I Taste-Tested And Ranked All Of Costco's Holiday Bakery Items, And The Winner Was SO Good

I love anything coffee-flavored, so I had high hopes for this tiramisu-flavored cake. It looks gorgeous, with its layers of coffee syrup-soaked ladyfingers and cream cheese mascarpone filling, and it slices like a dream. Plus, its resealable container makes leftovers easy to store.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past its artificial flavor, which overpowered the whole thing. I assume the coffee and rum flavors in the syrup are to blame. If you like the sugary seasonal syrups at Starbucks, this cake might be for you. But as a fan of black coffee, it didn't do it for me.

It’s not just its size that makes this pecan pie a showstopper. The top is super glossy, the crust is perfectly crimped, and the filling is impressively thick. But while the flavor was enjoyable, the center of the pie was a little too runny for my taste. Plus, the gooey consistency made it hard to cut clean slices.

Since I still have a few leftover slices, I’m planning on freezing them. And honestly, a frozen slice might just be the secret: more like a candy bar and less like goo.

This colorful assortment is far more interesting than most store-bought trays. Set it out at a party, share it with the office, or bring ‘em to a cookie swap if you don’t have time to bake. The price has gone up since last year ($13.99 instead of $9.99), but it’s still a good deal for 44 cookies.

Each box contains five varieties: a lemon shortbread topped with green sprinkles, a classic sugar cookie covered in red sprinkles (this one replaced the ginger molasses cookie from last year), a powdered sugar-coated cookie that looks like a snowball cookie but is actually a soft walnut brownie, a holiday candy cookie that tastes underbaked in a good way, and a chewy coconut almond chocolate cookie (my least favorite).

Overall, they were good but didn't wow me — but I like that there's a little something for everyone.

First things first: Don't be fooled by the word "mini." Sure, these cakes are smaller than 9-inch rounds, but because of the way they’re frosted and decorated, they look more like ginormous cupcakes.

I think their fun presentation will make them a hit with any crowd. Plus, the cream cheese frosting isn’t too sweet, and the cake itself is soft and moist. But I found myself searching for more flavor with every bite, which is why they're not ranked higher.

This double crust pie tastes homemade in the best way possible. The apples are soft and syrupy and packed with warm cinnamon flavor — like fried or caramelized apples baked into a pie. Out of the three pies I tasted, this crust was also the crispiest, with an impressive golden brown color.

The filling is very sweet, making it hard to eat more than a few bites. Still, a small sliver will certainly hit the spot.

I've read the hype about this giant pumpkin pie, and now, I totally get it. It's the best store-bought pumpkin pie I've ever tasted! It's smooth and well-spiced and bursting with pumpkin flavor. It's also very custardy, yet I was still able to cut clean slices. If you’re headed to a party full of pumpkin pie fans, it's bound to be a win.

The best part? It costs just $5.99, which might be less than it would cost you to make your own normal-sized pie. It also has a much shorter ingredient list than most of the other bakery items.

This bark was smack dab in the center of the bakery section, so I decided it was fair game for my taste test. I like that the shards come in all different sizes, and there's so much of it that you can gift some to friends and still have plenty for yourself.

While I prefer to eat it as-is, one TikTok user brews espresso over hers to make a homemade peppermint mocha. You could also use small pieces to garnish cupcakes or cheesecake.

If you, like me, order the chocolate cake at Cheesecake Factory instead of a slice of cheesecake, you need this dessert in your life. Which is to say: This is for serious chocolate-lovers. It consists of two layers of moist chocolate cake with both milk chocolate and white chocolate mousse sandwiched in between. Did I mention the brownie pieces and thick chocolate ganache?

If you need a last-minute dessert to bring to a holiday gathering, this is my #1 pick without question.

Amidst the oversized pies and Christmas-y cakes, I almost missed this treat entirely — but I'm really glad I didn’t. These bisconie are shockingly good: soft and not too sweet, with bright citrus flavor from the orange zest and a bit of crunch from the coating of turbinado sugar. Keep a box on the counter and enjoy them any time of day: for breakfast with coffee, in the afternoon with tea, or as a lighter option in a dessert spread.

Plus, I learned a new term! A bisconie, apparently, is part scone, part biscotti. But whereas both of those treats have the tendency to be dry, these bisconie are super soft, like a muffin top. If you can’t eat them all in a few days, I’m confident they’d freeze and reheat well.