Costco taketh away, but Costco also giveth back. From sweet, sweet pastries to savory and nutty snacks, these are the disappearing Costco products that made a big comeback.
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00:00Costco taketh away, but Costco also giveth back. From sweet, sweet pastries to savory
00:07and nutty snacks, these are the disappearing Costco products that made a big comeback.
00:13Muffins are a huge hit at Costco. Blueberry, double chocolate, and poppy seed make up the
00:18core flavor lineup, but shoppers were also once able to enjoy another delicious variety
00:24known as almond poppy seed. These jumbo pastries were sold in six-packs for years,
00:30until they were mysteriously pulled from shelves indefinitely. Compared to the regular poppy seed
00:35muffins, almond poppy seed offers a nutty but sweet undertone that you don't encounter very often.
00:41Then, in April 2021, the Costco Hot Finds Instagram spotted this elusive pastry in stores.
00:48The post snagged over 8,800 likes and a torrent of praise from commenters happy to see that this
00:55much-missed item had finally returned. Since then, Costco shoppers on the West Coast have
01:00also confirmed that they're once again seeing the almond poppy seeds at their local stores.
01:05Let's hope this comeback spreads nationwide and lands a permanent spot in Costco's bakery.
01:11Poppy seeds!
01:12Poppy seeds!
01:14One of the biggest food unicorns around is affordable organic peanut butter.
01:19And for around $10 a pop, Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter can be yours in
01:24the form of a pack of two massive 28-ounce jars. When you also consider the fact that it's made
01:30with Valencia peanuts, it isn't surprising that health-conscious Costco shoppers would go nuts
01:36stocking up. Yet in early 2021, Costco stopped selling this variety and replaced it with a brand
01:42called Naturally More. Some shoppers seemed to prefer it over the original, but this substitute
01:48didn't quell most members' rage. But it turns out the pantry staple's retirement wasn't entirely
01:53Costco's decision. New Mexico and Texas had been experiencing droughts for quite a while,
01:59and the perilous conditions continued to impact farms' abilities to grow many crops.
02:04One of the affected plants was Valencia peanuts, a Southern delicacy.
02:09Thankfully for Costco shoppers, their peanut problems were quickly solved.
02:13By November 2021, the Kirkland Signature brand was spotted once again in stores,
02:19with the Costco Organic Instagram posting stacks of the nut butter on sale at a location in Glen
02:25Verney, Maryland. There was a bit of a price hike, but commenters overwhelmingly reveled
02:30in the good news and swapped tips on the spread's whereabouts.
02:34In October 2020, a Reddit user dropped some heavy news on the Costco subreddit.
02:40Pull-apart cinnamon rolls were done. Not done in the sense of being baked to golden-brown
02:45perfection, but done meaning discontinued. Tear-and-share breakfasts like cinnamon rolls
02:50never fail to delight, and Costco's economical portions totally knocked it out of the park,
02:55as an entire dozen goes for around $7 on average.
03:00Way too many brunches devoid of these gooey pastries then transpired. That is,
03:04until February 2021, when the Costco Buys Instagram shared news of the
03:09pull-apart cinnamon rolls' grand return. That post has racked up over 5,600 likes since then,
03:16with thrilled followers reveling in the joy of having an old favorite come back.
03:20Fans also praised the sweet treat's unbeatable price point. The numbers don't lie.
03:25According to Fast Food Menu Prices, a single Cinnabon Classic roll costs around $3.76,
03:33while 12 of Costco's gigantic pastries cost just a few dollars extra.
03:38It was a mistake for Costco to eliminate this classic in the first place,
03:41but to not buy these confections in bulk quantities while you have the chance
03:46would be the biggest mistake of all.
03:48"...most certainly we would enjoy consuming mass quantities of any substance you have to offer."
03:53One of the biggest food-related tragedies during the COVID-19 pandemic was the closure
03:58of Costco's food court. In-person dining was suspended in 2020, and with it,
04:03a majority of the food court menu, save for hot dogs and pizza. Slowly but surely,
04:08the food court eventually reopened its doors, but not every menu item hung around.
