I tried 10 desserts from Costco, and there are 7 I'd buy again

I tried 10 desserts from Costco, and there are 7 I'd buy again
  • I'm trying to review all of the desserts from Costco's bakery section.

  • The Kirkland Signature cheesecake and vanilla cake with cheesecake layer are amazing.

  • I wasn't a fan of Costco's strawberries-and-cream bar cake but the tuxedo one was good.

Costco is having a pretty great year.

On Thursday, the company reported that sales hit $57.39 billion in the third fiscal quarter of 2024, an increase compared to the same period last year. And although unique items like gold bars and faux trees are to thank, so is Costco's private label, Kirkland Signature.

Kirkland Signature product sales sometimes make up a quarter of the chain's revenue — and this includes the sweets coming out of Costco bakeries.

Recently, I headed straight to the wholesale retailer's bakery section to try all the made-in-house desserts I could find.

Here's how they stacked up and which ones are actually worth buying.

Costco's classic cheesecake seems ready to be customized.

Kirkland Bakery cheesecake from Costco with slice out of it
Costco cheesecakes can be customized. Paige Bennett

Costco's 12-inch cheesecake is a staple in the warehouse's cakes and pies section.

Although $19 is a good price for such a big cheesecake, it's still tied for the most expensive item I purchased.

The texture was so soft that my slice fell apart as I plated it.

Slice of Kirkland Bakery cheesecake from Costco
Costco's cheesecake would pair well with fresh fruit. Paige Bennett

I liked that this cheesecake wasn't dense. Instead, it was incredibly fluffy with a texture that reminded me of a soufflé.

It was so light that it started to fall apart when I pulled a slice onto my plate. The taste made up for the messy slice — this cheesecake was super creamy and not overly sweet, with a slight tanginess to balance its flavors.

I can't wait to try it again with fresh fruit.

The chain's new banana cream pie caught my eye with its caramel drizzle.

Kirkland Bakery banana cream pie from Costco
Costco's banana cream pie has a caramel drizzle. Paige Bennett

The banana cream pie is a fairly new dessert at Costco, and when I visited, there weren't many left at my store.

It was about as big as the other cakes in this section, which are 10 inches, and cost $16.

This pie blew me away.

Slice of Kirkland Bakery banana cream pie from Costco
Costco's banana-cream pie was one of my favorite desserts. Paige Bennett

The pie had a good balance of flavors and textures. The crunchy graham-cracker crust held together well and added a contrast to all the creamy layers.

I liked that the banana pudding had a natural taste, not an artificial one. The caramel on top added some depth in flavor, but it was subtle.

I wish there had been more caramel, and I think I'd slice some fresh banana on top for serving next time, but overall this was one of my favorite desserts from Costco.

The chocolate-covered strawberries were available at a discount.

Chocolate-covered strawberries from Costco in plastic container
I managed to find some Costco desserts on sale. Paige Bennett

The chocolate-covered strawberries were in their own little cooler toward the front of the bakery section, and they were marked down from $13 to $6.

I went to Costco one day after Mother's Day, so I assumed these were leftovers from the holiday. Some of the strawberries looked a little worse for wear, but I managed to find some that didn't look past their prime.

I couldn't taste much of the strawberries in these.

Single chocolate-covered strawberry on plate
I wouldn't buy chocolate-covered strawberries from Costco again. Paige Bennett

The strawberries selected for this dessert were impressively big, yet they were no match for all of the chocolate they were dipped and drizzled in.

With each bite, I only tasted the rich, hardened chocolate, despite how ripe and juicy the berries were. I'd probably skip these in the future.

Costco's strawberries-and-cream bar cake has an impressive presentation.

Kirkland Bakery strawberries and cream bar cake from Costco
I thought the strawberries-and-cream bar cake sounded like a great spring and summer dessert.Paige Bennett

Although this dessert was tied for the most expensive dessert I tried at $19, it was well worth that price based on presentation alone.

It has really pretty layers of strawberries, cream, and vanilla cake, plus striped white-chocolate decorations on top.

This cake seems to be a seasonal one that Costco sometimes brings back in the summer months.

The cake was just too sweet for my liking.

Slice of Kirkland Bakery strawberries and cream bar cake from Costco
I wish the cake had less strawberry filling. Paige Bennett

I wished this one tasted as good as it looked. I expected it to be sweet — it is dessert, after all — but this cake was too overly sweet to me.

I think it would've had more balanced flavors if it had a little less strawberry filling and thicker layers of cream.

The tuxedo chocolate-mousse cake was another gorgeous dessert.

Kirkland Bakery tuxedo chocolate mousse bar cake from Costco
The tuxedo chocolate-mousse cake from Costco looked gorgeous. Paige Bennett

Like the strawberries-and-cream cake, the tuxedo cake is a long, rectangular layer cake with a pretty design and white-chocolate decorations on top.

I loved the look of this $18 cake and thought it was the most attractive dessert I purchased.

The fudgy bits were my favorite part of the whole cake.

Kirkland Bakery tuxedo chocolate mousse bar cake from Costco
I'd buy Costco's tuxedo chocolate-mousse cake again. Paige Bennett

This dessert is extremely rich and dense, with chocolate in mousse, ganache, and cake forms.

There were fudgy, brownie-like pieces between the layers of mousse and they ended up being my favorite part of the dessert.

I'd like more of the vanilla mousse filling to balance out all of the chocolate, and I'd probably serve this with some strawberries for a fresh element, but this is a tasty and impressive dessert I would buy again.

