Aldi Holiday Desserts and Treats (Review)
Author’s Note: As always, this is not a sponsored review. I have no affiliation with Aldi.
Frugal foodie favorites for festive feasting.
Is your food fund financially fragile? Is frugal fa-la-laaa-ing feeling farcical? Here is a summary of popular (and reasonably priced) Aldi holiday goodies I’ve personally tried and reviewed over the past couple years. No, this isn’t everything Aldi stocks! Not a comprehensive list. Just my own weird little selections. I found these on the shelves between October and January. May your wallets be merry, and your budgets bright!
Cherry Marzipan Stollen
Aldi sells a few different flavors of this imported German Marzipan Stollen (here’s my full review). I thought the “cherry brandy” flavor was pleasant, but there were few actual pieces of cherries present, and the marzipan filling was, in my friend’s words, “scroogish.” It’s mostly rich bread with a sprinkle of fruit and citrus peel. Sort of like fancy raisin bread. In fact, there are mostly raisins here. It’s tasty, but not gush-worthy.
I tried a few different ways to serve this stollen, and finally decided it was best simply sliced and served at room temperature. I will say this: the slices are beautiful to look at. Currently, Aldi sells this 26.4 ounce stollen under the “L’oven Fresh” brand (used to be “Winternacht”) for $7.69.
Spiced Spekulatius Cookies
My sister loves these cookies. I do not love them. She says I am wrong. But, this isn’t her blog, so guess what? Ha ha ha. That’s right.
I think I must have gotten a bad bag, because mine had almost zero flavor. Like, nooooo spiced flavor. Just bland, crunchy cookies. Sadness. (My sister ate a different bag than I did, hence our disagreement.) I liked the thin, crisp, elegant cookie structure. And the four different traditional cookie shapes were fun. But, the flavor just wasn’t there. Alas.
To salvage the sadness, I dipped my spice-deprived spekulatius cookies in chocolate, and sprinkled sassy stuff. Like, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, and crushed peppermint candy. Not bad! But chocolate makes everything better.
Aldi currently sells these under the “Benton’s” brand (formerly sold as “Winternacht”) in 21.16 ounce bags for $4.09. Yes, these are imported from Germany, and here’s my full review of Aldi’s Spekulatius Cookies. Keep reading for the “Butter Speulatius” cookies, which were utterly fabulous.
Pfeffernüsse Cookies
Ahhhh! The intoxicating aroma of anise! Lots of folks on the interwebs despised these Aldi Pfeffernüsse cookies for the licorice-like flavor. But I adored them. And my opinion is what matters. Hmmph!
The gingerbread centers are soft (and perhaps too crumbly-dry), but are contrasted by a delicately crisp white shell. Like festive snow domes. The coating is so thin, it isn’t actually “hard,” however.
Compared to other Aldi holiday cookies, these are a tad spendy at $3.29 for 7.05 ounces. But they are imported from Germany and full of mouth-watering flavor. Plus, these bite-sized domes are a fun visual contrast on a party tray. You can read my full review of Aldi Pfeffernüsse Cookies here. The label has recently switched from “Winternacht” to “Benton’s.”
Holiday Wassail Punch
I enjoyed the spice flavor of this festive punch, but it wasn’t as fruity as I wanted it to be. The main ingredients are water and sugar. Needs more fruit juice, perhaps? It seemed to straddle “flavored iced tea” and “fruit juice.” The spice profile is strongly clove and cardamon, which thrilled me. There’s a bit of gingery-citrus taste, too. I tried this both hot and cold, and ended up liking it better cold. Like my heart.
Here’s my full review of Aldi’s Wassail Punch, which cost $3 for two quarts. It’s sold under the “Nature’s Nectar” store-brand.
Apple Pie
This apple pie had a wonderfully flakey crust. Possibly the flakiest I’ve tried. I loved the generous, crisp apple slices (and strong lemony-zing from real lemon!), but wished there was more spice taste or flavor. I especially appreciated how restrained the sweetness is — just the right whisper of sugar to allow the fruit to do the talking. If you’re a fan of “less sweet” desserts, this pie may be perfect for you.
