Costco has unveiled what could be the season’s most thrilling addition to its food court. They’ve integrated an apple pie-inspired element into their soft serve. Not a whole pie, mind you, but the essence—the filling and crust fragments—interwoven with the creamy swirl. It would be quite the feat to cram an entire Costco-sized apple pie into a single dessert. For now, we’re only sampling a hint of the wonder that awaits once you stroll past the food court and into the shopping aisles. Here is our take on Costco’s apple pie sundae from the food court.
Costco’s Apple Pie Sundae
Pros: In this apple pie sundae, sumptuous vanilla soft serve is tucked between a scoop of warm apple pie filling and crumbly crust shreds. This creates a distinct textural contrast beyond the standard soft serve, a major win for anyone who loves varying textures in every bite.
The apples inside the pie filling are prepared to perfection. They’re softened but still retain a slight resistance, which adds another layer of texture. Costco also loads a generous amount of pie filling into the cup, so while you do have to dig a bit past the soft serve to reach it all, you can enjoy a touch of filling with each mouthful.
Cons: Overall, the dessert comes off a touch flat. The flavors feel quite muted—which makes sense given that vanilla soft serve dominates the dish. That said, the pie filling and crust chunks don’t do much to enhance the overall experience.
While the crust is welcome, its large chunks deliver occasional blasts of a rather generic dough flavor. The apple pie filling tastes predictably of apples, but a more robust spice profile would have complemented it nicely.
This final drawback isn’t entirely Costco’s fault. I understand they’re operating at scale and bringing in a full machine to churn the sundae isn’t feasible. That said, the tall wall of vanilla soft serve between the apple pie filling that does provide actual flavor ends up overpowering it. I’d love to see the mixture blended a touch, or at the very least, a few additional layers of filling added into the cup. I know that changes like this may not happen, but I’m just offering potential ideas here.
