Costco Just Recalled This New Mini Beignet Flavor In These 22 States

The Takeout recently announced the fantastic news that Costco was debuting a brand-new treat for customers in the form of caramel-filled mini beignets. Unfortunately, Costco's latest pastry item went from a celebratory moment in the bakery department to a problem all too quickly. The discount retailer has now issued a voluntary recall on its caramel-filled mini beignets in 22 states, all due to a simple labeling snafu.

Folks who purchased Costco's newest bakery offering, thinking that they bought a mini beignet filled with rich, gooey caramel, may be shocked when they bite in and realize there's no caramel to be found. Instead, the tiny desserts are packed full of a chocolate-hazelnut concoction, which is the other flavor available for the beignets. The mislabeling blunder has resulted in Costco recalling the product in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.

The mislabeled desserts bear the item number 1181272 on the package, and customers in those states mentioned may have purchased them between January 16 and 30. Recalling a product over a simple flavor mix-up may seem like overkill, especially when compared to soup recalls that destroyed entire brands and Salmonella outbreaks that hospitalized over 100 people. But the truth is that unwittingly ingesting the chocolate hazelnut filling could be devastating — even deadly — for some.

There might be a few folks out there who would shrug off Costco's botched labeling and enjoy the chocolate hazelnut filling in the mini beignets regardless of how they were advertised. Yet, people with tree nut allergies don't have that luxury. With hazelnuts being an integral part of the dessert, those customers could experience uncomfortable symptoms like breaking out in hives or having unpleasant digestive issues, or worse. If they have a severe allergic reaction, it could result in anaphylaxis, putting their lives in danger.

Because the caramel-filled version of Costco's bakery item doesn't contain any tree nuts, the label contains no warning that folks with allergies should steer clear of the product. It is recommended that anyone with a tree nut allergy who ingested Costco's incorrectly labeled mini beignets be treated immediately. The big-box store is offering a full refund to anyone who purchased the now-recalled mini beignets, even if you were simply disappointed that the rich caramel filling you were expecting was absent in the dessert.