6 Bakery Items At Kroger To Buy, And 6 To Avoid

A grocery store bakery is a sweet little haven tucked away from the more chaotic corners of the supermarket. Even if you're not shopping for a birthday or a celebration, it's hard not to wander through it, taking in the sights and scents of freshly made delights. Stores like Costco and Whole Foods tend to dominate the conversation when it comes to top-tier grocery store bakeries, as they're praised for both their selection and quality. But don't count Kroger out of the competition just yet.

Kroger is no slouch when it comes to baked goods. The grocer's in-store bakeries whip up custom cakes, freshly made artisan breads, and everything in between, from delicate pastries to seasonally decorated cookies. There's always plenty to choose from, and it's hard to beat the convenience. It's a lifesaver for last-minute pickups — like when you forgot it was your turn to bring treats to the class or into the office. You can swing by and still walk away with something that looks impressive without breaking the bank.

Of course, as is the case with any bakery, not everything behind the glass is a guaranteed win. While it all looks enticing and promises ease, some items simply taste better than others. It's not always easy to tell beneath all that frosting and colorful sprinkles. So, I took a closer look at a dozen options from Kroger's bakery to see which ones truly deliver on flavor, and which ones are better left behind.

Kroger's Private Selection brand is known for its excellent quality. And I'll let you in on a quick spoiler: Every bakery item I found marked with its sleek black label was a delicious must-buy, starting with these chocolate-filled croissants.

I decided to venture away from the brand's standard butter croissants, which come in multiple shapes and forms, and I was so happy I did. They're extra rich and packed with tons of sweet and buttery milk chocolate goodness. You know when you pick up a similar kind of chocolate croissant from Panera Bread, and you only get two scanty strips of chocolate running through the middle? It's quite the disappointing experience, but that's far from the case here, as Kroger really makes sure you get your money's worth when it comes to the chocolate filling. As for the outer croissant, it's a bit more dense than flaky and isn't as buttery as it could have been. But it's still sweet, rich, and mildly yeasty, with a delicate crispness, especially around the edges. So really, what more could you ask for? I'd happily eat them again in the morning as intended or even as a nighttime dessert.

Another chocolatey treat, but this one won't be returning to my cart. Honestly, the $3 price tag on this plastic container should have been my first hint that these cookies weren't going to be anything special. In a 12-count pack, that works out to just a quarter per cookie — the same price as a gumball. And if given the option, I'd opt for the jaw-breaking gum.

They're not spit-it-out bad. But they do have a slightly stale taste. They're extra flat and overly chewy. There's also a faint graininess, almost as if the sugar wasn't fully incorporated, and they're nowhere near as buttery as a homemade cookie would be — almost certainly because the recipe relies on vegetable shortening rather than real butter. There's a decent amount of what tastes like semi-sweet chocolate chips scattered throughout, but they don't do nearly enough to make up for the shortcomings of the cookie itself.

These are the kinds of cookies I would pass on at the potluck. So, if you're in charge of dessert, you'd be better off with Costco bakery cookies or, better yet, Whole Foods' Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk cookies. Even the Private Selection Chocolate Chunk Cookies sitting right next to these look far more promising. Spend a little more for a more satisfying flavor.

One of the best things you'll find in Kroger's bakery section are individual slices of cake. This may just be the greatest idea since sliced bread. Not everyone needs an entire cake, and sometimes you just want to test out a piece before you commit to the full four-layer ordeal. So, Private Selection divvies up its creations, including its extravagantly iced 4-Layer Red Velvet Cake.

I can't speak to the brand's other cake slices (yet), but this is a sinfully delicious kind of dessert. The cake base is incredibly soft and moist — a noticeable step up from anything you'd get out of a boxed mix — with those subtle, familiar cocoa notes that make red velvet so distinct. It's also layered with what I'd call the perfect amount of frosting. It's slathered between each of the four layers with an extra swirl on top, but it never feels like too much or too little.

My only qualm is that, even though the icing is made with real cream cheese, it's a bit light on tang, making it come across more like a canned frosting. Still, it's the kind of slice that would persuade you to pick up the whole cake version next time — or maybe just a half if that still feels like too much (yes, the bakery has those, too).

The Bakery Fresh mini pies follow the same line of thinking as the single cake slices. They offer an individual-sized taste of the baked good. And having a little pie all to yourself sounds like a dream. That is, until you bite into it and realize it loses a lot of its luster at this scaled-down size.

