New-to-Me Items in January

Prior to mid-January, I had not been to the Dedham Costco in awhile. When I finally made it to the store, I saw several items that I had never seen before. Some are ones I am pretty sure I will be buying. Others, I will not be buying but will write about them for the (hopefully) benefit of others. I also noticed a few items in the bakery that I wanted to comment on because they looked different from what I was expecting to see.

New-to-Me Items

1. Nurri Chocolate Ultra-Filtered Milkshake

At times I have looked for and drank nutrition drinks. I don’t like the chemicals, sugar, and overly sweet taste of Boost or Ensure. I found a brand of kids drinks that I liked but then they were discontinued (like so much else I enjoy (It’s Gone? Discontinued Products)). I then started drinking Fairlife Protein Milk (Product Review: Fairlife Nutrition Plan Chocolate Milk); they don’t have the array of nutrients but do contain a lot of protein). I then saw these Nurri Chocolate milkshakes. I had never heard of them so I did a little research.

It appears that these drinks are brand new and only found in Costco at this time. They are notable for containing 30 grams of Protein and 10 vitamins and minerals, with only one gram of sugar and 150 calories. They come in 11- ounce cans and are lactose and rBST free. Chocolate was the first flavor produced but vanilla has recently been made, and strawberry is currently under production. Reviews were mixed (as any will be) but the general reviews say the taste is good (like chocolate milk) without the chemical aftertaste and that the texture is quite thin due to the use of skim milk. I still have a few packages of Fairlife but I will probably try these after.

2. UNREAL Dark Chocolate Snacks

I like candy in small amounts. Whereas I used to enjoy eating multiple snack-sized candy bars or a large bowl of M&Ms at once, I can no longer do that because I can’t tolerate too much sweetness. Even in smaller amounts, I prefer less sweet candy (e.g., dark vs milk chocolate). I once tried the coconut chocolate candies by this brand (still offered at Costco). Although I love the combination of these flavors, I did not like these candies. It might have been that specific batch but I was displeased with the dryness and sometimes crunchy coconut. However, I have been interested to try other candies by this brand. Therefore, I am intrigued by this new variety pack.

This 15.4 ounce variety pack contains three varieties of candy, each mimicking one of the more traditional candies. The Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are the “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups,”; the Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems are the “Peanut M&Ms,” and the Dark Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat Bars are the “Snickers.” Each item is individually wrapped, kosher,  gluten and soy free, Non GMO, and made with Fair Trade Certified ingredients. Although I don’t each much candy, I am likely to buy this bag because I like all three varieties and am curious to see if the lower sugar and smaller servings will give me the “candy fix” I sometimes want without being “too much.”

3. Melona Bars

I had never seen these bars before. I did not see a kosher symbol so I won’t be trying them but they do look good. There are 24 bars per box and they come in three flavors (Melon; Mango; Coconut). I thought they were popsicles but I looked at the ingredients and they appear to be more like a sherbet pop as they contain milk. They are gluten free.

These look good and like a great mix between ice cream and popsicles. The flavors also sound refreshing. However, in addition to them not appearing to be kosher, they contain more non-natural fruit sugary ingredients than I would like, especially given what is available from Outshine.

4. Drizzilicious Mini Rice Cake Bites 

I associate rice cakes with young kids and with diet food. I remember eating them as a kid but they were always so bland (even when “flavored” with things like cheddar cheese or apple cinnamon). I also knew that adults sometimes ate them when on diets because they were crunchy and one could eat a lot for few calories. I actually started eating them again several years ago as the base for hummus or peanut butter. I slathered on the spreads, so they were certainly not “diet food.” Instead, they were the “crunchy vehicle” on which to eat the toppings. I would not choose to eat them plain. 

As I perused the snack section at Costco, I saw an item called Drizzilicious and got a little excited. However, I then saw that they were rice cakes with flavoring. These 32-count boxes contain individual bags of three types of cakes, each containing 21 cakes 90 calories. The three flavors are S’mores Bites, Cinnamon Swirl Bites, and Birthday Cake Bites. Despite my dislike of rice cakes without topping, I have to admit the packaging is appealing as are the flavors. However, I have a feeling that these would be the same as my “seltzer and tea phenomenon” in which I *think* I will like them due to thinking they will be flavorful, only to be disappointed when they are not.

5. Lamontagne Milk Chocolate Pistachios

I am familiar with seeing chocolate-covered varieties of many nuts. However, whereas I see a lot of almonds and peanuts (and pecans as part of turtles) in chocolate, I rarely see cashews, and virtually never see walnuts or pistachios. I once ate some candies from Trader Joe’s that contained chocolate and pistachios and did not think it was a great combination. Therefore, I was surprised to see the chocolate-pistachio pairing at Costco. 

These nuts are kosher and gluten free and contain milk chocolate. I am not at all interested. Although I do like nuts (Product Review: Kirkland Signature Extra Fancy Unsalted Mixed Nuts); (Product Review: Kirkland Signature Super Extra-Large Peanuts)), I often get think they ruin what would otherwise be fantastic (e.g., Chunky Monkey and New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream). 

6. Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Multigrain Bread

Although I have had many gluten free items (e.g., cake; cookies; pasta; waffles), I don’t think I have ever had gluten free bread. Therefore, I don’t seek it out and may just not have noticed it at Costco before. However, the display made it look like a new item. I know that more and more people are following gluten free diets (whereas growing up, I only knew one person with Celiac Disease) so it would not surprise me if Costco increased its bread offerings. 

The bread is sold in a two-pack of 16-ounce loaves. In addition to being gluten free, the bread is kosher and contains no dairy, nuts, or soy. I don’t have a need to buy gluten free bread so I will stick to regular bread but it is good for people to know that this bread is an option.

7. Copper Kettle Pecan Clusters

I wrote above about my lack of interest in most foods in which nuts are mixed with other ingredients. However, on occasion I do like turtles. Therefore, when I saw these clusters, I was interested. I also noticed that at the same time, another member picked them up and  started reading the ingredients.

These candies come in a 21-ounce bag and consist of pecans, milk chocolate, caramel, and sea salt. I have several other treats I want to try first but perhaps down the line I will give these a try. I would prefer dark chocolate coating.

New Bakery Observations

In addition to new items, I noticed a few things in the bakery section.

1. I have written about the new Almond croissants (New Items for January 2025). I had not seen a picture and assumed that they would look like regular croissants with some sliced almonds on top. I was surprised to see that they looked more like little flaky cakes. If I did not know what they were called, I would not have suspected that they were croissants.

2. One bakery change mentioned in the Costco news is that muffins will be sold in packs of eight smaller muffins rather than in two packs of six larger muffins. I thought this change would already have occured and was therefore surprised to see the six packs. 

3. I don’t think I had ever seen the Blueberry Lemon Loaf before and was not expecting it to look so good. It had a lot of the streusel topping that I love so much on baked goods.

4. The Chocolate Chunk Cookies looked a lot bigger and softer than I remember them looking. They always look good but these looked exceptional. 

Have you tried any of these items? Any reviews for me?