Avoid This Frozen Costco Dessert Every Time You Shop (Trust Us)

While it's helpful to have some hacks to help you shop smart when visiting Costco, unfortunately, you might still end up picking the wrong item. The international bulk-buy grocery store is full of options, but not all products labeled dessert live up to the reputation of a promising sweet treat. When we tried out and ranked nine frozen deserts from Costco, there was one box which let us down. If you're looking for a dessert that won't leave you running back to the store seeking a replacement, avoid Healthy Choice's Organic Fudge Bars (and thank us later).

So, what went so wrong with the Healthy Choice Organic Fudge Bar? Honestly, it left us craving an actual dessert — which is the opposite of what a good dessert is supposed to do. Costco is usually a reliable place to buy frozen desserts, but if you want a healthy dessert that is also irresistible, leave this one out of your cart. The low fat cocoa iced bar didn't deliver on the flavors and textures one might expect from a chocolatey fudge dessert. The bars didn't taste very chocolatey at all, and the texture though smooth at first, left a chalky aftertaste in our mouth.

These are considered a low-cal treat with 100 calories per bar and contain a range of organic ingredients, but they don't translate to good flavor and texture. The top desserts in our ranking were bolder with pronounced flavors, which is where this dessert lost our vote. We ranked the desserts based on both flavor and texture as well as overall enjoyment, and the Healthy Choice Organic Fudge Bar disappointed on all fronts.

Our ranking aside, reviews of the Healthy Choice Organic Fudge Bar from shoppers are also mixed and depend on what you're looking for in a dessert. There are some reviewers who feel grateful for the Costco dessert, especially its value for money. A box of 18 fudge bars goes for around $10 depending on location, or even less when they are on sale. Some reviewers who appreciate healthier dessert options feel that these bars don't taste like healthy desserts, noting that the chocolatey flavor comes through without being overly sweet (though we'd beg to disagree — the gritty aftertaste made it hard for us forget that this was anything but a healthy dessert). Another reviewer appreciated these bars for being light and creamy, almost like "eating frozen chocolate pudding on a stick" (via YouTube). 

However, some Redditors find that the bars sometimes come with an icy outer layer which lets down the experience. Shoppers say running the bar under cool water until the ice disappears helps, but it isn't ideal when you're craving a chocolatey dessert and have to do extra prep before the first bite. Another point to consider is that the bars taste closer to ice cream than to a fudgcicle for some. If you're in it for a low cal, low fat dessert with less sugar, the Organic Fudge Bars may satisfy. But if you are after an undeniably chocolatey dessert that doesn't leave you second guessing, just be aware that this one isn't always love at first lick.