04:13The most glaring absence of all was the beloved churro. Outrage ensued,
04:18including a Change.org petition demanding that it be reinstated in stores immediately,
04:23but the damage was already done. Then, in 2021, a flyer advertising the return of churro started
04:30popping up around stores. You would think fans would be absolutely thrilled to see the churro
04:35come back in all of its cinnamon-sugary glory. Alas, many shoppers who've tried the new version
04:41are upset that they're not the same as the original. The pastry touts a larger size,
04:46which could be a good thing, except that they now cost more, to the tune of $1.49.
04:52Plus, many shoppers claim that they simply don't taste as good. Feeling anything other
04:56than happiness towards the Costco churro is a plot twist none of us could see coming.
05:02If you're ever craving a freshly-baked Snickerdoodle cookie, but with a little extra
05:06oomph, then Costco's Snickerdoodle mini-cakes should absolutely do the job. One pack includes
05:12six spiced cakes topped with a luscious swirl of cinnamon cream cheese frosting,
05:17weighing 44 ounces altogether. That's over seven ounces apiece. Shoppers gladly welcomed these
05:24hefty desserts when they arrived in the bakery aisle in October of 2021, but then they swiftly
05:29disappeared from store shelves. No surprise, then, that fans were sorely disappointed at this loss,
05:35with one Reddit user mourning,
05:37I've been looking for these for a while, but my club doesn't seem to have them."
05:41You've probably realized that Costco doesn't give much notice when their items go out of
05:45circulation. Luckily, though, members have eagle eyes when it comes to scouting out previously
05:51discontinued goods, and the Costco Hot Finds Instagram jumped on the desserts' revival in May
05:572022 with an exclusive sighting of a six-pack treat on full display. Some commenters weren't
06:03particularly thrilled with Snickerdoodle mini-cakes overall, however, finding the taste
06:07to be much too saccharine, but others couldn't contain their excitement for the sugar-filled
06:12delights. For any fan of spiced cinnamon bliss, this was a comeback to remember.
06:18And I'd much rather head home, bake some Snickerdoodles with a few of my bros."
06:23Costco shoppers in the United Kingdom should know that their American friends are green with
06:28envy over some of the exclusive products at their fingertips. Take, for example,
06:32the Lemon Cheesecake, another Kirkland Signature item that is sadly off-limits to members in the
06:38United States. But shoppers across the pond could buy this luscious, custard-like showstopper from
06:44the wholesaler when it was available. But then, after a while, it mysteriously vanished.
06:49It's unclear when exactly the Lemon Cheesecake was put out to pasture,
06:53but back in June 2021, a member of the Costco subreddit shared a photo of this elusive cheesecake
06:59after what was presumably a long hiatus in the bakery aisle. As the post's header read,
07:05"...one of the best cheesecakes you'll have finally made a comeback after being discontinued.
07:10Hopefully, so does salted caramel, too."
07:12This news was piggybacked by another commenter, who discovered through nearby locations that the
07:18cake had been retired from stores with no plans of stocking it again. There were comments
07:23urging Costco to reinstate other long-lost cake flavors, but these folks were clearly
07:28pleased that the Lemon Cheesecake had at least been revived from the graveyard.
07:33Costco Snack Game delivers for a variety of reasons. For one thing, there are the huge
07:38portions. For another, there are the unexpectedly tasty combinations. Kirkland Signature Honey
07:45Mustard Snack Mix ticks both of those boxes. This inventive blend was launched back in May 2019,
07:52and for a brief few months, customers could indulge in the crunchy tidbits. Sesame sticks,
07:58chickpeas, pretzel sticks, and various almonds, all coated in an irresistibly honey mustard
08:04seasoning. But then, you know how the story goes, as Costco scrapped the product for the
08:09foreseeable future. To be fair, the chain never promised that this product would stick around
08:14permanently. As a matter of fact, the company warned that this savory-sweet concoction would
08:19only be available while supplies last. The snack blend usually comes through around the spring and
08:25summer months before retiring at the end of the season, no doubt to make room for fall arrivals.
08:30Nevertheless, the excitement that Costco shoppers have expressed when this snack returns has been
08:36overwhelming. As one Reddit commenter exclaimed,
08:39"'Just bought some in my store earlier this week. So glad it's back!"
