Costco's Latest Bakery Addition Takes Decadence to a New Level

One of the neat things about visiting Costco is that you never really know what grocery items you'll see when you walk into the store. You may find a new salad blend or a new selection of affordably priced cheese. You might also find fun new snacks that keep you energized during your workday.

If you walk into Costco in the coming weeks, you may come across a nice surprise waiting in the bakery section -- a new chocolate cream pie of epic proportions. But whether buying it makes sense will depend on your situation.

A truly massive creation from Costco

Costco's Triple Chocolate Cream Pie is a concoction any self-proclaimed chocolate lover is apt to drool over. The pie features a graham cracker crust topped with layers of fudge brownie, chocolate custard, and whipped cream.

Yahoo! reports that the cost of the four-pound Triple Chocolate Cream Pie from Costco is $19.99, or about $5 per pound. At a local supermarket, you might pay a higher price per pound for a frozen pie. And for a fresh pie, you might easily pay upward of $6 per pound.

What Costco is offering up here is a fresh creation that could make you a hero at your next party or group gathering. And you won't be looking at a particularly painful credit card tab to boot.

Should you bring home Costco's latest bakery offering?

Many people have resolved to kick off the new year by spending less and saving more. So splurging at Costco may not be the best move as far as your financial goals are concerned.

However, there's a difference between buying a massive cream pie on a whim and bringing it home to eat on your own versus strategically seeking out this pie when you're on the hook for contributing to a party or hosting one. In the latter scenario, you're looking at spending money no matter what. If you buy a Triple Chocolate Cream Pie at Costco, you might end up spending less.

That said, you'll need to be especially careful with cream pies, as they may have a shorter shelf life than your typical pie. And they may not freeze as well as, say, an apple pie.

What tends to give cream pies their smooth consistency is, well, the cream layer in the middle. That may not hold up so well after being defrosted. As such, this is one Costco dessert you may only want to buy if you're convinced it'll be consumed in full within a day or two of your purchase.

A DIY alternative

If you love the idea of Costco's Triple Chocolate Cream Pie but don't necessarily want to shell out $19.99 and don't want to be tempted by such a large dessert, here's a way to make your own version:

• Buy a box of graham crackers, crush them down, and combine them with a stick of melted butter for a base layer.
• Buy a boxed brownie mix, follow the directions to make the batter, and add that on top of your graham cracker crust once it's set. Bake according to the boxed brownie directions.
• From there, make a package of instant chocolate pudding to layer on after your crust and brownie have cooled, and once it sets, top it with store-bought whipped cream.

All told, you might spend about $3 on graham crackers, around $1 and change on a stick of butter, about $3 on a brownie mix, about $1 on chocolate pudding, and about $2 on whipped cream for a total of around $10.

Granted, you may need an egg or two for the brownie mix and a little milk for the chocolate pudding, but these are staple items many people tend to have at home. So it's definitely possible to pull off your own version of Costco's new pie at a lower price point.

However, you're not going to be looking at a four-pound creation. And while none of the above steps are particularly difficult, they will take up some of your time.

If money is really tight, it could pay to go the DIY route, especially if a smaller dessert suffices for your needs. Otherwise, you may want to decide to give Costco's Triple Chocolate Cream Pie a try -- especially if you don't mind the idea of having leftovers.