Costco has been dialing up the fan service for me lately. They kicked things off by rolling out a handful of cinnamon-forward items over the past week. Now they’ve unveiled a cookie-themed sundae in their food court—my go-to dining spot on the planet. You’d think I’d be utterly smitten, but I must admit I have a few reservations. Let’s dive in. Here are my impressions of Costco’s new Vanilla Crunch Sundae.
Our Verdict
Pros: The dessert is a cookie-crunch sundae designed to evoke cookies and cream. It does a respectable job at capturing that vibe. The cookie crumble elements are added both atop the sundae and on the bottom layer, a touch I particularly appreciate. I recognize they’re not about to whip up a full cookies-and-cream shake just for me—they’ve got other items to churn out!
The bottom layer of cookie crunch provides a satisfying finisher to the bowl. My portion sat in the sun, turning a bit runny, which left me with a cookies-and-cream shake-like finale to end on.
Cons: In nearly every respect, this is just a plain vanilla sundae from Costco’s food court. And yes, this is the same item we nearly skipped during our initial tasting of the whole lineup. Not a stellar start.
Then comes the cookie crunch. I’ll readily admit Costco doesn’t market this as an Oreo-based sundae. Still, I personally believe that when you attempt a cookies-and-cream style dish, Oreos should be the cookies component. Not everyone must agree, but Oreos are by far the best dark cocoa cookie, so it makes sense to me.
It’s clear that Costco isn’t using Oreos for their vanilla crunch sundae. That’s fine; I won’t dock them too many points. But as an Oreo aficionado, the substitution is noticeable. The cookies used have some flavor, but their presence is easily masked by the accompanying chocolate sauce cascading over the sundae.
What you’re left with is essentially a standard sundae with a hint of crunch for texture. It’s enjoyable, but not something to brag about. If you spot it in the food court while you’re there, it’s worth a try, but there’s no need to scramble to try it before it disappears.
