Is High Altitude Actually Wreaking Havoc On Costco's New Cookie?

While Costco only recently introduced its new double chocolate chunk cookie to select locations, the food court item appears to have been pulled from some stores. According to a recent post on Reddit, a Utah Costco sold the cookie for just one day before it disappeared from the menu. Upon inquiring what happened to the new cookie, a shopper was told that "it wasn't up to Costco standards." The store also claimed to be reworking the recipe, which led to much commenter speculation.

"I heard it's not baking correctly at altitude," one person stated, noting that the cookie was also absent from some Colorado Costco locations. Another commenter countered that the cookie was on sale in South Denver, but someone noted that this version appeared quite different than what's been advertised. "They were flatter than the pictures on this sub and almost the size of a paper plate when my friend tried it," the person stated, which may be attributed to the decreased air pressure that occurs in higher altitudes. It should be noted that Costco has not substantiated this claim in any official capacity. However, high-altitude baking is a problem for many people.

High-altitude baking causes many complications, and these issues can affect the outcome of baked goods. Wet ingredients are subject to a faster rate of evaporation, which can lead to unwanted texture variations. Additionally, the low air pressure in high-altitude locations can extend bake times beyond the expected. When adding baking soda or baking powder for leavening, bakers may also find that dough rises at a much faster pace than it would in other areas.

Based on these facts, the claims about Costco's high-altitude stores running into cookie problems make sense. And while there's no way to verify that this is the case, a Reddit commenter shared another bit of compelling evidence. According to the person, "My friend was at the Costco by me in WA and he said the cookies didn't look like they were all cooked the same. He said they all looked like they were cooked a different amount of time." Fortunately, the Redditor's friend relayed that the cookie was "tasty," despite any potential issues posed by high altitudes.