08:43While another declared,
08:45Oh, that is surprisingly good. While availability is never guaranteed,
08:49knowing that snacks like this can make a comeback means that the wait is always worth it.
08:54"'Okay, it's worth it.'"
08:55Who could ever forget Costco's All-American Chocolate Cake?
08:59Anyone who attended a birthday celebration, graduation, or anniversary bash over the last
09:04decade has likely copped a slice of this fudgy, decadent dessert. It's big enough to feed an
09:10entire army, but the pandemic reared its ugly head once again, forcing this iconic baked behemoth
09:16off the shelves for good in 2020, thereby denying us all some serious pleasure.
09:22Considering the impact that COVID-19 has had on all our daily lives,
09:26the market for party-sized layer cakes no doubt dwindled during the time of masking
09:31and social distancing, and Costco certainly didn't want to encourage people to host meetups.
09:36Still, loyal shoppers poured in on social media to decry the chain's decision to
09:41discontinue such a popular product. As of 2022, over 8,000 chocoholic customers had
09:48signed a Change.org petition urging the wholesaler to bring it back permanently.
09:53Although Costco has yet to answer the hordes of requests for this rich delicacy,
09:58they did compromise one year later with a smaller, more ethical alternative.
10:02Many All-American chocolate cakes resemble the original sweet treat in just about every way,
10:08minus the hefty size. Alas, the similarities are apparently insufficient to consumers craving the
10:14All-American chocolate cake in all of its former spectacle. As one Facebook user decreed,
10:20"'Okay, these are good, but just not the same.'"
10:23When you peruse the snack aisle at Costco, you uncover a veritable treasure trove of possibilities.
10:30There are the standard pick-me-ups like chips and pretzels, and you can also look out on
10:35something truly unexpectedly scrumptious, such as the Kirkland Signature Cocoa-Dusted Almonds.
10:41These nuts are loaded with nutritional benefits like protein and fiber,
10:45while the coating of cocoa powder offers a much-needed kick to the typical snacking experience.
10:51But somehow, these chocolatey nuggets faded away from warehouse shelves without much of a warning.
10:56One particular Facebook post from 2019 bemoaned how they'd been out of commission for quite some
11:02time, with a shopper wailing,
11:04"'Why why why have you discontinued the Kirkland Cocoa-Dusted Almonds? It was my dream snack.'"
11:10Chocolate and almonds are a pairing that never goes out of style,
11:13yet this particular example got left in the dust while other Costco snacks flourished.
11:18Thankfully, though, these almonds have since emerged out of retirement.
11:22A post from the Costco Buys Instagram in December 2020 documented the elusive snack
11:28for their thousands of followers. Though there were a few negative opinions,
11:32the majority of comments were simply heart-eyed smiley emojis, which is the ultimate expression
11:38of joy. One commenter even gleefully wrote,
11:40"'Merry Christmas,' thus taking this culinary development as a sign that holiday miracles
11:46really do exist."
11:47"'They do exist.'"
11:49If anything can justify Costco's membership fee, it's the opportunity to buy your favorite coffee
11:56in bulk. Plenty of members especially approve of Lavazza Espresso Italiano blend,
12:01including its hefty 2.2-pound sack and steep discount. The fact that it's a whole bean
12:07variety only adds to the perks, because unlike ground coffee, it's capable of staying fresh for
12:12quite a while. Anyone who considers themselves a caffeine fiend should be buzzing off of such
12:18a frugal roast as much as they can, but somehow Costco has seen fit to discontinue this variety
12:24before, much to our dismay. The Costco Hot Finds Instagram confirmed the situation in April 2021,
12:30showing that the asterisk signaling a product suspension had appeared on the coffee's tag,
12:35thereby marking that it was on its way out of stores.
12:38The quality-to-value ratio made it a particularly hurtful loss to shoppers,
12:43with one commenter lamenting,
12:45We just switched to this and love it for the price. Bummer."
12:49Luckily, there's no need to mourn anymore, as Lavazza didn't stay away from Costco for long.
12:55A peek on the wholesaler's website revealed that the brew is indeed back in stock,
12:59and still at a great price point. So grab a few bags while you can and sip away.