15 Costco Bakery Treats, Ranked Worst To Best

Many of us cook at home on a regular basis. But when it comes to baking? Not so much. Baking can be tricky if you don't have a talent for it or you're not too experienced with the oven, which can scare some off of baking entirely. Luckily, when you shop at a store like Costco, you can take advantage of its bakery section. Although some grocery stores have limited selections when it comes to their bakery options, you won't experience that issue at Costco. In fact, there are so many different items to choose from, you may not know what to pick up.

That's why we're here to give you the scoop on some of Costco's most popular bakery treats. We've compiled a list of some of the most-loved bakery selections at the bulk store and ranked them, starting with our least favorite and making our way to the best of the best. But don't take our word for it — if something on this list sounds good to you, give it a try. You may just be surprised at what you find at your local Costco's bakery section.

If you're looking for a dessert that will feed a crowd, then you might consider snagging the braided apple strudel from Costco's bakery. The dessert incorporates a sweet apple filling surrounded by a flaky, slightly crispy crust. It may sound delicious, but we have to admit that it's not our favorite dessert available at the bulk store's bakery section. The apple filling tastes sort of artificial, and it's so packed with sugar that it can actually make your teeth hurt. The texture of the crust is nice, but it can't compete with the overwhelming sweetness of the filling.

According to a Redditor who claims to have worked for the company, the braided apple strudel comes to the store frozen, and it's then thawed before it's put on display. That makes sense — it doesn't exactly taste fresh. The braided apple strudel doesn't taste terrible, but we wouldn't go out of our way to spend money on it.

One of the most beloved pastries of all time, the croissant is hard not to love. Layers of fluffy, buttery pastry offer both a crunch and a softness that's perfect for breakfast ... or any time of day, really. If you're in desperate need of some croissants and you happen to be planning a trip to the Costco bakery, you're in luck — you're going to find them there. That being said, we think you should keep your expectations in check. The croissants certainly aren't bad, but they're far from what you'd be picking up from a French boulangerie.

Our other complaint? You get way, way too many croissants when you buy them from Costco. They come by the dozen, and because they don't stay fresh forever, you have to use them up relatively quickly. This can be a challenge, particularly if you have a small household. So, no, you're probably not going to get the croissants from the Costco bakery if you're really craving them, but if you're looking for a top-notch croissant, you'd be better off searching elsewhere anyway.

Average-sized cookies from the Costco bakery section? They're fine. If you want to get the best possible chocolate chip cookies from Costco, though, you're going to have to snag the mini chocolate chip cookies. We don't know if these actually have a different recipe or if there's just something about their size that makes them so appealing, but they're a fun treat to pick up when you want to keep the pantry stocked with something sweet.

For grocery store bakery chocolate chip cookies, these things are solid, and we love that they're the perfect size to have just a bite or two. But in the grand scheme of the cookie landscape, there are definitely better cookies out there. If you have the time, you might just want to grab some of the ingredients you'll need to make your own homemade cookies at home. But if you're in a pinch (or you just hate baking), the mini chocolate chip cookies from the Costco bakery are a suitable alternative.

Sometimes you just need to indulge, and sometimes you want to do that indulging at breakfast. After all, certain days call for a fruit smoothie while others require something a bit more exciting — something like the Costco bakery's cinnamon pull-apart bread. There's a reason this bakery offering is so popular: The delicious, gooey rolls are sprinkled with sugar and then blessed with a layer of frosting that makes every bite feel incredibly decadent. It's certainly not something we could eat every day, but it's perfect for a special occasion or a cold winter morning when you're looking for something that'll help warm you up.

We love how easy these things are to pop in the oven, whether you're just preparing one piece of the treat or you're reheating the entire thing to share. Naturally, if you're not into sweet breakfasts, you're probably not going to love this pull-apart bread — it's really, really sweet. But if your sweet tooth is always on a rampage, this cinnamon pull-apart bread is likely to become one of your new favorites from the Costco bakery.

Perhaps you're on the hunt for something different from the Costco bakery. If so, look no further than the raspberry crumble cookies. This isn't the kind of dessert you'll find at just any grocery store. It's a Costco specialty, which is probably why these cookies have become such a hit amongst Costco shoppers. These butter shortbread cookies are complemented by a luscious raspberry filling and then accented by a sprinkling of sugar on top. It's the ideal mix of flavors: the fatty, buttery cookie, the sweet but slightly acidic raspberry, and the crunchy, textured sugar on top. It's a dream come true for all cookie lovers who are looking for something more exciting than the average chocolate chip cookie.

We love these raspberry crumble cookies, but we have to warn you that they're definitely indulgent. We can have one before we feel like we're overdoing it on the sugar. It's a sweet treat we love having on occasion, but we'd probably have constant cavities if we always kept these cookies stocked in our pantries.

Is there anything more decadent and heartier in the dessert world than a traditional butter pound cake? The butter lends it a rich, heavy quality that is accompanied by a surprisingly light flavor. It can be eaten on its own or with a variety of toppings (including even more butter), and its versatility means that most people find it to be an appealing dessert. So, how's the butter pound cake at the Costco bakery? It's actually one of our very favorite options there. Pound cake tends to be simple, but that doesn't mean it's not easy to mess up. Even still, Costco's pound cake hits every mark.

And if you're like us and you can't get enough of the goodness that is Costco's butter pound cake, you'll be delighted to know that you can snag a three-pack. If you don't think you can eat it all before it goes bad, don't worry — it's easy to freeze the extras so you can have a decadent breakfast or dessert whenever the craving hits.

It can be exceedingly difficult to find a decent grocery store cake, and that's why we were so surprised the first time we tasted the Costco bakery's tuxedo cake. This cake really is among the very best products sold at the store, and it doesn't even taste like it's coming from a grocery store. The bottom layer is a rich, moist chocolate cake, and a brownie-dotted mousse sits on top of it. Then, there's another layer of cake, and topping it all off is a thick layer of chocolate ganache. On top of the cake rest chocolate nibs that add texture and decoration.

You may be thrown off at the size of this cake, but don't be. It packs a ton of flavor despite its small size, and because it's so decadent and rich, you'll only need a thin slice. If you want to experience one of the best desserts the Costco bakery has to offer, you need to get your hands on a tuxedo cake ASAP.