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Dinner doesn’t end until dessert has been served, but that doesn’t mean I’m preparing sweet treats from scratch every week. Like many hosts, I buy from local bakers and the grocery store near my house. My favorite spot for store-bought desserts, though, has to be Costco.
The members-only warehouse may be best known for its oversize packaging and the downright cheap hot dog combo, but there are high-quality desserts in every corner of the store. (I should know — I’ve been a member for over a decade and I am The Kitchn’s unofficial, but sort of official, Costco correspondent.)
Over the years, I’ve tried dozens and dozens of different Costco desserts. Not all are winners, so I’ve taken the time to curate the 20 can’t-miss desserts that are worth getting a membership for on their own. Whether you’re looking for sweets big enough to feed a crowd or individual servings of delicate French desserts, you’ll find something on this list to enjoy.
Pies
Credit: Ali Domrongchai Credit: Ali Domrongchai
1. Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie, $5.99 for 56 ounces
Costco’s 12-inch pumpkin pie is a massive 56 ounces and is made with whole pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, flour, and a handful of warm spices that aren’t listed (tastes like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger). The pie filling is creamy-yet-firm and comes in an irresistibly flaky-buttery pie crust (that somehow contains no butter!). Here’s the caveat: The pumpkin pie is seasonal and typically found in stores from September (or early August) through December.
Credit: Mara Weinraub Credit: Mara Weinraub
2. Kirkland Signature Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie, $19.99 for 4.5 pounds
It would be irresponsible to provide a list of Costco’s best desserts without mentioning the viral bakery sensation that took over in the spring of 2023: the Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie. If you’re one of the few who haven’t tried (or even heard of) this decadent dessert, here’s the dish. There is a buttery graham cracker crumb crust, a layer of rich peanut butter cream, and chocolate cream. A swirl of peanut butter cream rings the edge of the pie. This seasonal mega-pie weighs in at 4.5 pounds of rich peanut buttery and chocolaty goodness.
Credit: Mara Weinraub Credit: Mara Weinraub
3. Kirkland Signature Apple Pie, $12.99 for 75 ounces
This cobbler-pie hybrid is one of the best desserts the warehouse offers, let alone one of the best apple pies I’ve ever had. The filling is absolutely stuffed with cinnamon-sugar apples that are sandwiched between a rich, buttery crust. It’s also just $12.99 for almost 5 pounds of pie!
Cakes
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
4. Kirkland Signature Cookies & Cream Mini Cakes, $8.99 for 6
Costco’s bakery routinely rotates flavors of its mini cakes. The variety that recently took Costco fans by storm is cookies and cream. The dessert is an oversize chocolate cupcake (perfect for sharing!) topped with a swirl of cookies-and-cream frosting and chocolate cookie crumbles.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
5. Kirkland Signature Carrot Cake Mini Cakes, $9.99 for 6 cakes
Swing by Costco’s bakery in the spring, and you’re sure to find a cream cheese frosted mini carrot cake among the offerings. For less than $10, you can pick up a set of six oversize cupcakes for your next seasonal soirée. The cakes are moist and studded with carrots, walnuts, and plump raisins, and topped with a thick layer of sweet cream cheese frosting and a decorative frosted carrot.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
6. Kirkland Signature Cheesecake, $18.99 for 4.5 pounds
I taste tested every store-bought cheesecake I could find, and Costco’s came out on top. A few of my fellow taste testers suspected I had slipped a homemade cheesecake into the batch — but no, it was from Costco! The cheesecake is impossibly smooth and rich with a buttery graham cracker crumb crust and tangy sour cream topping. This party-size cheesecake is 12 inches in diameter and serves 16, but also freezes well in the unlikely event of leftovers.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
7. Kirkland Signature Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse Cake, $16.99 for 42 ounces
Costco’s Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse Cake is a must-try for chocolate-lovers. This bar cake is made of layers of chocolate cake, white chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse, and brownie chunks, and topped with chocolate ganache. The cake is beautifully decorated with elegant chocolate curls. Place this cake on a platter and serve this dessert for parties and festive occasions.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
8. Kirkland Signature White Cake with Vanilla Cheesecake Mousse, $15.99 for a 10-inch cake
Is it really a celebration without slices of cake to share? Costco sells bakery-fresh cakes that will turn any gathering into a party. The white cake with vanilla cheesecake mousse can be purchased right off the shelf, including ones with “Happy Birthday” already on them. Give the bakery 48 hours of notice, and it can even add personalized messages and designs.
Costco also sells half-sheet cakes of chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling in addition to the white cake with vanilla cheesecake mousse. Shoppers can add decorations like balloons, roses, or candles, and even personalize it with custom text and color at no extra charge!
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
9. Donsuemor Madeleines, $8.89 for 28 cakes
These tender butter cakes baked in the classic madeleine pan are a classic French dessert. The barely sweet buttery cakes are bite-size like a cookie, but with the texture of a cake — a perfect combination for those of us who have a hard time deciding between desserts. Plus, they’re individually wrapped to maximize freshness. If you want to embellish the cakes, dip one side into chocolate.
