Costco Holiday Desserts for Thanksgiving or Christmas Entertaining (Review)
Author’s note: Not a paid review. Not sponsored. Nada. I have no affiliation with Costco.
Here’s a run-down of popular holiday treats at Costco.
This is a summary of holiday desserts (and treats) from Costco that I’ve personally tried and reviewed over the past couple years. Some of them were awesome, and some were “just ok.” Some make great gifts. Some are fantastic party buffet options. If you are shopping for some festive (and huge!) desserts for your family gathering, there’s a link in each description to read the full reviews, which includes the store price, servings, and ingredients. And lots of sassy silliness. Enjoy.
Apple Pie
The Costco Apple pie isn’t exclusively a holiday product — my store sells it sporadically throughout the year. Apple pie is, however, a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert, so you can usually find them at Costco in late November through December. This is a Costco item that I buy over and over again — it does not disappoint. Although, I do recommend re-baking it before serving. Here is my full review of this popular pie.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Some people love the Costco Pumpkin Cheesecake, and some people hate it. I loved it. I wrote a detailed review of it here. To summarize, it tastes very pumpkin-y, but there is no spice flavor. It’s smooth and buttery-rich, and has a fantastic (yet elusive) flavor. Great crust. The slices look elegant and festive. This 5-pound pie is a monster, so be prepared for leftovers!
Pecan Pie
Pecan pie is something my family always makes from scratch, so I didn’t expect to like Costco’s rendition. But I did. It was much, much better than I expected. You can read my full review here. Notably, there are a LOT of excellent quality pecans, and the custard has a rich flavor. I did not like the crust, however. This is a pie I would not be ashamed to serve to my own family. Although, we’d probably all throw the crust away. Sorry-not-sorry.
Pumpkin Pie
Regrettably, I did not enjoy Costco’s Pumpkin Pie very much. I know it has an ardent following, and these pies fly out of the stores every fall, so I’m clearly in the minority. You can read my (rather silly) review here, which goes more in depth on the texture and flavor. Some features I loved about this pie were the tender crust and the long shelf-life (mine actually tasted better as it aged! Inconceivable!). And, the price is truly eye-popping! So, there’s that.
Maple Butter Crunch Bar Cake
If you’re looking for a holiday dessert that isn’t a PIE, this is a new Costco offering this year. I found it in my local store from October to November. This is a sophisticated and lovely cake with beautiful textures and layers. I loved the strong maple taste and prominent real cream in this cake, although it may not be as much of a bargain per serving as other Costco desserts. Read my full review here.
Pumpkin Spice Loaf Cake
I loved this richly spiced cake, but some people complained about the too-thick icing and the abundance of white chocolate curls. It’s a moist and flavorful loaf, although you won’t be getting tons of servings out of it. The icing is surprisingly home-made tasting, and bursting with cream cheese flavor. Here’s my full review.
Plain Cheesecake
Ok, look. This isn’t a “holiday dessert,” but it could be. You know? It totally could be. And you can’t go wrong with this Costco classic. This is still the best commercially made cheesecake I’ve ever eaten. It’s every bit as good as the hype. It’s also a prime candidate for dressing up in whatever festive way you choose. Here’s my sassy review.
Tuxedo Cake
Also not a “holiday dessert,” per se, but it could be. In fact, I served this to my family after Christmas dinner two years ago, and they raved about it. The Costco Tuxedo Cake is still my favorite Costco Bakery product so far. It’s full of real cream and lushness and toe-curling flavor. Here’s my full review. It would be hard to disappoint your guests with this cake. Unless your guest is The Grinch.
Kirkland European Cookies
I don’t think I’d serve these after dinner, but I’d totally put them out on a holiday buffet or feature them for a New Year’s Eve celebration. They’d also make a nice hostess gift, if you are attending someone else’s festivities. You can read my detailed review here. The best thing about this tin of cookies is the huge variety of flavors, textures, shapes, and embellishments. The Belgian chocolate is very good quality, although there isn’t enough dark chocolate or nuts. The cookies are packaged in a high-quality and giftable metal tin.