A bakery staple, the chocolate-chunk cookies come in a pack of 24.

Kirkland Bakery chocolate-chunk cookies in plastic package from Costco
The Kirkland Signature chocolate-chunk cookies seemed like a good value. Paige Bennett

The chocolate-chunk cookies are a staple in the bakery section of Costco. I got 24 cookies for just $10, and I thought they'd be perfect to pick up for a potluck or other gathering.

They looked great, too — they seemed soft with some crispness on the edges.

The cookies had good flavor, but they need to be eaten with milk.

Kirkland Bakery chocolate-chunk cookies in plastic package next to plate with cookie on it
Costco's choocolate-chunk cookies had a good flavor. Paige Bennett

Although I prefer baking my own cookies when my sweet tooth strikes, these were a fine alternative.

The cookie was soft without falling apart, and I liked that the chocolate had a strong, sharp flavor to cut through the sweetness of the cookie.

However, these cookies were a little dry, so if I bought them again, I'd also get milk to serve them with.

What I thought were cupcakes from afar were actually some very fudgy "mini cakes."

Kirkland Bakery fudgy mini cakes from Costco in plastic container
The Mini All-American Cakes at Costco cost me $9.Paige Bennett

In the bakery section, I saw a pack of what looked like six cupcakes, but once I got closer, I realized they were pretty large cupcakes or "mini cakes."

The Mini All-American Cakes are seasonal, and a few packs were available during my shopping trip to Costco.

One cake in each pack had a red frosting heart. Most of the packs had the red frosting stuck to the container, but I did find one package with an unblemished frosting heart.

Every mini cake included a generous portion of super fudgy frosting on top, and the pack of six cost $9.

Despite the cute name, this was one intense dessert.

Kirkland Bakery fudgy mini cake from Costco on plate
The chocolate Mini All-American Cakes are incredibly rich. Paige Bennett

I thought the tuxedo chocolate-mousse cake was chocolaty, but these mini cakes put that dessert to shame in terms of chocolate flavor.

It was so intense and rich I could only take one bite, and the chocolate flavor lingered for a long time in my mouth.

These mini cakes are best shared, and I'd need a lot of milk to finish even half of one. In the future, I'd skip these and instead grab a full-size chocolate cake.

The 10-inch chocolate cake was available in multiple different designs.

Chocolate cake from Costco decorated with tulip border
The Costco cake has marks where you can make 16 slices. Paige Bennett

The 10-inch chocolate cake with chocolate mousse was available in a few different designs — no personalization needed.

There was a plain option, a birthday option, and a really cute springtime design with floral frosting decorations, which is what I ended up selecting.

This massive cake, which had light cutting guidelines for 16 slices in the frosting, was $16.

The mousse filling helped balance out the rich chocolate cake and frosting.

Slice of Chocolate cake from Costco on plate
The flower on top was a nice touch. Paige Bennett

Although the chocolate cake and the mini cakes are similar, the chocolate mousse layer in the full-size cake added a much-needed lighter, creamy element to balance out the fudgy icing and rich cake.

Because of the added mousse, I'd be more likely to buy this cake again, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the mini cakes.

Costco's lemon-blueberry loaf looked great.

Kirkland Signature bakery lemon-blueberry loaf
The loaf has a pound-cake base. Paige Bennett

Costco's 2-pound lemon-blueberry loaf hit shelves around springtime.

The loaves looked incredible, with heaps of crumble topping and an icing drizzle all over. It also seemed like a good deal at $9.

This dessert offered bright flavors and a range of different textures.

Slice of Kirkland Signature bakery lemon-blueberry loaf
I was glad to see blueberries throughout the lemon-blueberry loaf from Costco. Paige Bennett

I cut out a slice and was happy to see blueberries toward the top and middle of the loaf — they hadn't all sunk to the bottom.

The loaf itself was light and spongy with a good lemon flavor, which paired well with the chewy blueberries and crunchy crumble topping. I'd happily buy this dessert again, and I'd love to try it warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Costco improves on classic vanilla cake by adding a cheesecake layer inside.

Costco vanilla cake with cheesecake layer
Costco has a lot of customizable desserts. Paige Bennett

I love vanilla cake and cheesecake, so I was particularly intrigued by Costco's 10-inch white cake filled with vanilla-cheesecake mousse.

The entire cake seemed like a great deal, too, at $16. It had a wavy frosting design that could easily be personalized with a message.

This cake was one of the best desserts I tried.

Slice of Costco vanilla cake with cheesecake layer
The cheesecake layer was excellent. Paige Bennett

This was an instant favorite of mine, and I knew right away I'd buy it again for any celebrations I have coming up.

The cake was so light it reminded me of angel-food cake, and the cheesecake was rich, a little dense, and creamy. The thin frosting layer on top was just the right amount to keep the cake from being overly sweet.

It would be even better with fresh fruit on top.

There are only a few Costco desserts I'd skip during my future shopping trips.

Aerial view of table full of Kirkland bakery desserts
Costco's bakery section was pretty impressive. Paige Bennett

All in all, I'd buy seven of these 10 desserts again.

There's a tie for my favorite between the banana cream pie and the white cake with vanilla-cheesecake mousse.

I'd skip the chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberries-and-cream bar cake, and the Mini All-American Cakes.

Of course, regardless of which desserts I'd buy again, I'd make sure to get them when I plan to be with friends or family because most of them were massive.

Read the original article on Business Insider