Costco Peanut Butter Monster Cookies Review
Author’s Note: As per always, this is not a paid or sponsored review. These are my own silly little opinions. I have no affiliation with Costco.
Don’t be a monster.
I’m one of those weirdos who doesn’t like peanut butter. Well, not by itself. I would rather poke myself in the eye than eat a spoonful right out of the jar. Sorry-not-sorry.
But I loooove peanut butter flavored desserts. Adore them. It makes no sense. But neither does most of life. You know.
And on that deeply philosophical note, Costco just released these new Peanut Butter Monster Cookies. Much to the chagrin of my waistline.
What do they taste like?
The peanut butter flavor is subtle. In fact, I think the peanut flavor is mainly from the candy mix-ins, rather than the dough. And there’s an undercurrent of butterscotch, too. Probably from the “brown butter.” I like butterscotch, so this made my day.
I like the soft texture. It’s tender and moist, with just a slight crispening on the edges. Crispening is a word now.
There’s a surprising jolt of chewy oatmeal sprinkled throughout the cookies. Not enough to be a full-blown “oatmeal cookie.” Just oaty speed bumps, here and there. I neither love nor hate this.
How big are they?
If you’re wondering what a “monster” cookie is, it’s not entirely size. It’s the monstrous combination of candy (and oatmeal) add-ins. In this case, peanut “confectionary” chips, candy-coated peanut butter chocolate candies, and semi-sweet chocolate chunks. While not tiny, I didn’t find these cookies especially large. I have a very small hand, and they mostly fit in my palm. Behold:
Not scientific enough? Pssh. Fine. On my trusty Home Depot yardstick, they measure just over 3 inches. Happy?
There’s also granulated sugar sprinkled around the bottom of each cookie, which gives a light crunch and sparkle. I found these cookies sweet, without being “too sweet.” A lot of the sweetness is from the candies, rather than the dough.
Part of my decision to buy these cookies was driven by the “butter” in the ingredients. Now, full disclosure: it is “butter mixture,” consisting of Palm Oil and Butter. But that’s still 5 billion (and a half) times better than “soybean oil” or “hydrogenated cottonseed oil.” And it gives a nice flavor/softness to the cookies, too.
Ingredients in Costco Peanut Butter Monster Cookies
Here is my best attempt at typing out the ingredients from the label. I had a harder time than usual deciphering this, because the opening and closing brackets don’t seem consistent:
- Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Vitamins B3, B1, B2, B9, Iron)
- Sugar
- Palm Oil & Butter Blend (Palm Oil, Butter [Cream, Salt], Water, Salt, Natural Flavors, Beta Carotene [Color], Vitamin A Palmitate)
- Peanut Confectionary Chips (Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Partially Defatted Peanut Flour, Nonfat Dry Milk, Salt, Soy Lecithin)
- Oats
- Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Candies (Sugar, Milk Chocolate [Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Unsweetened Chocolate, Whole Milk Powder, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Natural Flavor], Partially Defatted Peanuts, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil [Palm Kernel Oil, Soybean Oil], Corn Syrup Solids, Palm Kernel Oil, Corn Syrup, Salt, FD&C [Yellow #6 Lake, Yellow #5 Lake, Red #40 Lake, Blue #1 Lake, Yellow #6], Gum Acacia, Modified Corn Starch, Confectioner’s Glaze, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor, Carnauba Wax)
- Eggs
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate (Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate Processed with Alkali, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor)
- Less than 2% of: Water, Invert Sugar, Wheat Starch, Brown Butter (Butter [Cream, Salt], Natural Flavor), Baking Soda, Natural Flavor, Salt
I can’t say I am impressed by these ingredients. I am neither surprised nor enthused by the inclusion of icky dyes. But I wish it wasn’t so. Ick.
Nutrition Facts
A serving is 1 cookie and contains 200 calories. You get 9 grams of fat (5 grams saturated fat) and 2 grams protein. There are 27 grams total carbohydrates, of which 1 gram is fiber and 16 grams are sugars (all of them are “added sugars”). You’ll also be getting 7% your daily value of sodium, and 5% your daily value cholesterol. Plus a little whiff of iron, with 6% your daily value.
Price and Servings
The 34 ounce package cost a not-so-frugal $11 at my local Costco warehouse. Since there are 24 cookies per box, each cookie is about 46 cents.
Per pound, this is not substantially cheaper than Publix Bakery cookies. And I can buy a smaller package of those without a $65 membership. So, not much savings here. Where’s the savings, Costco?
This is a “Kirkland Signature” (Costco store-brand) product, and the item # is: 2015386.
Shelf Life
The “sell by” date on my package was dated for 3 days after purchase. But mine lived happily ever after in my refrigerator — for about 10 days, anyway, before I finished ’em off. They didn’t get stale or old tasting. I definitely preferred to let them warm up to room temp before eating, however.
Dramatic Conclusion
These are tasty cookies. I liked the soft texture, but wished they had a stronger peanut butter flavor. They’re not really what I’d call “monster” in size, and the mix-ins aren’t prolific enough to especially “wow” me. But they’re solid, tasty yummies. I wish they were made without dyes and ick. Still, I might buy them again.
On my irrefutable “Awesome-o-Meter,” these wobble between a “Maybe” and a “Yaaas.”
The End.
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