Chudleigh’s Apple Blossoms
If you are looking for smaller, more elegant, single-portion desserts, you might enjoy these frozen Apple Blossoms from Chudleigh’s. They’re reliably good, and are easy to bake at home. Costco sells these seasonally (usually November-December) in the freezer section. Beware: they come in an enormous box and you’ll need a chonky spot in your home freezer to store them. Read my full review here.
Snack Factory White Creme & Peppermint Pretzel Crisps
Again, not an item I would serve as dessert, but fantastic for a party buffet or pre-dinner snacking. Or post-dinner snacking. Whatever. Excellent snackage. These are my favorite coated pretzels. I love the delicate mintiness (that won’t make you feel like you’re eating toothpaste!) and super crispness of these festive pretzel snacks. Here’s the entire review.
Sanders Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
These are also available in milk chocolate, if that’s how you roll. And, my Costco location also offered a bourbon-flavor version of these — which I tried, and enjoyed. These caramels come in a big, giftable plastic jar. I love the soft texture of the caramel centers, and the giant salt grains on top. Read all the weird details in the full review here.
Kirkland Caramel S’Mores Clusters
I thought these were too sweet. But I loved the rich, deeply flavorful “kettle cooked” caramel. And the crunchy, golden cereal flakes were fabulous. If these were available in dark chocolate, I’d probably try them a second time, but the milk chocolate with all the other sugary sweetness was just too cloying for my taste. Maybe you will like them better. Here’s my full review.
Crown Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
If you’re looking for a hostess gift, office party gift, (or a REALLY chonky stocking-stuffer!), you might enjoy this bourbon-flavored maple syrup. It comes in a snazzy bottle that looks expensive and fancy, even though it’s a pretty good deal for the quantity of syrup. For me personally, I didn’t find the flavor very rich or inspiring. But, it’s still good maple syrup. Read my full review, because you know you want to.
Mediterranean Baklava with Honey
I have purchased this Mediterranean Baklava with Honey from Costco three years in a row, so apparently I like it. The baklava is crispy, delicately flakey, and reasonably fresh. I am impressed that these are made without preservatives, although “honey” is very far down the ingredient list. This enormous 2.2 pound tray is truly “party-sized.” This would be great for a Christmas buffet or New Year’s Eve celebration. Since this item has a generous shelf-life, you can safely hoard it and eat it later in the year (like I did). Here’s the full review, with ingredients and price.
Costco Bakery Rugula (or Rugelach)
If you’re celebrating Hanukkah, you might enjoy this Rugelach from the Costco Bakery. The package comes with two flavors: Raspberry-Walnut and Chocolate. They both feature a cream-cheese filling. I was delighted that the pastry is made with butter, but the filling was a bit disappointing — it is thin, and the ingredients list artificial flavors, dyes, and preservatives. I could barely find any walnuts. Alas. You can read my spicy review here.
Cartmel Sticky Figgy Pudding Cake
This traditional British holiday dessert is imported from the United Kingdom, and you get TWO trays of pudding! I loved the rich, complex flavor, but I had some issues baking it properly. The cake was not properly soaked with the toffee syrup towards the center of the loaf. The ingredients “wowwed” me — natural spices and dried fruit and even orange zest. Real cream and butter! The deep flavor of the pudding is partially due to the use of dates to sweeten it. Plus, it’s a very good price per serving. Read the whole scoop here.
Winter Festive House Tin with Speculoos Cookies
I liked this spiffy Winter House tin much more than the cookies inside. I mean, the cookies were “fine,” but nothing I’d rave about. They are traditional spiced “speculoos” cookies, imported from the Netherlands, but I found them a bit simple and crude. Read more about them, in my full review. The tin, however, is one of the most beautiful and detailed gift tins I have seen. It has a neat-fitting lid and looks like a quality decor item, more than a food container. I used it to get my living room in the holiday spirit. This would make a great hostess gift, or teacher gift, or just a gift for yourself. You deserve it, after reading this entire blog post.
The End.
P.S. I got that little stuffed Grinch doll out of a cereal box more than a decade ago, and I’m never giving him up. The Grinch is my hero. You know why? Because he reformed. He changed. His heart grew three sizes bigger. My friend sewed the Christmas tree ornament for me. She is pretty cool, too.
More Reviews You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews I’ve written. Or don’t. That’s fine, too:
