, flakey, crust. The browned top is dusted with confectioner’s sugar for an attractive visual contrast. These are petite bars, but dense and filling.
The tender custard base is less sticky than a pecan pie, but perhaps firmer than a flan or cheesecake. It has a super smooth mouthfeel, and melts on the tongue.
Are they too sweet?
Surprisingly, these bars are not overwhelmingly sweet. They seem less sugary than a lemon bar, anyway. I had no toothaches or hypoglycemic jitters from eating these. They are somehow rich, but not saccharine. The fats keep the sugar from taking over the world, perhaps.
The Crustage
I love talking about crusts. Maybe because I’m a crusty old curmudgeon. Ha. Aldi’s Butter Bars have a bottom crust that is wonderfully thick, with the perfect balance of crumbly and soft. It magically achieves all this without falling apart. Mine served neatly every time.
The crust also has a buttery richness that is decadent all by itself. I enjoyed this bottom layer almost as much as the custard — which is saying something. There isn’t much flavor aside from the buttery graham taste. But, I found myself not wanting any other flavors to distract me from this quiet goodness.
If you are entertaining, these bars can be sliced into smaller rectangles for elegant finger-food. I cut each bar into 4 pieces, which means an entire package would yield 32 party-sized nuggets.
The dainty pieces are sturdy enough to easily serve without being messy or sticky or falling apart. I would not be ashamed to include these in a tea party spread, or even a sophisticated holiday party buffet. They look like I made them myself!
Ingredients in Aldi Butter Bars
Here are the ingredients from the label:
- Icing Sugar (Sugar, Cornstarch)
- Butter (Cream, Natural Flavor)
- Cream Cheese (Milk, Cream, Salt, Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Cheese Culture)
- Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Contains 2% or less of: Nonfat Milk, Egg Whites, Dextrose, Sugar Topping (Dextrose, Corn Starch, Palm Oil and Modified Palm Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Canola and/or Soybean Oil, Silicon Dioxide, Artificial Flavor, Dried Albumen [Egg Whites, Baker’s Yeast, Citric Acid], Soy Flour, Whey Powder), Soybean Oil, Palm Oil, Food Starch Modified, Mono- and Diglycerides, Leavening (Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Baking Soda, Monocalcium Phosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate), Salt, Natural Flavor, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Gum Arabic, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Propylene Glycol Mono- and Diesters of Fatty Acids, Soy Lecithin.
This list started out great! Sugar, Butter, Cream Cheese, Flour, Eggs. But, it took an unfortunate turn after that. I am not enthused by a number of things here, such as Artificial Flavor, Propylene Glycol, and Polysorbate 60. There’s got to be a better way. I’ve been impressed by the relatively clean ingredients in a number of Aldi products, but this one isn’t it. Alas.
Nutrition Facts in Butter Bars from Aldi
A serving is one 40 gram (1.4 ounce) bar. Each butter bar has 180 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein, and 17 grams of sugar — all of which are “added sugars.” However, in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t much sugar for a dessert. There’s also 6% of your daily sodium, and 12% of your daily cholesterol per bar.
Price and Shelf-Life for Aldi Butter Bars
My 11.2 ounce package cost $5.29 for 8 bars, which seems steep for Aldi. However, per serving, this is only 66 cents. Per ounce, these are 47 cents.
Overall, this is a more expensive product than I would typically buy from Aldi. But, it is also much better quality than I imagined. I think Aldi should consider packaging their products more attractively, and presenting them in the store in ways that avoid the associations with ultra-budget, stale, mass-produced grocery store items. Just sayin.’
My package had an expiration date almost two weeks after purchase. I ate mine over 10 days with no discernable loss of flavor or texture. They stayed moist and tender. I did store mine in the refrigerator. I preferred to bring them to room temperature prior to eating, so I let them sit on a plate for 15 minutes or so before consuming.
Dramatic Conclusion
I loved the taste and texture of these bars. I was not pleased when I saw the ingredients. However, they are less sugary than I expected, and have a long shelf-life. I’d probably buy them again. I’d love to see other varieties of these bars, like maybe a rum flavor, or strawberry flavor. Or even a pecan pie spin-off. These bars are FIRE, as the kids say.
The End.
More Reviews of Aldi Desserts You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews I’ve written. Or don’t. That’s fine, too:
