- Costco is selling Caramel Apple Strudel Bites in the bakery department this fall.
- The treat combines a sweet apple filling with a braided, all-butter crust.
- The pastry dominates this dessert, which makes it perfect for pie-crust lovers.
Pumpkin is the de facto darling of fall desserts. From pies to muffins to lattes, you can’t go anywhere without finding it. I don’t want to be a contrarian, but I get excited about autumn for the apples.
So when I found out that Costco just dropped a brand-new bakery item that celebrates my favorite fall fruit, I immediately had to try it. The new Kirkland Signature Caramel Apple Strudel Bites feature flaky, braided pastry dough, a sweet apple filling, and a generous dusting of crunchy sugar on top.
But the best part? You can get a dozen for just $8.99! I got my hands on a box to try them for myself. Here’s my unfiltered review:
The warehouse describes this dessert as a “bite,” but true to Costco fashion, these are pretty huge bites. And compared to their fan-favorite apple pie, there’s a major difference that distinguishes these mini strudels. Costco exclusively uses butter to make the pastry dough. Their pie, on the other hand, uses vegetable shortening.
The difference is obvious. Instead of a neutral flavor that leaves a strange film in your mouth, the butter lends a distinct flavor that tastes homemade. There’s also some great lamination with this pastry; it’s tender, flaky, and everything I want in a dessert.
The filling is fairly simple: apples, sugar, spices, and a few miscellaneous preservatives and natural flavors. It tastes like your standard apple pie filling. I’m not complaining, but it’s not exactly groundbreaking. This is a great crowd-pleaser that everybody will love (even if you’re missing out on some more interesting spices and flavors).
Now, there’s one important thing to note about these strudels that can be pretty polarizing: the pastry-to-filling ratio. If you’re the kind of person who eats pie primarily for the crust, you’re going to love these. The filling is definitely playing a supporting role here. You may even have a bite or two of each treat with no apple at all.
I, for one, am someone who loves apple pie for the apple. So I was a little disappointed to see the apple-less pockets of pastry. And if you’re an apple lover, you’ll probably be too. But you’ll probably get over it once you warm it up and serve it with a scoop of ice cream.
