Costco's Strawberry-Filled Brioche Is Turning Heads

Just in time for the rose-colored holiday that everyone loves to hate on, Costco is dropping a load of Valentines-y French pastries on us, and people have a lot to say about it. According to the Instagram account costco_doesitagain, you can buy 16 sweet strawberry-filled brioche buns for $7.64, and — get this — they're actually made in France. Now, of course, this doesn't guarantee that legendary French pastry quality, but fans are excited anyway. 

So what is brioche, exactly? According to Food52, it's usually a sweeter bread that's made of enriched dough — which means dough made with not only water, flour, and yeast but also fatty ingredients like egg, butter, or sugar. Brioche is similar to Jewish challah bread: the bakes are soft, sweet and pliable. It can be used in everything from cinnamon rolls to donuts to babka (yum) and yes — it can be filled with fruity and chocolatey spreads.

One fan of the fruity treats said in an Instagram comment, "Just tried them today, they are VERY good and you can't just eat one!!" Another Costco shopper said, "Yum! Same brand as the chocolate croissants those were really good!" Two commenters suggested using these for French toast, which sounds like a perfect V-day treat. Whipped cream, anyone? Others likened them to hot-dog buns, which we're ... not sure what to make of.

As usual, there were some more negative opinions in the mix. One commenter cited health concerns, writing, "Why would you spend $8 of your hard earned money for strategically destroying your health?! Buy strawberries and make the brioche yourself without all these chemicals in the dough." Another noted that the chocolate version of the same brioche was just "meh." One person wrote, "This one is really sweet, kinda too much for me." You can't win 'em all, Costco.