Pannetone is a traditional Italian sweet bread usually enjoyed around Christmas! You don’t have to travel to Italy to get it because Costco carries the de Milan Pannetone with pistachio cream on the inside and dark chocolate on the outside. Is this panettone from Costco worth picking up for your holiday feast?
I was first introduced to panettone in 2018 when I visited Italy with my husband. The only dessert option at the restaurant we were at was panettone served with marmalade and we decided to order it. Costco carries panettone during the holiday season and I recently picked up this de Milan Panettone to try and review!
I have previously reviewed the Costco Chiostro di Saronno Panettone. If you’re not a fan of panettone but want something festive from Costco you might like the Kirkland Signature Christmas Fruit Cake, Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie or the Kirkland Signature Christmas Chocolate Yule Log Cake.
Location in Store
You can find the panettone in the seasonal Christmas aisle at Costco, the item number is 1347284.
Taste
The panettone has a very strong sweet and delightful smell. The cake itself is light but definitely on the dry side. It has a mildly sweet taste but in my opinion, is lacking in overall flavor.
The pistachio cream is very sweet and doesn’t really taste like pistachio to me. I notice more of an orange liquor flavor which is odd but I do get a strong alcohol taste from the pistachio cream.
One thing I’ll note is that the pistachio flavor in the panettone is fairly different from a lot of other posts desserts I’ve tried, such as macarons, cakes, etc. I’m thinking maybe this one is less artificial or more artificial than the pistachio desserts I’ve had before, but I’m not sure. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the pistachio flavor in the panettone. It’s just not that enjoyable to me.
The highlight for me is definitely the chocolate on top of the panettone. The chocolate and the cake pair well (though the chocolate flavor kind of dominates).
Cost
The 750-gram panettone costs $13.99 Canadian at Costco, which isn’t bad! If I liked the taste more I’d say the price is very reasonable.
Convenience
The panettone comes in cellophane wrap under the outside packaging. There’s a twist tie so you can rewrap it. As I mentioned I find it quite dry so I don’t really recommend keeping it for more than a day as it will only become drier.
The best-before date is seven months from the date I purchased it, which seems like a really long time! The panettone is made in Italy and has a recommendation on the package to store it in a cool, dry place. Personally, I see this as more of a breakfast or brunch item over a dessert but you could enjoy it for either!
Nutrition
Calories
1/9th or an 83-gram serving of the panettone is 320 calories, 15 grams of fat, 41 grams of carbohydrates, one gram of fibre, 20 grams of sugar, six grams of protein and 180 milligrams of sodium. 1/9th of the cake is actually a pretty decent-sized serving so I’m not at all surprised by the calories, fat, carbs or sugar.
Ingredients
The panettone contains wheat, eggs, milk, pistachios and alcohol! I knew I could taste the alcohol in the pistachio cream! It may contain hazelnuts, almonds, soy and mustard.
The ingredients list has ingredients I’d expect to see in a store-bought sweet bread like this, a lot of sugar with some oils I don’t love to see like palm oil.
Scoring
Taste: 5/10
Cost: 8/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 0/10
Overall
Walk on by!
I don’t love the flavor of this panettone and also find it very dry. I’d rather splurge and pick up panettone from a local bakery.
Have you tried panettone? What do you think of it?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
I was given one as a gift this year, opened on New Year’s Eve and enjoyed by everyone. Mine was not dry at all, in fact just had another slice this morning with coffee and it’s still moist and delicious. I don’t know if mine was the pistachio cream – mine has chocolate throughout the bread not on top. Not sure if that’s the difference but I am definitely not complaining.
Every panettone I have ever tried has been a big dissapointment so I stopped trying them. In fact I am fairly convinced Italian cooking is fantastic however dessert mostly not so much except tiramisù and gelato!