I ranked Costco's bakery treats — Here's what's worth your money (and what you should avoid)

Brioche buns

If I had to recommend just one Costco bakery item to you, it would be their brioche buns. They're soft, fluffy, buttery, and delicious. They're good on their own or with simple toppings like butter and jam. They make great sandwiches, especially if you need to feed a lot of people at once — they're great for sliders.

I was also impressed by how fresh these buns are. There was no hint of staleness, and they lasted a few days on the counter. They freeze well, too, so if you don't need such a big package, you can store them for another day.

I could absolutely not make my own buns this yummy and cheap, so this is an obvious win in my books.

• Price: $6.99 for 24 (1.1 kilograms total; 29 cents each!)
• Rating: 5/5. Worth every bite (and then some).

Cookies

Costco cookies end up at like 75% of gatherings and potlucks I go to because they're affordable and come in a lot of crowd-pleasing flavours. I'm a big fan of the chocolate chip cookie, but the double chocolate and white chocolate macadamia nut classics are also good. Plus, you can get a package of all three, so you don't need to choose.

Costco cookies have a pretty good "homemade" taste and quality to them. They're soft and chewy, but still have a bit of a crispy exterior. They're sweet but not excessively so, and they don't taste fake. There are lots of chocolate chips, too. For an affordable store-bought option, I highly recommend.

• Price: $11.99 for 24 cookies (49 cents each).
• Rating: 4.5/5. Worth every bite.

Birthday cake

To say I was shocked by how good Costco's birthday cake was is an understatement. I assumed it would be the overly sweet, sugar-rush-inducing sheet cake of my childhood, but it was actually really delicious. The vanilla cake was moist and soft, with a good ratio of cake to icing to custard. It was not overly sweet and had a simple vanilla flavour. It wasn't anything unique or surprising, but just a really solid basic cake. And at the price, it's a steal.

Beyond the good taste, all the cakes were really nicely decorated, and you can also order custom designs. A big win for your next birthday party!

• Price: $22.99 for a 10-inch, 1.4 kilogram cake.
• Rating: 4.5/5. Worth every bite.

Nut and seed brittle

Costco's nut and seed brittle isn't a baked good like the others on this list, but it deserves a spot because it's a great product. Made with a mix of nuts, seeds, and coconut flakes, it's a crunchy sweet snack to munch on through the day. I can eat it on its own or add it on top of yogurt in lieu of granola... Or maybe even on ice cream — that would be good, too!

• Price: $10.99 for 0.65 kilograms.
• Rating: 4/5. Worth the hype.

Sourdough bread

Sourdough can be a touchy subject, especially store-bought options because they usually also include yeast and aren't true sourdough breads. Kirkland's Pane Roma fits that category. But if we put the sourdough purist debates aside, this is really quite a good loaf of bread.

It has a good crumb with lots of big air pockets — a classic sourdough texture. It's chewy and soft, fresh, not gummy. There is a mild "sour" flavour that is tasty with butter, peanut butter, jam, or sandwich toppings. The only thing I don't love about this loaf is the square shape and the fact that it's not pre-cut; I'm terrible at cutting even slices.

• Price: $6.49 for 920 grams
• Rating: 3.5/5. Solid choice.

Muffins

Costco muffins are not all made the same. I've recently tried the blueberry muffins and thought they were not good — stale, fake-tasting, and overly sweet. But then I also tried the banana walnut muffins and thought they were awesome — soft, crunchy walnut toppings, and no fake flavours.

The flavours and quality might differ, but they are all fairly affordable and make for a good snack, so I still vouch for the product overall. Costco's other flavours at my store were chocolate and cranberry orange, which both sound good.

• Price: $7.99 for eight (99 cents each).
• Rating: 2/5 for blueberry, and 4.5/5 for banana walnut. Guess you have to try them all and see what you like!

Croissants

• Price: $6.99 for 12 (58 cents each).
• Rating: 3.5/5. Solid choice.

Apple turnovers

Costco's apple turnovers are good, but not great. They have a flaky exterior and tasty apple interior, so the basics are there. However, they're a bit soggy on the bottom and a bit too sweet for my taste. They are also more expensive than most other Costco treats. At over a dollar each, you could get at least two of something else for the same price. Since they're not outstanding, I'd really only go for these if I'm craving something apple-y.

• Price: $8.99 for eight ($1.12 each).
• Rating: 3/5. Could take it or leave it.

Ciabatta buns

Costco ciabatta buns featured heavily in my childhood — I cannot tell you how many sandwiches I've had on them. They're an affordable option (a huge bun for 39 cents) and taste pretty good, but I've always had the same opinion: it's too much bun. The ratio is always off; not enough toppings for too much bread.

I thought the same when I tried the Montreal smoked meat sandwich from the Costco food court — even though there was a lot of meat, there was still too much bun. The texture is fairly chewy, and I prefer a lighter, fluffier bread product.

• Price: $6.99 for 18 (1.5 kilograms total; 39 cents each).
• Rating: 2/5. Overrated.

Bagels

Of all the Costco bakery products, the bagels are by far the most overrated. Sure, you can get a bazillion bagels for a few cents, but that affordability doesn't make up for the fact that they're too dense, kind of artificial-tasting, and stale. I'm not a fan.

• Price: $4.99 for eight bagels (1 kilogram total; 62 cents each).
• Rating: 1.5/5. Overrated.