My local Aldi sells these 39 ounce apple pies seasonally (under the “Bake Shop” label) for $5-6. I was disappointed that this dessert is made with preservatives, yet appears to be frozen and thawed before sale. I’d gladly buy a completely frozen one if it could be made WITHOUT preservatives! Read my full Aldi Apple Pie review here.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from The Village Pie Maker
There is no going back once you have tried these pies. I warned you.
No, seriously. These are epic. While not an Aldi brand, this strawberry rhubarb pie was absurdly delicious, and shockingly natural. The filling is the perfect balance of tangy, fruity, sweet, and complex. It has exactly the right viscosity (although I thought the fruit was a tad too soft), and the crust is beautifully crisp-tender. The only thing that could make this better might be an all-butter crust.
Currently, my local Aldi sells two full-size versions of The Village Pie Maker pies — apple and strawberry rhubarb — for $15 each (here’s my full review). I love that these bake-at-home desserts are sold frozen and can be stored until you need them. Hoarders, do your thing.
Soft Gingerbread
Oh, mercy. The flavors! Utterly amazing. Ridiculous, even. If you’ve tried Lebkuchen before, then you KNOW. If you haven’t, then you need to. It should be a moral obligation. Or something.
These imported German soft gingerbread are full of spices, citrus peel, nuts, and other magical delights. The texture is soft and rich, without being overly sweet. You get a tray of six large cookies. Half are coated in chocolate, and half have a crispy-thin sugared coating. Beware the odd paper wafers on the back — they’re not terrible, but not delicious, either.
Currently sold under the “Benton’s” label (formerly “Winternacht”) at $3.29 for 7.05 ounces. Not dirt cheap, but worth it. So very worth it. Here’s my full review of Aldi’s Soft Gingerbread (Lebkuchen) Cookies.
Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cheesecake
I tried to say nice things about this “weird pudding,” but I didn’t get very far. The pie filling is just too dang goopy and soft. More liquid than solid. I did love the super rich, strong spiced flavor — it’s addictive and delicious! But the brown jam-like syrupy-sauce in the center didn’t seem to serve much purpose. And the whipped rosettes around the edge had an odd marshmallowy consistency. No thank you.
This is a hard pass for me. But if you want to read more, here’s my full review of this frozen Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cheesecake from Aldi. It’s sold under the “Benton’s” store-brand label and costs $6 for 24 ounces.
Doppelino Speculoos Sandwich Biscuits
K. So, I’m putting this in with the Holiday treats, because the spice profile is definitely in that category. My local Aldi stocked these sandwich cremes sporadically throughout the year, however. They were available with the German Week goodies.
What I like about these cookies is the crisp, super-flavorful wafers and the soft, “buttery” creme centers. Unlike most “sandwich creme” cookies, Aldi’s Doppelino are not sickeningly sweet. The flavors do the talking, instead of just sugar. Speaking of those flavors, the wafers are spiced with cinnamon and mace. It’s amazing.
Best of all? These petite cookies are just 5 cents each! Read the full Aldi Dopplelino Speculoos review here.
Holiday Cookie Assortment
Well, these were…meh. Super bland. I wanted to love them, but I just could not. I did appreciate how many different shapes, textures, and patterns there are in the bag — I love variety! But, the cookies weren’t in good shape. I got a lot of crumbled, smeared, broken, and pulverized ones. And the chocolate seemed to be low quality. The flavors are nearly absent.
These are currently sold under the “Benton’s” brand and cost $4.09 for 1.1 pounds. I wouldn’t buy these a second time. But, if you’re still considering it, here is my full review of Aldi’s Holiday Cookie Assortment. You have been warned.
Fudge Covered Peppermint Cremes
Either you like peppermint with chocolate, or you’re wrong. These viral cookies went viral for a reason — they’re like a grown-up version of a Girl Scout Thin Mint. You get two crisp cocoa wafers with a soft peppermint creme filling, covered in a chocolatey coating and sprinkled with crunchy mint candy bits. This is one Aldi item that truly did not disappoint. Buy them if you can find them!
These seasonal treats cost $4.09 for 8.25 ounces. You can typically find them under the “Benton’s” store-brand label around November and December. Here’s my full review of Aldi’s Fudge Covered Peppermint Cremes.
(Side note: I tried these in 2024, but wasn’t able to snag a box in 2025. Lots of people reported the 2025 variety was too hard/stiff to comfortably bite. Which is a mega-bummer. The 2024 version was beautifully tender. I hope they get this sorted out by 2026!)
