9 Holiday Treats From Aldi, Ranked Worst To Best

There's so much to look forward to during the holiday season — big family dinners, the gift of giving, fantastic presents, and, of course, the mouthwatering food. Among the foods some people (like myself) look most forward to are the seasonal sweet treats. From peppermint-flavored delicacies to festive holiday cookies and beyond, I'm a sucker for holiday treats. 

I also happen to be a big fan of Aldi, where I can get pre-packaged goodies for a big bargain. And, in the past, I've eaten my way through much of what the store has to offer in this department. Previously, I've ranked Aldi bakery items and helped you discover which packaged bakery treats you should get. But I wanted to find out which were the best sweet seasonal offerings the private-label retailer had this year.

I was given a chance to explore a wide range of holiday snacks from Aldi and report my findings here. So, there's no need to grab that box of cute cookies while simply hoping for the best. Instead, you can add the best-ranked holiday treats to your grocery list, knowing they'll be amazing. My rankings are based primarily on taste, with texture and smell playing a small role. To make my judgments, I mostly relied on more than 15 years of experience in the food industry. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article. Ready to discover your new favorite Aldi holiday treats? Let's get into it.

I've had pretty good experience with Clancy's products in the past, and I'm a huge fan of kettle corn, as well as of dark chocolate. So, I was really excited to give this treat a taste test — and, since it's ranked last, you can make an educated guess that I was terribly disappointed.

My taste test started going sideways before I'd even popped a popcorn into my mouth. When I opened the bag of Clancy's Dark Drizzled Kettle Corn, I was met with a strange dusty smell that I can't quite describe. It was almost as though unsweetened cocoa powder had been lightly poured over a dusty shelf. This was terribly disappointing, as how my food smells means a lot to me, and I wouldn't have eaten it if it weren't for this taste test. But I persevered only to be met with a stale popcorn texture that's a far cry from what the term "kettle corn" brings to mind. The chocolate drizzle was more like unsweetened cocoa powder and left my mouth feeling dried out.

Needless to say, I won't be purchasing this again, nor would I eat it if served to me by someone else. Save your taste buds and skip this.

I'm generally a big fan of Bake Shop Bakery, which is Aldi's private label. In fact, it offers a few products that are absolute mainstays in my home. Unfortunately, these Bake Shop Bakery Sugar Cookies did not live up to the expectations I have for this brand.

I knew I wasn't going to enjoy these cookies from the moment I opened the package and brought one cookie up towards my face. The cookie emanated a thickly artificial smell that I find repulsive — and it's this smell that usually steers me away from a lot of packaged sugar cookies. Still, I remained neutral as I took my first bite. Unfortunately, it proved to be just as artificial-tasting as I thought it would be. Plus, the sugar felt gritty in my teeth. It just didn't melt away or break down very well, remaining whole while I struggled to swallow. As for the sugar cookie base, it was mediocre at best. It might have been at least palatable had it not been for the sugar, but as it was, one bite was quite enough for me.

I won't be buying these again and wouldn't eat them if they were offered to me by someone else. I strongly advise avoiding these and recommend baking homemade sugar cookies if you have a craving for them.

After my experience with the other kettle corn option from Clancy's, I was a little hesitant going into this taste test. Well, that and the fact that peppermint popcorn isn't something I would usually purchase or even think to give a try. But it's definitely a cute novelty idea, so I readied myself to give it a go.

We started out much better than the lowest-ranked options when a strong scent of minty, fresh peppermint wafted from the bag as I opened it. Seeing as that's one of my all-time favorite smells, I began to feel a little hopeful. The hope was quickly dashed when I popped some of this minty sweet treat into my mouth and immediately felt that stale texture again. Apparently, this textural issue is a Clancy's thing, or so it seems. While the taste wasn't anything mind-blowing, it was definitely better than the dark chocolate option, and I was incredibly surprised to find that peppermint and popcorn butter go really well together. Still, there's only so much that unique taste combination could do to mask the slightly stale flavor of the popcorn itself.

I won't be buying this again, and I probably wouldn't eat it if someone else offered it to me. Some people may be tempted to try this just for the novelty of it — and if that's you, go for it. Just be prepared for disappointment.

Although I've seen its products before, I hadn't tried anything from the Lofthouse brand before this taste test. One thing I liked from the beginning was that these cookies were made in a dedicated peanut and tree-nut-free facility. This is excellent for anyone with nut allergies or who needs to send allergy-safe treats to school. I also thought the red and green trees were very festive, and the garland-esque icing placement was a nice touch.

Opening the package, I noted there was definitely an artificial scent. However, it was much less than our lower-ranked option and allowed some of the vanilla tones and buttery notes to shine through. The texture as I bit into the first cookie was a bit crumbly but very soft, which is exactly how I like my sugar cookies. Although there was a faint artificial taste from the decorating sugar, it wasn't overpowering. Plus, these sugars melted easily in my mouth and, when paired with the nonpareils, created textural interest. The sugar cookie base is fairly plain, with very faint hints of vanilla, butter, and white sugar. While this wasn't terrible, it wasn't inspiring by any means.

I won't buy these again, but I might eat them if they were served to me by someone else. Although I don't really recommend them, it's worth noting that these are the highest-ranking sugar cookies on the list. So, if you're really set on store-bought sugar cookies, these are your best option.

I'm a big fan of your basic soft gingerbread cookies, although I'm not the biggest fan of the icing you'll find in many packaged goods. So, this option felt like a toss-up — it could have ended up being really great, or it could have ended up being really bad. As it was, it fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

These cookies featured a mild, warm, spicy scent paired with an equally mild sweetness. Although it wasn't a strong smell, I did find it enjoyable. I'll go ahead and say that I didn't end up being a huge fan of the filling, which tastes kind of fake and chalky. It's like the dipping icing from Dunkaroos, but without the nostalgia to trick us into thinking it's still delicious. That being said, I did absolutely love the gingerbread itself. It was soft, spicy, chewy, and everything a gingerbread cookie should be. Despite not being a big fan of the filling on its own, it's not terrible when paired with the gingerbread cookies.

Although I wouldn't purchase these again myself, I'd definitely eat them if someone else offered me some. If you like gingerbread and Dunkaroo icing, you'll probably like these just fine. But, if you're not a big packaged icing fan, you'd do best to skip these.

Here we have the best ranking Bake Shop option on our list of holiday treats from Aldi. It's also our only chocolate cookie option. Since I have a huge sweet tooth when it comes to all things chocolate, my excitement for these initially topped everything else. And, while they didn't turn out to be the top-ranked cookie I hoped they would, I wouldn't say I'm terribly let down, either.

There was no discernible smell from these cookies unless you really lean into them, and even then, it's just a faint chocolate. The base was a soft sugar cookie with a pleasant, sweet taste featuring hints of vanilla and butter, just as I would expect from this type of treat. The chocolate middle was a fudgy icing with a very slight fake taste. However, the artificialness was much better than other packaged baked goods I've had, so it didn't ruin the experience for me. Together, these two flavor profiles offered a nice balance of tastes and textures that was enjoyable. A word of warning — this cookie is a little crumbly and messy, so I highly suggest eating it over a napkin or plate instead of just grabbing one on the go.

I might buy these again before the holiday season ends, just to switch things up, and I'd definitely eat them if someone else offered them to me. You may like these just fine, although I think the top three choices are better options.

Like all other Lofthouse cookies, these are made in a dedicated peanut and tree-nut-free facility. These also ended up being the top Lofthouse brand option and the only shortbread in our ranking of Aldi holiday treats. I'm a big fan of shortbread cookies, so this was an exciting taste test — and this excitement didn't end up being shattered, either.

I knew this was going to be good when I opened the container and didn't immediately smell an artificial scent from the decorating sugar on top. Instead, there was a mild sweetness with buttery notes, and this turned out to be indicative of the taste. My first bite showed a somewhat crumbly cookie base that melted in my mouth as I began to chew. Amongst the sweet and buttery notes was an appealing richness that made these cookies feel decadent. The light sprinkling of decorating sugar and strips of white icing offered a nice textural interest with an even richer, sweeter contrast that mellowed the dominating buttery flavor profile just a bit.

I would definitely buy these again, and the only reason they ranked third place rather than higher is that I preferred the top two options more. If you enjoy shortbread cookies, you should definitely grab yourself a container of these during your next Aldi shopping trip.

I've tried a lot of gluten-free foods, and I had some experience with Aldi's liveGfree brand before this taste test. In fact, I previously ranked one of the liveGfree meals as one of the best pre-made meals at Aldi. However, even my excellent past encounters with this brand did not quite prepare me for what I experienced when tasting these gingerbread donuts.

The scent wasn't as thickly "gingerbread" as I imagined, but instead featured a very mild aroma of warming spices. But it was the texture that had my eyes opening wide in shock when I took my first bite. People who eat gluten-free (or have ever had to) can tell you that these specialty baked goods usually have a somewhat off, drier-than-normal texture that's likely due to the different flours used. But that isn't the case here. These donuts are super soft, with a light, airy body that I honestly enjoyed more than your standard donuts. This mind-blowing texture was paired with mild notes of warm ginger and spicy cinnamon that were more subtle than a full-on gingerbread flavor profile. I imagine this would be excellent with your morning cup of coffee.

I will definitely be purchasing these again and highly recommend you grab yourself a box. Even those who don't need to eat gluten-free will want to keep a few boxes on hand for as long as these liveGfree Gluten Free Gingerbread Donuts are seasonally available.

Here is another of the liveGfree gluten-free donuts, and truthfully, it was hard deciding between this and the gingerbread option that took second place. Ultimately, I decided I liked the taste of this one more, but it was a very hard call to make.

Opening the package, I noticed a surprisingly fresh, sweet, fruity scent. This took me by surprise because I'd expected a somewhat tangier smell. It was almost a little more like apples than cranberries, which I enjoyed. Taking my first bite, I was beyond excited to feel the amazing soft texture that practically melts in your mouth as you chew. Alongside this were small, chewy bites of cranberry and a crumbling, simple glaze that added textural interest. The taste proved to be sugary and starchy, with notes of sweet cranberry throughout that had the lightest bite of tang. Overall, I simply couldn't be more pleased with the liveGfree Gluten Free Cranberry Donuts.

I'll definitely be stocking up on these before they go out of season. Since they come frozen, they'll stay for quite some time in the freezer, so I can enjoy them for months to come. I strongly recommend you grab yourself a box (or two) to see what the hype is. Once you do, you'll have zero doubts as to why this turned out to be the top-ranked holiday treat from Aldi.

Aldi holiday treats were chosen for inclusion in this ranking based on their availability at my local store in Vineland, New Jersey. Of those options available to me, I aimed to choose a wide range of holiday treats to provide the most comprehensive possible ranking. Each item was eaten exactly as-is and was primarily ranked based on taste, although texture and smell did play small roles — especially when those aspects were particularly notable.

To make my determination, I mostly relied on more than 15 years of experience in the food industry, where I cross-trained in hot foods and bakeries. During my time spent in bakeries, I made countless holiday treats similar to those that make their way onto this list. My previous consumership of packaged and fresh bakery treats also played a role, as did my past experience creating Daily Meal rankings (including this similar ranking of six Hostess Donette flavors). Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.