Costco Garlic Parmesan Butter Dinner Rolls Review
Author’s Note: Not a paid review. These are my own weird little opinions. I have no affiliation with Costco.
Does it have butter? Then, yes.
Costco is selling these pans of dinner rolls topped with a thick garlic-cheese-butter mixture. Although the rolls are pre-cooked, you have to re-bake at home before serving. The deciding factor for me was (surprise!): butter. In fact, butter is the second ingredient! If it’s made with butter, I will put it in my cart.*
These are super soft, supremely fluffy rolls. The bread flavor is sweet and milky, with a yeasty-fresh flavor. Unlike garlic knots, these aren’t hearty or crusty rolls.
Instead, they have a delicate, lightweight texture. Even with all that butter, they still manage to taste airy. In fact, I ate four of them in one sitting, which I don’t think I’ve ever done before. Like, ever. Not once in the history of rolls. In fact, while I was writing this, I got hungry and had to go eat another one. RIP, waistline!
Anyway. If you’re a fan of garlic bread that is positively oozing with butter, these rolls won’t quite be that experience. The butter mostly disappears during baking, leaving a slight coating on the outside of the rolls, but not soaking past the crust. In fact, I think more of it ends up on the bottoms of the rolls than on the tops. More about that later.
(Are you a fan of crisp, crusty rolls? Perhaps you would enjoy my review of Aldi German Wheat Rolls.)
Would I have liked these rolls better with butter inside? Probably. If the conjoined rolls were cut in half, like a sheet cake, and the thick butter mixture was spread inside, I think it would work better. But nobody asked me, did they?
The lightness of these rolls make them a great companion for a heartier dinner. Your guests won’t feel like the bread was the entire meal. On the other hand, they may gobble up the entire pan before they realize what they’ve done.
The bottoms are marvelously crusty and sort of crisply-fried from the butter and re-baking. There is a LOT of butter soaked into the bottoms; I think this is where all that butter goes when they bake. The tops are softer, and have a thin presence of parsley bits, garlic, and grated parmesan cheese shards. Compared to other garlicy items, these are quite mild. Just a gentle whiff. Maybe two whiffs.
The parmesan cheese shreds were a bit too big and stiff, IMHO. They don’t melt into the butter or meld with the rolls, but rather stick to my fingers and fall off before eating. I think the cheese just needs to be grated more finely.
I know. First world problems? Get in my belly, cheese!
(Do you prefer a heartier bread? Here’s my review of Costco’s Baguette Loaves. I loved the flavor!)
Heating & Storing Instructions
You DO have to bake these rolls before serving. Or else. The directions say to preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cover the aluminum tray in foil. So, you need foil. Or else? I opted to place mine on a cookie sheet for added stability. The rolls bake for 30 minutes total — 25 minutes covered, and 5 minutes uncovered.
They also need to be kept refrigerated before baking. Or…well, you know…else.
Ingredients in Costco Garlic Parmesan Butter Dinner Rolls
Here is my best attempt at typing out the ingredients, from the label:
- Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour (What Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Butter (Cream and/or Milk, Salt)
- Water
- Whole Milk
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)
- Contains 2% or less of the following: Nonfat Dry Milk, Salt, Mono- & Diglycerides, Granulated Garlic, Parsley, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Enzymes
I don’t love bleached flour. Or soybean oil. But, mostly these are pretty good ingredients. Even if there is more sugar than eggs. Oi.
Price and Servings
The 26 ounce package cost $8 at my local Costco. Since there are 12 rolls per tray, each roll costs 67 cents.
This is a “Kirkland Signature” (Costco store-brand) item, and the product # is: 1938285.
Shelf Life
The “sell by” date on my package was dated for 4 days after purchase. I stored my (re-baked, leftover) rolls in my refrigerator, and ate them over about 6 days. They definitely have the best taste and texture immediately out of the oven. But, microwaving for 20-30 seconds perked up the leftovers nicely. They just won’t be a crisply-soft.
Dramatic Conclusion
For a lighter, sweeter, more delicate alternative to Garlic Knots, these are a great choice. The texture is airy and not very filling, and the garlic flavor is mild. The ingredients, while not irreproachable, are pretty decent.
The End.
*Certain restrictions apply. My wallet is a cruel mistress.
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