Junior's Iconic Christmas Tree Cheesecake Is Back At Costco

We're less than two weeks away from Christmas, and Costco is still releasing popular seasonal goodies for shoppers to enjoy. Spotted by Instagram creator @thecostcochick on December 13, Junior's Christmas Tree Cheesecake is back on Costco shelves. This 3-pound dessert costs $27 and comes covered in a chocolate ganache. It's also decorated with red and green sprinkles around the sides. The Christmas tree effect is completed with red and green chocolate stripes simulating festive garlands.

Junior's is the famed cheesecake restaurant that opened in Brooklyn, New York in 1950. Its signature desserts have a distinctive twist: Instead of a graham cracker crust, they have a thin layer of moist sponge cake at the bottom. The cheesecake itself is rich, smooth, and dense, a classic example of the New York style. Junior's strawberry swirl take on the classic dessert even came first in our ultimate ranking of store-bought cheesecakes. If 3 pounds is a bit too much for you this year, don't worry — you have options. Also spotted in Costco were Junior's Little Fellas, individually sized cheesecakes that are available in a holiday edition for $12.

Online reception for Junior's Christmas Tree Cheesecake has been mixed. On @thecostcochick's Instagram post, one user commented, "Bought that last year. Won't be buying this year." When asked to elaborate, they wrote, "It looked great, but the cheesecake itself was subpar." A few people lamented the lack of the classic cheesecake crust. Plenty of people were excited for its return, however, with one commenting the classic, "Omg I need these" — a sentiment that appears on many Costco food posts. Previous Junior's cheesecakes sold at Costco also garnered mixed reactions.

During last year's release, people on Reddit questioned the shape of the cheesecake. The consensus seemed to lean away from it looking like a tree, with some suggesting it instead looked more like a bike seat, Africa, a nose, an elephant's ear, and even South Carolina. One commenter summed it up well with, "I thought a kid made a sad cake." Another wasn't a fan of the cheesecake itself, writing, "Just buy a Kirkland one that's cheaper and worlds better." If you're not into the Christmas tree cake for whatever reason, we think this sounds like a good alternative, as Kirkland's cheesecake fared well in our ultimate ranking of Costco bakery items.