Carmen Varner / Tasting Table Add Tasting Table on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover I love chocolate, and I always have. There is a wonderful balance of flavors, from the earthiness of cocoa powder to the sweetness of sugar. Sure, you can grab a small bar at a grocery store, but where do you go when you want something more? Costco, of course. There's no better place to grab some bulk chocolate items than my beloved mega-warehouse. As a Costco member, I wanted to try some chocolate-covered treats the chain has within its walls. The big-box retailer actually has quite a lot of chocolate items, but I really wanted to focus on things that you could consider as chocolate-covered.
Additionally, I had to keep a budget in mind without spending hundreds of dollars, so I landed on a select few chocolatey sweets and decided to rank them for you. I ultimately judged them by overall taste, quality, and texture, as I was looking for something that was most captivating and easy to eat. I did not find anything poorly made or unappetizing, so I focused on what was most interesting and compelling in terms of taste and texture.
Carmen Varner / Tasting Table Chocolate-covered almonds are pretty tasty. They are a relatively classic combination, and this blue bag of goodies from Costco comes with 48 ounces of product. Costco's version has crunchy roasted almonds and a milk chocolate exterior. This creates a milky and crispy duo that's quite alluring. That said, you definitely have to be a major fan of the nut and milk chocolate to purchase such a large quantity at Costco.
I would be more partial to dark chocolate, and I generally find this somewhat boring. It's just something to keep in your pantry as a little snack to grab by the handful, but I feel like there are a lot of other treats I'd pick first. Additionally, I wouldn't necessarily feel so enamored with them that I'd rush out to Costco to purchase them or buy them frequently. They're fine with no major issues, but they're not the best item on this list.
Plus, I don't think this is the best milk chocolate-covered almond product on the market either, because it contains extra ingredients that just aren't needed, such as artificial vanillin flavoring and corn syrup. I would rather go with Walmart's bettergoods one, which I also thought was somewhat boring in a previous ranking, but at least it tasted better than Costco's.
Carmen Varner / Tasting Table This creation does a wonderful job of blending the crunchiness of almonds with the luxurious mouthfeel of honeyed caramel and milky chocolate. The Hershey's Almond Caramel Clusters are a fun combination of flavors and textures that make for a tasty treat, whether you just want a little sweetness or prefer to pair them with an afternoon coffee. These aren't the most riveting option, but I could see them being really popular in households because the ingredients just work really well together.
The nutty taste and captivating crunch help it avoid feeling one-note or overly sweet. Without that addition, it would be a little drab in comparison, and it takes a chocolate-covered almond to a new level — which is why I placed it higher than the previous option. It's certainly not the best, most high-quality chocolate out there, thanks to additions like vanillin rather than just vanilla; still, it could be a good pick to keep in your pantry when you want a treat or to place out for guests. These are fine, but there are a couple of other interesting items I'd recommend over this Hershey's product. However, this might be a welcome Costco purchase for an office party since it's a well-known combination, like a more snackable Hershey's milk chocolate almond bar.
Carmen Varner / Tasting Table The Kirkland Signature Caramel S'mores Clusters are a mainstay, but ultimately only you can decide if they are a worthwhile snack. In a previous Costco sweet snack ranking, our Tasting Table writer placed them toward the bottom half because of their sweetness and lack of uniformity. I agree with both sentiments; first, they are incredibly sweet. The caramel and chocolate create a sugar-rich combination, but then you get the vanilla-like sweetness of marshmallows and the complex graham crackers in random bites. One piece is enough to curb a sugar craving, and I found myself breaking them in half to eat it and leave the rest. However, this was tough because of the caramel's gooeyness, which seeped out and created stickiness that adhered to my fingers like chewed gum.