The apple pie is essentially just all crust, which is what I feared. I'm actually a big fan of classic pie crust. I often think it's the best part when it's done well. But it still needs a decent amount of filling to balance it out, and this particular one doesn't offer a whole lot of flavor or crispness. The filling actually could have been a big help if there had been more of it. It's laced with cinnamon, and the real apple bits are tender and juicy. But unfortunately, the filling is minimal, and there are only a handful of apple pieces hiding under the bland crust. The entire pie just ends up tasting dry overall. So, even though this find scores major cuteness points, it's better left on the shelf.

This is something I hadn't seen before (at the grocery store, at least). Private Selection actually takes its all-butter croissants and turns them into a sliceable bread loaf. I thought this could either be absolutely genius or a complete disaster, and I'm happy to report it's far from the latter.

In terms of texture, it's not a dead ringer for a true French croissant — if it were, each slice would probably be filled with gaping holes, and you wouldn't even be able to spread butter on it. Instead, it's more like a cross between a croissant and an artisan loaf of white bread. It has a tighter crumb, but it's still soft and squishy. You also get a touch of flakiness along the crust, along with that unmistakable buttery croissant flavor.

It has a high star rating on the Kroger website, so other customers clearly agree that this is a can't-miss purchase. In the reviews, people report eating it by itself, using it to make elevated batches of French toast, or even over-the-top grilled cheeses. I can think of nothing better than this croissant bread stuffed with an egregious amount of raclette or Cantal cheeses and grilled to a golden, buttery crisp.

I'm a big fan of cornbread. With both Southern and Midwestern roots in my family, it makes an appearance at most of our holiday-related functions and on chili nights (in addition to peanut butter sandwiches, of course).

That being said, I'm not fully on board with this particular cornbread recipe from Bakery Fresh. There's just something slightly off about it, and the problems mostly revolve around the texture. It feels a bit too dry and crumbly for my liking. It also somehow manages to come across as both overcooked and slightly undercooked at the same time. It's dry at first, then it starts to taste more and more batter-like as you keep eating it. The flavor, on the other hand, is decent. You get those distinct cornmeal notes and just a touch of sweetness — almost like a blend between Southern and Northern-style cornbread. But it's not nearly as buttery as I would have preferred.

Honestly, I'd rather just call Jiffy for my cornbread needs. Yes, you have to turn on the oven and mix together a few ingredients, but at least it turns out consistently good every single time.

It doesn't get much better than a sticky bun. I mean, seriously, it's hard to mess up that delightful combination of soft dough, cinnamon sugar, and crunchy pecans. Thankfully, Kroger's bakery doesn't drop the ball with its own bun.

It did start out a bit on the hard side, but it was nothing a quick trip in the microwave couldn't fix. After just a few seconds, it came out looking tantalizing, and the smell was even better. The spiraled roll itself turned softer, even becoming doughier and doughier as I made my way to the center. A brown sugar cinnamon mixture filled the spaces in between the dough layers, and the nuts even reminded me of pecan pie filling. It didn't even need it on top of everything else, but there was also a light drizzle of white icing along the top for an extra dash of sugary sweetness.

When I saw this bun at first, I thought there wasn't going to be enough flavor, since the sides seemed dry and untouched. But it ends up being really well-balanced and a treat you won't regret picking up.

It feels like I'm betraying my family with this one. These kinds of soft sugar cookies used to be iconic and very much beloved in our household. The name-brand Lofthouse version specifically would make frequent appearances — whether dressed in red, white, and blue sprinkles for the Fourth of July or green shamrocks for Saint Patrick's Day, we weren't picky.

However, now through a fresh, more grown-up lens, these lookalikes from Kroger feel overly artificial to me. They do taste just like I remember, so I don't think it's a problem with the generic store brand version versus Lofthouse. The ultra-soft cookie itself feels almost too fluffy and extra powdery, with just the slightest hint of vanilla making up the majority of its flavor. I think the frosting is the biggest culprit. It's super sugary and just feels processed, and the synthetically dyed jimmies on top are just the icing on the cake.

Ultimately, these feel like cookies that could sit out on the counter for weeks without going bad, and that's not exactly what I'm looking for in a fresh-from-the-bakery item. So despite the nostalgia, these are a pass for me.

This may just be my favorite thing I tasted from the bakery. These apple fritters are huge. Just half of one would be more than enough to satisfy your sweet tooth — especially since the tops are drenched in a thin, sticky-sweet glaze that seeps into every nook and cranny.

