Mediterranean Baklava with Honey (Costco) Review
Author’s note: These are my own weird little opinions. This is a completely unpaid and unbiased review. I have no affiliation with Baklava Made Better America Food nor Costco.
Christmas in July. I did it for science.
This is the third consecutive year I’ve purchased a giant box of this Mediterranean Baklava with Honey from Costco. It’s usually only available around the holidays (November-December), but the package “best-by” is dated for 6-8 months later.
For my second round, I purchased a box in November, and I ate it in July. This is partly because I bought too much other holiday food. And partly for science: I really wanted to see if this baklava would still taste fresh 8 months later. It seemed a bit improbable. Especially since there are no preservatives in the product.
As you can see, this is an enormous tray of baklava. It’s 2.2 pounds. There are a total of 66 pieces of baklava in the package, making this a true “party-sized” product. In fact, the tray is so long, it used up the entire depth of my refrigerator shelf.
I stored the package (unopened) in my refrigerator for those 8-long months. I had turned the box sideways instead of laying it flat, so some of the oils separated from the pastries and solidified near the rim. Gravity is a cruel mistress, my friends!
Minus that, the baklava emerged looking and tasting almost as fresh as the day I bought it. Wow.
What I like about this pre-packaged baklava is is that it is wonderfully crispy right out of the box. The phyllo maintains structural integrity, despite the papery-thin crunch. It doesn’t taste old or flaccid, even 8 months later.
It isn’t sickeningly sweet, although the thick syrup is reasonably generous. The nut filling is not stingy, either. I enjoyed the rich, nutty taste embedded within the delicate texture.
Baklava Shapes and Types
I appreciated the variety of shapes and choices. There are five different baklava types in the package, including:
- Kitaa Cashew
- Finger Cashew
- Bilbol Nest Pistachio
- Bokaj Cashew
- Cashew Roll
The baklava selection features whole, chopped, or ground nuts (almost like a textured paste), so each variety has a different mouth-feel and experience.
My favorite are the little nests with whole pistachios in the middle. Like eggs that the pistachio bird laid. But, they also look like spaghetti wrapped around a meatball. Just sayin.’
I also love the cashew rolls with the ground nut paste inside. These are very, very flaky, delicate, and rich-tasting. The cashew paste is buttery and lightly textured.
Nuts and Spices
Notably, there are only two kinds of nuts in the entire box: cashew and pistachio (and it’s mostly cashew). No pecans, walnuts, or almonds. The only spice flavoring is cinnamon, so no cardamom, citrus, rose water, or other deliciousness. Alas. I definitely prefer a richer spice profile.
Baklava is traditionally both a Greek and Turkish food, although it has roots in many different countries, including Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Syria, and the Balkans. This one is specifically made in Dubai.
Serving the Baklava
The baklava tastes best at room temperature, so if you refrigerate yours (like I did), I found it helps to let the pieces sit out on a plate for 20 minutes (or so) before serving.
I also tried toasting my baklava briefly in my air-fryer toaster oven. Kind of like re-baking a loaf of bread, I wanted to see if it made them taste freshly made. It did! Sorta. I had to be careful to avoid over-cooking the delicate phyllo, but the general result was fantastic.
Something else to watch out for is the butter/honey ooze from the phyllo — too much cooking will exacerbate this.
The ones on this plate got a little too dark (from my naughty toaster oven!), but they still tasted good. And, of course you’ll want to let them cool down again thoroughly before serving.
Ingredients in Mediterranean Baklava from Costco
Here are the ingredients from the label:
- Sugar
- Wheat Flour
- Ghee (From Palm Oil)
- Water
- Cashew Nut
- Corn Starch
- Ghee (Butter from Cow’s Milk)
- Glucose
- Natural Honey
- Pistachio
- Salt
- Dry Whole Milk
- Cinnamon Powder
I am impressed that there are no preservatives listed. No artificial flavors. Honey is pretty far down the list — after Sugar and Glucose, so it isn’t the primary sweetener, but it is present. There’s a combination of palm oil and butter for the fats in the phyllo pastry, which is far, far preferrable (in my opinion) to canola, soybean, or cottonseed oils.
Additionally, the label lists this as:
- Handmade
- Kosher Dairy
- Halal Certified
- No Artificial Flavors
- No Preservatives
This is made in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), but distributed by Baklava Made Better America in Michigan.
Nutrition Facts in Costco Baklava with Honey
A serving size is 2 pieces of baklava. *deep belly laugh* I am certain I did not ever limit myself to two pieces. These are small nuggets.
Anyway. If you managed to do so, a serving contains 160 calories. There are 9 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein, and only 6 grams of sugar (only 1 gram is “added sugar”!). Wow. I do wonder how this is possible, since sugar is the first ingredient. Hmm! There’s less than 1 gram of fiber, and only 1% of your daily value of sodium.
Price for Mediterranean Baklava from Costco
I’ve seen the price range from $10-12 at my local Costco store. In fact, once I saw the price fluctuate that much within about a week. This year, I bought it for $10.49.
Since there are 33 servings per 2.2 pound package, each serving is 32 cents. Per ounce, the baklava costs around 30 cents.
At my store, this is only available around the holidays, usually late October-December. I usually find it with the other non-perishable holiday food displays, but once I found it hidden down the snack aisle with the chips and crackers. So. Good luck. May the odds be ever in your favor!
Shelf-Life
As previously discussed (in far too much detail!), the package has a generous “best-by” date. I stored mine in the refrigerator, just to be safe. The package I bought this year (in late October) has a best-by date of mid-June. So, roughly 6 months.
Dramatic Conclusion
Having now purchased this baklava three years in a row, I can confidently say it is a reliably good assortment, and one I will continue to buy. It would be nice if this was a product available year-round. But, since it isn’t, I am hoarding my next package to eat later this year.
The End.
More Reviews You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews I’ve written:
