Why Some Costco Customers Are Calling This Expensive Bakery Item A Letdown

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One of the main benefits of shopping at Costco is the membership warehouse club's generally cheaper prices compared to most supermarkets. At the same time, it also carries more expensive foods people are willing to pay a premium for, like the prime tri-tip steak, a pricey meat its shoppers say is worth every penny. But if it's going to cost more, it's got to be good, and some members are saying that one expensive item, Ferrara's Bakery Cannolis, is disappointing.

The Costco online-only item is from New York City's Ferrara Bakery, which first opened in Manhattan's Little Italy in 1892. I costs $129.99 for 24 large cannoli, with 12 of the fried dough shells covered in Belgian chocolate. They come pre-filled with sweet ricotta cream that's flavored with vanilla extract and includes chocolate chips and candied papaya and/or pumpkin, similar to the candied citron, orange, lemon, or cherry often used in the original Sicilian dessert. The cannoli are shipped frozen with dry ice.

One unhappy customer wrote on the Costco webpage, "Not worth it [for] the money. They were soft and tasted stale when we thawed as instructed." Another member review stated, "At the cost ... I would expect the shells should be crispy for the very least but they are not ... The price for 24 Cannoli is way too expensive and the filling was not even that tasty." One person complained that the ice packs were "dead" and said, "They were soggy and not very tasty. Threw most of them out and at that price that was not an easy choice." Even someone who thought they were okay wasn't sure the cost was justified: "They were delivered and all was good, just expected more WOW! For the price."

Despite the negative reviews, there are also many Costco customers who really like the Ferrara's Bakery cannoli and think the cost is fine. One person wrote on the webpage, "Very nicely packaged, reasonably priced, shell was crisp and cannoli cream delicious," and another raved, "They're delicious! The shell is crisp and flavorful. The filling is delish! Sweet but not too sweet. Well worth it!"

Product quality is non-negotiable, but when it comes to the price, it's not as over-the-top as it might seem. The $129.999 cost amounts to $5.42 per cannoli. However, Ferrara's sells them at its shop for $6.25, or $6.95 for the chocolate-covered ones. They're $75.95 for a dozen on Goldbelly, which is $6.33 each, and $85.95 for 12 chocolate-covered ones, or $7.16 each. They're also available on the gourmet food marketplace as kits, with the cream packaged separately from the shells. But at $72.95 for a 12-pack kit, it's still more expensive, at $6.08 per cannoli.

Some other companies sell less expensive kits, but you may save the most money, and will have the freshest results, by making the treats yourself. All you need is an easy cannoli recipe that uses store-bought shells, available from retailers like Amazon and Walmart. This also gives you the freedom to experiment with the filling, like making a pumpkin version, mixing it with Nutella for a chocolate and hazelnut taste, or blending in mascarpone cheese, espresso, and cocoa powder to replicate the flavor of tiramisu.