Why Some Costco Customers Are Calling Out Kirkland Signature's Chocolate Chip Mini Muffin Bites

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When you open up a customer review page for a food product you're interested in, you're probably hoping to read comments about how good it is — that it's tasty and worth buying again and again. One of the last things you might expect to see is a bunch of reports of mold, but that's exactly what Costco shoppers have said they've found inside packages of Kirkland Signature chocolate chip mini muffin bites.

As a review about the muffins on the Costco website explained, "Bought these a month before their expiration date, only to open the very first pack and find a ton of mold!" This is far from an isolated incident, with mold reports going back months. Another reviewer said they "tasted terrible, then I noticed the rest of the ones in the pack had fuzzy white mold on them." One Costco member who also discovered mold declared, "These should be recalled."

Mold isn't the only issue plaguing these muffins. A significant number of reviewers described them as tasting and reeking of chemicals. One customer review noted, "They tasted like eating household cleaning chemicals. We tried multiple bags ... The whole box tasted like that." Another shopper added, "The smell is so strong, both from the interior of the package and the muffins themselves, that they were inedible."

Some Costco customers who've reviewed the Kirkland Signature chocolate chip mini muffin bites didn't leave negative comments. "These are so good! I think they are better than Little Bites!!" was one reviewer's take. One parent noted that they are great for their son who has a nut allergy. "The fact that these are made in a peanut-free facility means that he's been able to try mini muffins like the ones that he's seen so many other kids eating," they shared. A Costco member who found mold mentioned that they had previously enjoyed the muffins too, writing, "The first couple boxes we got were nearly identical to the brand name version, but these are something entirely bad."

There are enough reports of mold to warrant looking for mini muffins elsewhere. Of course, there is the well-known Little Bites brand, which offers a variety of flavor options, from chocolate chip and classic blueberry to party cake and banana. Companies such as GoNanas and Bakeful sell mini muffin packs in similar flavors, too.

If you have the time, it could also be fun to make your own. You can portion the batter from your go-to muffin recipe into mini muffin tins, or try out these recipes for mini chocolate chip muffins and apple cinnamon muffins. However, if the whole point of buying them is that you'd rather not bake your own, maybe just add Costco's chocolate chip mini muffin bites to the list of grocery store muffins you shouldn't buy.