Costco's Holiday Desserts Ranked Worst To Best

For many of us, the best part of the holiday season is the food. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and other wonderful holidays, there are plenty of opportunities to gather as a group to enjoy a bountiful meal filled with all the fixings. While most people focus on the main dish, like finding the perfect dry brine for the Thanksgiving turkey, the truth is, no meal would be complete without the dessert. Whether you love pie, cake, cheesecake, or brittle, one place has your sweet tooth covered: Costco.

Among the grocery products you may want to buy at Costco this holiday season are its selection of festive desserts. While some are standard fan favorites, like pumpkin and pecan pies, others are unique offerings exclusive to the warehouse retailer, including its multi-layered, decadent Maple Butter Pecan Bar Cake.

If you don't know which dessert(s) to pick up for your friends and family this year, fear not. We snatched them all up and sampled them for you, ranking from worst to best. For more on the criteria used to determine the favorite holiday dessert from Costco, read to the end. And, if you plan to serve one of these sweet treats for turkey day, you'll need to do some advanced planning, as Costco's doors will not be open on Thanksgiving.

At the bottom of this ranking is the Pecan Pie from Costco. While pecans may be an acquired taste for some, owing to their inherent bitterness, I have always enjoyed them, especially in pie delivery format. A well-executed pecan pie is simultaneously crunchy and chewy, with a flaky, yet crisp crust that is absolutely decadent. Unfortunately, this pie missed the mark on all of these fronts.

From the moment I cut into the pie, I knew there was a problem. The center of the pie was very runny and started oozing out when I attempted to transfer the slice to a plate. This is an indication that the pie was underdone or the recipe wasn't followed precisely. Additionally, while there were abundant pecans, they all floated on top of the gooey filling, like icebergs in the ocean, rather than being well combined with the base. Additionally, the bottom of the crust remained soggy and stuck to the baking dish, further evidence of an under-baked pie.

All of this was a true shame, because the flavor of the pie was on the mark. It was not overly sweet and was loaded with the caramel-forward notes of one of the two basic ingredients in brown sugar, molasses. I wouldn't completely write this dessert off, however, as I feel like this was an error in execution, not a fundamental flaw with the recipe. That said, I couldn't give this particular one high marks.

Next to last on this ranking of Costco's holiday desserts is the Maple Butter Pecan Bar Cake. Let me start by saying that there was nothing wrong with this dessert, per se. It was well-executed and definitely had a festive vibe, with a presentation that was elegant and reminiscent of a yule log. It also was simple to serve, slicing up like a dream into pretty layered pieces that looked lovely on the plate.

The cake itself had a perfect, sponge-like texture that was moist, light, and fluffy. This was juxtaposed by alternating layers of brown butter mousse, maple-flavored mousse, and a thin, yet crunchy, pecan filling, that was reminiscent of a toffee candy, which helped to give some balance in mouthfeel to the whole dessert. The overall aroma and taste had a dulce de leche vibe to it, with strong caramel and maple notes underlying both.

Where this cake lost points for me was its sweetness level, which was verging on cloying, in my opinion. While I want a dessert to be sweet, it has to be nuanced, having plenty of spice, salt, and a hint of savoriness to balance the sugar. That said, if you enjoy a really sweet treat, this cake will be right up your alley and would certainly be a delightful capstone to top off a rich meal.

A quality peppermint bark is made from perfectly tempered dark and white chocolate and coated with tiny pieces of crushed peppermint candy for a treat that is smooth and silky, yet has a satisfying snap when you bite into it. Finding a good one is sometimes a challenge, as often commercially produced ones are made using semi-sweet or milk chocolate, which, in my opinion, lacks the balance between sweet and bitter that is achieved when using chocolate with a high cocoa percentage.

The Peppermint Bark from Costco was not one of these disappointments. In fact, it was as good as any I have eaten. The texture of this bark was perfect, not too hard and not too soft. Moreover, the peppermint candy pieces were chopped finely enough that they didn't overwhelm the chocolate, adding just a hint of crunch without breaking a tooth. The taste of the bark was en pointe, with just the right amount of bitterness to tame the buttery sweetness of the white chocolate and the heat of the peppermint.

