Costco S'mores Clusters: Are They A Worthwhile Snack?

Costco is a veritable wonderland of delicious food court treats, high-quality frozen meals, and bulk shopping that no competitor has fully replicated. In fact, the variety is so vast that you might find it a little overwhelming to shop in, so we at Tasting Table have decided to lend a hand and help you narrow down your picks. We've taken a look at a small sampling of sweet snacks that Costco's brand Kirkland Signature offers and ranked them from the biggest waste of money to the tastiest of treats. In our list, Costco's Caramel S'mores Clusters ranked fourth.

Our taster found this treat to be indulgently sweet and a textural smorgasbord that combined sticky caramel, a crunchy chocolate shell, and an ooey-gooey marshmallow, all wrapped up with a graham cracker-style cookie that, to the writer, was reminiscent of the biscuit bar inside of treats like Twix rather than s'mores. It has a well-balanced and tasty flavor profile where the caramel and chocolate don't drown one another out. Really, the only noted problem our taster had was the graham cracker itself. You don't really get much of that cinnamon, honeyed flavor; the biscuit is pretty lost beneath the other, stronger flavors. But as far as sweet treats go? This one's still worth snagging.

This treat isn't a hit with everyone. One netizen reviewer found the Costco Caramel S'mores Clusters to be way too sweet, to the point that they're nearly unpalatable. For people who like dark chocolate, you might find the milk chocolate just as overbearing. But even then, the caramel is a saving grace, providing a smooth and creamy decadence with just the right amount of salt. The one-star reviews on Amazon mostly had issues with staleness, especially with the graham bits. We're not alone in thinking that these s'mores don't actually taste much like s'mores either, as another reviewer pointed out. Despite that, these s'mores are still good enough to land in the middle of our ranking.

If you want to sample some other sweet treats, Costco has a plethora to choose from, though. Our top pick was the praline pecans, which have a nice amount of caramel-flavored sugar, a deep roasted nuttiness, and a touch of salt for a well-balanced treat. Our number two pick, the mini chocolate chip cookies, also have a soft and chewy quality that makes them very moreish, all without blazing your tastebuds with the extreme sugar hit of chocolate on caramel on marshmallows. So if you're feeling something milder, there are other treats for you. But if you want something truly decadent that will feel like a real treat? The Costco Caramel S'mores Clusters are a good bet.