The 20 Desserts You Should Only Buy at Costco, According to a 13-Year Member

Dinner doesn’t end until dessert has been served, but that doesn’t mean I’m preparing sweet treats from scratch every week. 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 oversized 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.) Whether you’re looking for sweets big enough to feed a crowd or individual servings of delicate French desserts, Costco has you covered.

Here are my picks for the top 20 desserts to buy at Costco (plus an honorable mention that you won’t want to miss).

1. 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 oversized 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.

2. 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-sized 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.

3. La Dolce Vita Almond Biscotti, $12.89 for 40 ounces

For a dessert with a lot of crunch that isn’t too sweet, you have to try La Dolce Vita almond biscotti. The texture, buttery flavor, and toasted almond crunch in these twice-baked biscuits would earn approval from even the most discerning Italian nonna. Serve with tea or coffee or crumble over a scoop of ice cream.

4. Nabisco Oreo Cookies, $11.49 for 62.8 ounces

Oreo’s are a cookie that need no introduction — the chocolate and creme sandwich cookies have been icons for well over 100 years. You can buy them from any grocery store, but Costco is the best place to pick them up because they are such a great deal. The cookies cost 40 cents per ounce at my local grocer, but just 18 cents per ounce at Costco. So when I buy Oreos at Costco, I can make more no-bake Oreo cheesecakes, creamy Oreo milkshakes, and strawberry Oreo icebox cakes for a lot less money.

5. 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. A 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.

6. Kirkland Signature Ice Cream Bars, $9.99 for 18 bars

Freezer space is limited, so if I’m buying a Costco-sized 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.

7. 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 oversized chocolate cupcake (perfect for sharing!) topped with a swirl of cookies-and-cream frosting and chocolate cookie crumbles.

8. Black Forest Bar Cake, $17.99 for 38 ounces

Black forest cake is made of alternating layers of chocolate cake, cherry filling, and whipped frosting, and garnished with shards of chocolate and a cherry on top. Costco has turned this iconic layer cake into one of its famous bar cakes while maintaining all of the classic flavors. The rich chocolate cake is balanced by layers of whipped cream and cherry filling.

Tip: The top is decorated with just three ruby-red cherries, so make sure to keep a jar of maraschino cherries on hand so everyone gets a bite.

9. 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.

10. Cranberry Almond Bark, $5.99 for 21 ounces

Chocolate bark is a dramatic dessert option to serve at the end of a meal. Costco’s version can be found in the bakery. It is made of a thin layer of dark chocolate topped with white chocolate, then finished with chopped almonds, dried cranberries, and an abstract drizzle of dark chocolate. You’re sure to spot this treat around the holidays, so pick up a package as soon as you spot it.

11. 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-sized cheesecake is 12 inches in diameter and serves 16, but also freezes well in the unlikely event of leftovers.

12. Kirkland Signature Gourmet Chocolate Chunk Cookies, $9.99 for 24

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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. White Cake with Vanilla Cheesecake Mousse, $15.99 for 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 with “Happy Birthday” already written right off the shelf or simply frosted for you to add your own embellishments. Give the bakery 48 hours of notice and they can even add personalized messages and designs. While the white cake is my favorite, Costco’s bakery sells a similar cake in chocolate too.

18. Donsuemor Madeleines, $8.89 for 28

These tender butter cakes baked in the classic Madeleine pan are a classic French dessert. The barely sweet buttery cakes are bite-sized 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

Honorable Mention: 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 mega-pie weighs in at 4.5 pounds of rich peanut buttery and chocolaty goodness. There’s no telling if this pie will become a year-round staple, but if it does disappear for good, here’s a homemade version that rivals the original.

Did your favorites make the list? Tell us about it in the comments below.