Cookies
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
10. Kirkland Signature Gourmet Chocolate Chunk Cookies, $9.99 for 24 cookies
The chocolate chunk cookies from Costco’s bakery are pretty close to perfection. The cookies are evenly baked with a chewy texture and rippled top. The chocolate chunks are generous in size and quantity, so that every bite includes a bit of chocolate. I love picking up a pack of these for easy weeknight desserts throughout the year, but especially in the summer when I use them to build ice cream sandwiches.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
11. Lotus Biscoff Cookies, $8.99 for 35.2 ounces
If you opt for cookies over peanuts on every flight or go ga-ga over cookie butter, make sure to pick up a box of Lotus Biscoff Cookies next time you’re at Costco. These crispy cookies are lightly spiced with hints of caramel, cinnamon, and ginger. You can serve them straight from the box with a cup of coffee or tea, crumble them over ice cream or vanilla yogurt, or use them in place of graham crackers for your favorite crumb crusts.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
12. Le Chic Patissier French Macarons, $13.99 for 36
Macarons are delicate sandwich cookies made of almond flour meringue and fillings that include chocolate ganache, buttercream, jam, and curd. Making macarons from scratch requires patience and expertise, so I usually leave that to the pros. Find Le Chic Patissier’s French Macarons in the refrigerated section of Costco. The colorful macarons are in a variety pack of flavors, which can change with the seasons. At less than 50 cents per macaron, these are among the most affordable macarons you can buy.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
13. Kirkland Signature Almond Florentine with Chocolate Drizzle, $8.99 for 16
TikTok calls this French cookie the “most delicious,” and I have to agree. These almond florentines (you might know them as lace cookies) are thin, elegant, buttery, and nutty. They’re finished with a dark chocolate drizzle that tempers the caramel flavors to just about perfect.
Chocolates
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
14. Kirkland Signature Caramel S’mores Clusters, $ 9.49 for 1.64 pounds
Kirkland Signature caramel s’mores clusters are a fabulous fast finish to nights where dinner is on-the-go. Palm-size mounds of caramel, graham cracker pieces, and soft marshmallow are coated in milk chocolate. These are so good. It makes you wonder why you’d light a campfire when you can dig into a package of these chocolaty clusters from the comfort of your couch.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
15. Sanders Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels, $10.99 for 36 ounces
Tucked within the snack section of Costco, you’ll find a sweet and salty treat that shoppers say is irresistible. Squares of buttery caramel are coated in dark chocolate and garnished with a sprinkle of crunchy sea salt. The caramel is soft and chewy, and the chocolate is the perfect thickness, adding bittersweetness to every bite. Shoppers have suggested sprinkling the salty chocolatey crumbs on ice cream once you’ve eaten your way through the container.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
16. Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut Chocolates, $14.99 for 21.2 ounces
Ferrero Rocher chocolates are the one of the most deliciously fancy foods you can pick up at Costco. They are whole roasted hazelnut coated in smooth chocolate, surrounded in a crisp wafer and finished in a final layer of chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. The textures, quality chocolate, and buttery hazelnuts alone make these worthy of special occasions.
Frozen
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
17. Kirkland Signature Strawberry Sundae, $2.49 for 12 ounces
The Costco food court is legendary and absolutely worth stopping at even if it’s just for the Strawberry Sundae. (The pizza is also very good.) It’s made with sweetened swirls of syrupy strawberries and vanilla soft-serve ice cream, and is topped high with spoonfuls of strawberries. Even better, this soft serve is served in a gigantic 12-ounce cup for just $2.49 (the perfect size for sharing or snacking on while you’re shopping).
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
18. Kirkland Signature Ice Cream Bars, $9.99 for 18 bars
Freezer space is limited, so if I’m buying a Costco-size package of a frozen treat, you know it has to be good. Bars of vanilla ice cream are covered in a layer of almond-encrusted chocolate and served on a wooden stick. The ice cream is creamier and the chocolate layer thicker than the name-brand competition. Plus, the cost breaks down to just $0.56 per bar … it’s hard to think of a reason not to buy them.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
19. Kirkland Signature Super Premium Vanilla Ice Cream, $14.99 for 2 (1/2-gallon) cartons
No dessert list is complete without ice cream, and luckily the Kirkland Signature Super Premium Vanilla Ice Cream is among the best I’ve tried. Although Costco doesn’t sell the variety of flavors that a neighborhood grocer does, Kirkland Signature’s ice cream makes up for it in its versatility. You can use this cool and creamy dessert for the aforementioned ice cream sandwiches, mix it into milkshakes, or make an over-the-top banana split.
Credit: Patty Catalano Credit: Patty Catalano
20. Island Way Sorbet $15.99 for 12
There’s no dessert more refreshing in the midst of summer than sorbet. The fruity frozen dessert can be made from any fruit, but the Island Way Sorbet from Costco comes in four flavors: coconut, red berry and ruby grapefruit, mango, and pomegranate. The creamy, sweet-tart sorbet is individually portioned and served in natural fruit shells like coconut and mango hulls.
Did your favorites make the list? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Further Reading
Why People Are Ditching Their Seltzer After a Disturbing Study
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
Do Water Filters Really Work — And Which Ones Are the Best?
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