Butter Spekulatius Cookies
Oh man. Man-o-man. The butter flavor! It’s strong and utterly delicious. I loved these tender-crisp cookies. They reek of scrumptious butter. And that’s really the only flavor: butter! And yes, they’re made with real butter. I approve.
I thought they were just a smidge sweeter than I wanted them to be, but I’ll survive. And there’s only two designs in the bag (a man and a woman — if you want to read my silly story about their life saga, check out my ridiculous review of Aldi Butter Spekulatius Cookies. You know you want to).
These are currently $3.29 for 8.82 ounces and sold under the Aldi “Benton’s” label.
Continental Cookies
These are a good value compared to similar “European” holiday cookie assortments at other retailers. I liked the flavor variety. I tasted amaretto, almond, vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, coconut, and more — although it’s almost alarmingly strong flavor.
I found the cookie wafers just a tiny-tad less “fresh” tasting than I’d like, and the chocolate was distressingly melty (I live in Florida, but still). Even so, I enjoyed them. They’re tasty and pretty. You get 13-ish different shapes/styles of cookies. There’s white, dark, and milk chocolate, as well as “nekked,” chocolate-deprived cookies. Hmmph. The cookies completed coated in chocolate tasted fresher to me, as the chocolate sealed out the air.
Currently sold under the “Benton’s” label (previously “Specially Selected”) in a 17.64 ounce box for $8.79.
Maple Leaf Creme Cookies
While much more of a “fall” flavor, I’m grouping these seasonal treats with the “holiday” items. No one can stop me. I love the detailed (and super crisp) leaf-shaped cookie wafers. The icing inside is buttery-soft and smooth. Somehow, being “made in Canada” makes these treats seem more authentic. Eh.
I’m a fan of maple flavor, so I really enjoyed these. Although I found them too sugary-sweet for my preference. The flavor is STRONG, although not entirely from actual maple. They DO contain real maple syrup, but also other “natural flavor.”
Aldi sells these cookies in the fall and winter for $3.89 for an 11.4 ounce package. You get 14 Maple Leaf Creme Cookies per box.
Luxury Belgian Cookies Gift Box
These are charming fellows. They blur the line between “box of chocolates” and “fancy cookies.” They’re roughly the size and shape of a fine chocolate, but feature a crisp cookie wafer inside.
I personally thought they were too sweet, but loved the crunchy flavor combinations — especially the ones made with real vanilla beans or espresso beans! The chocolate is good-quality, and the caramel has a sophisticated flavor and texture. Quite nice. *raises pinky*
These are currently $8 for a 7.8 ounce box. They come in a heavy, high-quality package, suitable for gifting. Read my full review of Aldi’s Luxury Belgian Cookie Gift Box here.
Racine Danish Kringle
These kringles aren’t terrible, but they’re not up to the hype either. Mine had far, far too much icing. And the raspberry filling tasted like a jolly rancher candy. I was not enthused by the ingredients. This Wisconsin pastry definitely tastes much better if you re-bake it in the oven for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Currently, my local Aldi sells either the Raspberry or Almond Kringle for $6.99. Read my full review for more whiney griping. It’s what I do.
Aldi Soft Nougat Bars
I think everyone should try this unique confection at least once in their life. I struggled to describe the texture of Aldi’s soft nougat bars in my full review, and finally compared it to a gritty marshmallow version of Clint Eastwood. I loved the rich flavors and generous fruit, nut, and chocolate mix-ins. It’s not overpoweringly sweet, but it’s definitely candy.
I personally think Aldi should sell this year-round. But no one asked me, did they? No. In any case, it’s typically available November-December in a festive holiday box, suitable for a small gift or stocking stuffer. The 2025 price is $5, and it’s imported from Germany.
Dramatic Conclusion
I think the holidays are the most exciting time of year to shop at Aldi. I love that most treats are reasonably priced. Many are authentically imported. I can try lots of different items without blowing my entire Christmas budget.
Although not everything on this list was my favorite, there were only a couple I truly regretted buying. Let me know what I should try next. Maybe I’ll add it to this list in an upcoming year. Felicitous finds, fellow foodie friends!
The End.
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