Costco Bakery Almond Croissant Pastry (Kirkland) Review
Author’s Note: I have no affiliation with Costco. This is a completely unbiased and unsponsored review.
A croissant in muffin clothing.
I love Costco’s plain croissants. So, I was intensely curious about these new Almond Croissants. In fact, I was soooo curious, I went over my budget this month just to buy them. Alas.
These are muffin-shaped. Full stop. There’s nothing wrong with that, I just want the record to show: these are croissants in muffin clothing. Behold:
They’re denser and heavier than the regular Costco croissants, but they have a similar buttery-flakey structure. I think the denseness is from the dough being squished into the muffin-mold. Just sayin.’
The almond filling impressed me. It’s generous, but not obnoxious. I recall trying an almond-filled danish from Costco a couple years ago, and thinking it was far, far too sweet. Sickeningly sweet.
Either these new pastries are filled with a completely different almond filling, or my tastebuds have evolved. Because these Almond Croissants are fabulously demure. The flavor is light and pleasant. It’s sugary enough to taste like a dessert, but only when eaten alone. A bite with the croissant pastry tastes like a champion breakfast item.
Anyway. The almond filling is sort of a soft paste. It’s textured and moist, and clumps together like damp sand. It is fairly natural tasting — the ingredients list Almond Flour and Almonds. Sadly, the Costco wizards chose to add “Artificial Flavor” to the mix. More about the ingredients later.
Since the croissants seem to be squeezed into a muffin-shaped mold to achieve their contours, this means some parts are more compressed/dense than others. Pulling the croissant open is like opening a seed pod. The center has a hollow cavity where the soft almond filling rests, like treasure. Tummy treasure.
The outer croissant is not even slightly sweet. It’s as savory as a plain croissant. You don’t really get any dessert satisfaction, unless you reach that almond filling in the center. This makes eating these pastries more of a discovery. A destination, even. Your perseverance shall be rewarded.
These are huge pastries. They are big boys. I mean, do you REALLY need a pastry this large? I weighed mine on my kitchen scale at 6 ounces each. I would have been happy with something a fraction of this size. However, cutting them in half before serving sort of ruins the effect. Like hearing the punch line before the joke.
Visually, these dainties are attractively garnished with large, toasted almond slices — mine were pleasantly crunchy, instead of flaccid and damp. There’s also a light dusting of powdered sugar to contrast the brown and tan tones. Pretty. They look like artisanal pastries. You could serve these at a posh brunch, and get away with it.
For breakfast, I would serve these as-is. For dessert, I would pair them with a flourish of vanilla-cream. Or maybe even a raspberry sauce. Just a little more sweetness and moistness. I kind of wanted to soak something up with the outer croissant layers.
Bake them before serving
I was baking something else in my oven, so I decided to throw one of these Almond Croissants in there for a scant 4-5 minutes at 350. Then I let it sit on a pan and cool while I ate my dinner. The result was perfect — the outer layers were gently crisp, while the insides were slightly warm and soft. Definitely recommend.
I also tried microwaving one. Do not recommend — it softens the pastry, and makes it squashy and oily, rather than crisp and flakey. Don’t be a barbarian — bake them! In the oven!
Ingredients in Costco Almond Croissant
As you can see, part of the text on the label wasn’t printed correctly/omitted by the store. Here’s my best attempt at deciphering it:
- Almond Croissant (Enriched Flour [Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Butter [Cream and/or Milk], Sugar, Water, Almond Flour, Whole Eggs, Modified Potato Starch, Skim Milk, Yeast, Modified Corn Starch, Almonds, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Alpha-Cyclodextrin, Leaving [Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Monocalcium Phosphate], Wheat Gluten, Artificial Flavor, Soybean and/or Canola Oil, Corn Starch, Ascorbic Acid, Enzymes)
- Sliced Almonds
- Powdered Sugar (Sugar, Corn Starch)
You know, this isn’t as bad as I expected. Not irreproachable, but not a train wreck. One major blight in these ingredients is the “Artificial Flavor.” Boo.
However, the prominent use of “Butter” (it’s the second ingredient! wooo!) is nearly redemptive.
Price and Servings
The box of six Almond Croissants cost $11.99 at my local Costco. Per pastry, that is about $2.
This is a “Kirkland Signature” (Costco store-brand) item, and the product # is: 1891993.
Shelf-Life
My bakery box had a “sell-by” date a few days after purchase. I kept mine in my refrigerator, and ate them over approximately 6 days. Since I was re-baking mine each day, they tasted almost as fresh as the day I bought them. Almost.
Dramatic Conclusion
I liked these new Almond Croissants, but they do taste much better re-baked before serving. Although the pastry is a bit denser than I expected, the filling has a pleasing light sweetness. If we could swap out the “Artificial Flavor” for something real, I might swoon.
The End.
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