The Classic Publix Bakery Item We Ranked Number One In Our Taste Test

With more than 1,400 locations across eight Southern states — approximately 900 in Florida alone — it's pretty easy to find a Publix if you live in the South. Among many other things, the grocery store chain is well known for the quality of the food items it makes in-house, such as the famous "Pub Subs" from the Publix Deli. Then there's the Publix bakery, which is filled with fresh breads, cakes, and other sugary sweets. With all those delicious goods, we decided to taste and rank nine items from the Publix bakery to see which ones stood out and which ones were more forgettable. 

The item that came out on top as our favorite was Publix's mini apple streusels. They're the quintessential sweet during the fall, or any time of the year, for that matter. With the smell of warm cinnamon, Publix's mini apple streusels have a sweet and crumbly texture thanks to the coarse sugar topping that covers the crispy, flavorful dough. When you bite into the streusel, you taste the soft and spicy apple filling, which might remind you of your grandma's warm apple pie. It's that good.

When it comes to the buttery crust, Publix's mini apple streusel has the ideal texture — soft, but firm enough to keep the filling in its place. Our reviewer noted that this streusel was much different than desserts from other grocery stores with wet fillings that turn the whole thing to mush after a bite or two. It's even great a day later after a brief minute or two in the toaster oven or air fryer, maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Our reviewer also noted that it's the perfect quick snack to knock out in just a few bites. At just $3.65 for a container with four streusels, it's an inexpensive way to get your sugar fix too. 

It's also worth pointing out some of our other favorites from the Publix bakery: the mini key lime pie and vanilla buttercream cake slice. Both of these were delicious in their own right, thanks to a light and airy texture that somehow manages to avoid overly rich territory. On the flip side, you might want to avoid the guava shortcake and pumpkin cake roll, which either tasted artificially sweet or just had an incredibly dry texture.

Between all the best items to try at Publix, from the Pub Subs and fried chicken to the homemade pizza dough and these delicious bakery items, the retailer has earned its place in the South as the go-to grocery store for its house-made food products. If you're fortunate enough to live near a Publix location, we'd definitely recommend grabbing a container of the mini apple streusels. The sugary crust, the cinnamon, the warm and spicy apple filling — it's everything you want from a store-bought dessert.