Costco’s Best-Selling Bakery Item Is Changing—and Fans Are Rioting

If there is one thing we Costco customers don't handle well, it’s change. Unless it’s an exciting new addition to the aisles, we’d prefer our warehouse shopping routines to stay the same... forever. From the $5 rotisserie chicken to the free samples and cheese pizza finale, these rituals are ingrained in our Costco experience. So, when things do change, sometimes we have a hard time keeping our cool. 

Well, brace yourselves—one of those big changes is coming. In fact, in some locations, it’s already rolled out. The beloved bakery muffins you’ve known and loved for years are getting a major overhaul. But, before you get your pitchforks out, this change might actually be for the better.

Costco Discontinues Its Signature Muffin Flavors

First, we must face a harsh truth: All of the original flavors of the Costco muffins are going away. It’s time to say a tearful goodbye to banana nut, apple crumb, vanilla chocolate chunk, and, yes, even poppyseed.

But, in their place, we get four fresh new flavors. First, there’s butter pecan, reminiscent of the decadent ice cream flavor, complete with a sweet cinnamon crumble on top. Then, there's lemon raspberry topped with streusel, which combines tangy citrus and sweet berry flavors.

The current double chocolate muffin is getting an extra dose of chocolate and will soon be reintroduced as the triple chocolate muffin. Finally, the classic blueberry muffin will be replaced with a blueberry cream flavor. If you were one of the lucky ones, you probably have already seen these flavors at your local Costco.

The old muffins used to be sold in six-packs, but with a catch: you had to buy two. To some, it was a bit excessive to bring home 12 jumbo muffins that you weren’t necessarily capable of eating before they went bad. Instead, the new muffins will be sold in eight-count packages. 

And speaking of size, the muffins themselves have gotten a slight trim. Instead of being big enough to more closely resemble small cakes than muffins, the new versions will be downsized to fit in their new packaging. That being said, they’re still much larger than your average grocery store muffin.

And, that leads us to the final change: the price tag. The old muffins were priced at $9.99 for a dozen, but the new eight-count package comes in at $6.99. We crunched the numbers, and pound for pound, the new muffins are about $1.34 more expensive.

We know, we know—it doesn't sound great. More money for smaller muffins? What’s the benefit? As expected, fans have taken to the internet to express their fury. “NOOOO KEEP THEM THE SAME,” one fan pleaded. ”YOU CAN'T TAKE THE CHURROS AND THE MUFFINS FROM ME.”

“Not gonna lie, this is rocking my world,” shared one fan. “I will personally start a revolt," threatened another.

But, some customers have been a little more sensible about the change, believing that with the price hike comes an upgrade in quality. Positive reviews are slowly trickling in, with some saying the new flavors are, gasp, even better than the originals.

“Tried the new muffins at the Austin Costco. The raspberry lemon are it!” said one shopper. 

Some fans are even seeing the bright side of the smaller packaging. “From my own perspective and what I’ve seen from others, a big problem was the muffins would go bad before people could finish them,” one customer argued. “I don't need 12 massive muffins and most of the time I only want one flavor anyway,” added another.

So, while we know change can be scary, it looks like Costco might be giving us an upgrade here. Let’s try our best to stay optimistic—and if all else fails, we can wait for the next seasonal bakery treat to distract us from our sorrows.