We decided to investigate.
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There are a lot of flavors that people associate with the holidays, but few are as iconic as peppermint. The cooling, refreshing taste pairs perfectly in nearly every wintertime treat: cookies, co*cktails, and even cheesecake. Most of us can agree, however, that peppermint bark is the best minty dessert of all time.
What’s not to like? It’s chocolatey, crisp, crunchy, and super festive. Peppermint bark also makes for a great gift, especially if you splurge on a tin of Williams Sonoma’s beloved bark. For 25 years, the kitchen supply store has sold its signature recipe in decorative tins around the holidays. And it’s achieved cult status as one of the best store-bought barks around. The catch? A one-pound container costs a whopping 29.95 (plus tax).
If that price tag sounds scary, we don’t blame you. So when we discovered that Costco sells their own peppermint bark at a fraction of the price, we ran to our nearest warehouse. Kirkland-brand peppermint bark comes in 21-ounce containers and costs mere 9.99. If you do the math, Costco’s version costs 75% less per ounce than Williams Sonoma’s.
The difference in price is shocking—but what about the difference in flavor? That’s why we decided to investigate and put both barks head to head. Our team dissected each recipe and compared them to see if Costco’s peppermint bark is a solid dupe.
Flavor
The first thing we noticed about the Williams Sonoma peppermint bark is that the peppermint itself truly shines. It’s not just from the candy canes on the surface; it’s also infused in both the dark and white chocolate layers. Our senior food editor Makinze Gore compared the chocolate’s flavor to the nostalgic pastel nonpareil candies from your grandma’s house (in the best way possible).
The minty flavor is significantly more subdued in Costco’s recipe. It’s certainly still present, but we couldn’t necessarily identify it in each and every layer. It felt like the crushed candy canes were doing most of the heavy lifting. It’s not a bad thing, per se, but it’s certainly something to consider.
Texture
Visually speaking, the difference in texture is blatantly obvious. Each and every inch of the Kirkland peppermint bark is covered in crushed candy canes. Williams Sonoma’s, on the other hand, has larger chunks of candy sporadically sprinkled across the surface. With the latter, there are several bites that don’t contain any candy canes at all.
Williams Sonoma’s peppermint bark is also much thicker than Costco’s. Each chocolate layer measures about half a millimeter, while Kirkland’s layers are only about half as thick. This doesn’t inherently make one brand better than the other, but it certainly impacts the overall eating experience. Costco’s peppermint bark has a distinctive snap. And paired with the healthy sprinkling of candy canes, the crisp and crunchy texture makes for an exciting bite. Eating Williams Sonoma’s peppermint bark feels a lot like eating a regular chocolate bar.
Packaging
When it comes to the way each peppermint is packaged, there’s really no contest: Williams Sonoma is better by leaps and bounds. These reusable tins are embossed and feature festive designs. If you’re not planning on giving the whole tin away, it can easily be reused to store holiday cookies (or sewing supplies, if you’re so inclined). Kirkland’s flimsy plastic containers aren’t exactly present-appropriate. So gifting them would require investing in separate packaging.
So what’s the overall verdict? It depends on your preference! If you really love mint, want your peppermint bark to have some heft, or plan to gift it to loved ones, Williams Sonoma is your best bet. If texture or price are the most important factors for you, Costco wins by a landslide. But if you want your peppermint bark to have a special personalized touch, you're better off making it from scratch.
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