Aldi's Soft Gingerbread Iced Cookies Are Being Compared To Germany's

A few grocery stores have gained a bit of a cult following, largely thanks to their prices and store-brand products. When you think about a grocer with a loyal following, you probably think of Trader Joe's or Wegmans. Trader Joe's is known for its in-house brand of goodies and snacks, while Wegmans shoppers love the experience. While both stores have very loyal followings, Aldi's popularity is nothing to sneeze at either. In recent years, Aldi has nurtured a large following with its discounted prices and seasonal products.

There are plenty of Aldi products with cult followings, and the store's line of products for the winter and holiday seasons are much beloved, too. Some, however, are more controversial than others. According to Brand Eating, Aldi began offering its seasonal cookies, Winternacht Gingerbread, during the first week of November.

Shoppers have been discussing these wintry treats ever since they debuted at the store, and reviews are extremely mixed. Some people on forums like Reddit are comparing them to the traditional German cookie they are based on and claim they are close to the original. Others insist they are absolutely inedible.

As a post on r/Aldi shows, Aldi's Winternacht cookies are soft gingerbread cookies covered in chocolate. The cookies claim to be made in Germany and appear to be the grocer's take on Lebkuchen.

Lebkuchen is a gingerbread-like baked treat commonly served in Germany during the winter holidays. According to Simply Prepped Meals, Lebkuchen isn't the most familiar gingerbread to Americans. The cookies are sweetened with honey instead of molasses and are baked to a soft, chewy consistency, not the dense, crunchy consistency of traditional American gingerbread.

This subtle difference seems to be a pretty big deal, at least online. Several Reddit users insist that they love the cookies. One Redditor claims they devoured a pack in under a day. Other users are comparing them to the Lebkuchen they've eaten in Germany.

While the cookie offering has fans, not everyone is convinced they are the real deal. One Redditor claimed that the cookies tasted like "packing peanuts." Another user called them "inedible." While Aldi's take on Lebkuchen seems to be hit or miss with shoppers this year, that isn't always the case. A Reddit user who claims to have grown up in Germany said they often drive hours to the closest Aldi when the winter weather sets in to pick up the grocer's Winternacht line. "They are the real deal from home," they say.