The best way I can describe them is like a cross between a Krispy Kreme donut and some kind of apple tart. You have the dough, which is a really nice blend of yeasty and cakey, dressed in icing and offering a deep-fried crunchiness all around the edges. Inside, you'll find pockets of cinnamon-y goodness and real apple bits that pop up in nearly every bite. I, for one, think they strike a great ratio of fruit to fritter and are indulgent without being overly sugary.

I did see that other people on the supermarket's website have noted that these are very hit or miss. But for me, they were very much a hit. And even if some batches aren't quite as good as this one was, I think it's worth the gamble. I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again, especially if I happened to be planning a cozy autumn brunch.

The muffin man who lives on Kroger Lane may need a new recipe. These are some of the most underwhelming chocolate chip muffins I've tried. Most versions tend to be rich and indulgent, teetering the line between a morning muffin and a dessert-like cupcake. But this one is boring even by normal muffin standards.

Where it really falls short is in the texture — similar to what happened with the cornbread. It has a tougher crumb and lacks the moisture it needs to make it appealing. You'll probably need a full glass of milk just to get through the whole thing. The mini chips are scattered throughout, but they somehow feel both plentiful and sparse at the same time. I think it's their lack of a strong and creamy, cocoa-forward flavor that makes them seem less noticeable than they actually are.

Dense, painfully average, and without that fresh-out-of-the-oven homemade quality, these muffins wound up on the do-not-buy list. Kroger really muffed this one up. Honestly, I'd take one of those Otis Spunkmeyer muffins from my elementary school days over this one anytime.

As long as we can all accept that this isn't your typical moist and fluffy, cinnamon-infused coffee cake, I think most people would get along with this bakery item just fine. It actually comes from The Worthy Crumb Pastry Co., which is a brand owned by Give & Go Prepared Foods (a subsidiary of the giant snacking company Mondelēz International). The brand makes a few appearances in the Kroger bakery section — in the form of various coffee cakes — and based on this cheesy sample, they seem to be worthy additions.

There are distinct layers to this pastry-like treat, which is described as a "cheese coffee cake." It starts with a doughy, bread-like base that's a tad yeasty and not too far off from a sweeter version of a dinner roll. Then you have thick, rich strips of cream cheese filling that offer a lovely tang — exactly what was missing from the red velvet cake slice's frosting.

And we're not done yet. There are also interesting crumbles scattered along the top that taste like sweet bits of uncooked sugar cookie dough, and everything is finished off with a drizzle of white icing. It's like a fusion between a cheese Danish and a crumb cake. Whatever it is or what it's called, though, I'm on board.

These may look like hot dogs covered in chocolate icing (I seriously couldn't unsee it), but they're actually Kroger's take on French éclairs. With this chocolate topping and with cream piped into the center, they're also similar to a classic cream-filled donut, like a Long John. But it's their delicate pastry base that sets them apart.

I really wanted to like these. I'm actually a frequent buyer of the Belgian Custard Cream Mini Eclairs that you can find in the frozen aisle from the brand Delizza. But the full-size version from Bakery Fresh didn't strike my fancy. The shell is meant to be light and airy with a bit of a crispness to give it some structure. It doesn't quite hit those marks, though, and ended up more mushy and soggy than anything else. The cream and chocolate really don't help its case. There is a decent amount of filling at the core, but its flavor is washed out. Similarly, the icing on top isn't very rich or decadent, making the entire experience a bit of a flop. Since the recipe also throws in synthetic dyes like Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 for no real reason I can see, this pastry quickly fell to the skip list.

Before heading to Kroger, I brainstormed some of the more popular bakery picks by combing through reviews on the store's website and across the internet, while also calling on my own personal experience as a longtime Kroger shopper. I ended up with a diverse list of different goodies and confections and set off for my nearest location to pick them all up. At home, I sampled them all as is, warming some of them to enhance their flavors.

Ultimately, I focused on ingredients, taste, and quality when tasting them. I checked for freshness in every single baked good and evaluated ingredients to weed out anything strange or artificial. Balanced sweetness is always a concern when it comes to bakery items — I wanted something indulgent, but not overly rich or sugary. Texture also came into play quite often. For example, cakes and muffins needed to be moist, while pastries should be light and delicate. I used these factors to determine whether each Kroger baked good was a worthwhile purchase or not the bakery's best work.