Lastly, while Costco doesn't do anything small, the amount of peppermint bark in this container is a value even by its standards. The sheer heft of the container was surprising, and each piece was substantial. If you love peppermint bark, this is one you will want to pick up to fill the stockings of your favorite loved ones or serve on Christmas morning when you open gifts.

I fully expected the Pumpkin Cheesecake from Costco to land in the top three of this ranking of its desserts — and I wasn't disappointed. This is a classic cheesecake with a twist, having a decadent graham cracker crust, creamy pumpkin layer, and a tangy sour cream topping. Again, this dessert has quite a bit of heft to it, and can easily serve up to 16 people, making it a great value.

When I purchased this cheesecake, the top was unblemished. By the time I got it home, it had cracked on top, something that is a common issue with homemade cheesecake. Though this did not negatively impact the texture or flavor of the cheesecake, it did make serving it slightly challenging. This was not a dealbreaker, just something to note.

The graham cracker crust of this cheesecake was suitably firm and had a nice crunch, while the pumpkin filling and sour cream topping were both velvety and smooth. Perhaps my only minor complaint about this cheesecake was that it could have had a more notable pumpkin flavor. That said, it was not overly sweet, and I found the sour cream topping helped to balance out the sugar in the pumpkin layer beautifully. Overall, this was a winning dessert if you are a cheesecake aficionado.

What could be more American than apple pie? The one sold at Costco — because, you know, it's giant — and it landed in second place on this ranking. This ginormous pie has all the qualities you would expect of a carefully crafted homemade pie, from a flaky crust to real apples. While I sampled this pie at room temperature, I'd highly recommend popping it into the oven for a few minutes to reheat it to enhance that homemade quality.

The first thing I noticed about this pie was its aroma, which was rife with notes of cinnamon. As enticing as this was, the buttery crust was even more appealing. It was perfectly baked, not soggy, and had a tenderness that melted in your mouth. This pie sliced and served beautifully, holding together well enough to transfer to a plate, but still having that rustic element to it that would make your guests think it was made-from-scratch.

The true star of this pie was the filling. I am a snob when it comes to apple pie filling and have a great dislike of the stuff that comes in a can. This filling was made with large chunks of real apples that were just al dente enough to convey their freshness. It also had enough sugar to cut any tartness from the apples, but not so much as to make it cloying. Additionally, the apples were not surrounded by a gooey, syrupy sauce, but had just enough of a coating to hold the chunks of fruit together.

The winner of "best in show" in this ranking of Costco holiday desserts is its classic Pumpkin Pie. While this isn't an elevated pumpkin pie with all kinds of frills, it is a triumph. As a professional chef, I have made many pumpkin pies in my career, and I couldn't have done much better. From a technical perspective, this pie knocks it out of the park, with a firm, yet flaky crust, and an impossibly smooth, yet creamy filling ... that is to die for.

While the aroma of this pie wasn't as potent as I might have anticipated, it had plenty of pumpkin flavor. The filling was so light, it almost had more of a mousse-like quality than a classic custard-like one, giving it an elegance befitting something you might get served at a nice restaurant. The flavor was quite well-balanced and not overly sweet, with delicate notes of spices accenting the pumpkin. While I generally prefer a hint of more seasoning in my pumpkin pie, this was not a deal breaker.

This is a huge pie that could easily feed 16 people, making it a great value. I found that it sliced easily and served beautifully, holding together without the crust or filling falling apart. There's a reason this pie is an annual fan favorite. As far as I'm concerned, it is money well spent and time saved that can be focused on some of the other more complicated dishes featured at your annual Thanksgiving or holiday festivities.

In assessing the holiday desserts from Costco, I leaned heavily on my expertise as a chef with nearly 18 years of professional experience. I have made many of these desserts on numerous occasions and consider myself an accomplished baker. While I understand these are not "homemade" versions of these recipes, there are some standard criteria I expect any good cheesecake or pie to meet. These expectations are reflected in my overall reviews and final ranking.

Additionally, I did factor in aroma, texture, taste, and overall quality of each dessert, noting specific aspects — like the use of spices or the level of sweetness. When possible I did try to avoid personal preferences, judging each dessert on its own merits, though any ranking or review is impossible to execute completely objectively. Lastly, I considered cost, size, and ease of service for each dessert, which are all important factors to weigh when throwing the best dinner parties.