6 Desserts From Dollar Tree That Are Surprisingly Good And 6 You Should Skip

Maybe I'm the only one who gets garage sale vibes when I go to Dollar Tree. That's not to insinuate that the discount store sells used things, but I'm a sucker for a bargain, and the chain always surprises me. Figuratively, Dollar Tree takes my insurance so I can do retail therapy every month.

Nothing increases my serotonin more than the snack aisle. And apparently it has the same effect on others, as my local store, located in Queen Creek, Arizona, is always packed with dessert hounds looking for inexpensive Dollar Tree dupes of their favorite name brands. The chain certainly rises to the challenge with many dessert offerings that will increase your blood sugar without bleeding your wallet. Let's take a look at some of Dollar Tree's treats you should try when your wallet is on a diet — but you're not — and those you should skip entirely. 

Coconut is one of my favorite flavorings in almost any form. It's just a refreshing, jovial experience that can liven up my mood on the worst of days. I love when the fruit is shredded and incorporated into a dessert; it gives it a chewy texture and an added layer of satisfaction.

Although the Lil' Dutch Maid Coconut Bar cookies don't contain raw coconut, these snappy treats excel in flavor and aroma. I loved their corrugated roof design: little repeated ridges that go down the length of the cookie. I immediately noticed the rich aroma that reminded me of coconut extract. It's as if I had just opened a bottle of old tanning oil. The flavor is rich and bold. These are pretty thick treats, so I felt like the $1.25 I paid for them was a bargain. You get around 24 in a package.

These might be great added to a recipe that calls for a cookie crust or dipped into coffee as a morning pick-me-up. Definitely try these if you're a fan of coconut. These are surprisingly good! 

One thing that concerned me before I even opened the package of the Colombina Strawberry Sugar Wafers was the words, "Now with Natural Colors." I wondered what color they were before. The ones I got for tasting are off-white. Aren't strawberries red, naturally?

No matter. These are just terrible; skip them at all costs. I usually like the wafer-thin cookies with the flavored filling, but eating these is like eating shingles off of a dollhouse, and even those might have more flavor. I took one out of its package and looked at it for a second to make sure I wasn't seeing things. The wafer is so thin I wondered if there was actually any filling in it. I took a bite; it didn't get better. The outer cookie was stale and seemed rancid. What's worse is that it turned into kind of a paste; something reminiscent of kindergarten glue.

As for strawberry flavor? Maybe there was a hint of something that resembled strawberries, but it was hard to discern through the slop that had formed in my mouth. There are many other things at Dollar Tree that probably taste much better; a dish sponge, for example. Avoid these rectangular wafers; they taste like regret.  

In Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," there's a line about how if roses went by any other name, they would smell as sweet. But can the same be said about shelf-stable Swiss rolls? Dollar Tree's Mrs. Freshley hopes so.

One popular example of on-the-go Swiss rolls was Hostess' Ho Hos. They did not, in my opinion, age well, and many customers claim they've been quietly discontinued. Nevertheless, with ongoing shrinkflation and Hostess' ownership changes, I think the company is struggling to win back snackers like me who pass the impulse rack. To be fair, I hadn't tasted Ho Hos since Hostess went bankrupt and made a comeback, but Hostess didn't invent the dessert, and Mrs. Freshley's Chocolate Flavored Swiss Rolls is just another rendition of the recipe. This is where the Bard reference comes in; can the budget-friendly brand taste just as good as the iconic one? The answer is, surprisingly, yes: They're good.

I just had to remember that this is a bargain brand and not to expect much. But, even at $1.25, these little rolls are a winner. They are soft, sweet, and satisfying. I did notice they have a bit of a greasy aftertaste, but it's not bad enough to stop you from keeping these on hand as an impromptu midnight snack.

I can't remember the last time I had an almond cookie. In fact, I haven't actively shopped for them in a long time. So I was excited to try the Lil' Dutch Maid Almond Windmill Cookies from Dollar Tree, and at the extremely affordable price of $1.25, what did I have to lose? These biscuit-style cookies come in a tray of two rows within a plastic sleeve. Be careful if you try these; the tray is flimsy and can't handle the weight of the cookies if it isn't opened on a flat surface.

My first impression was a good one. Each cookie is shaped like a cute windmill, much like the ones you would find in Holland. They are detailed and look good all stacked together in neat rows. However, that first impression is the only thing that I liked about these crispy treats. I bit into one expecting the nice, cozy taste of almond and butter. What I got was the zing of ginger and cinnamon. I questioned whether my taste buds had forgotten the taste of almonds.

I didn't enjoy these cookies. They might go well dipped in hot coffee or cocoa, but even then, if you're expecting an almond payoff, you're not going to get it, so I'd skip them.

I think fudge and graham crackers are one of those flavor combinations made in heaven. While technically Oven Baked Fudge Covered Graham Rounds aren't covered in fudge, they are drenched in a rich chocolate coating.

I was excited to get these in my mouth. My sweet tooth happened to be starving, and I hoped these cookies would calm it down. The aroma from the package was a good start; the smell of chocolate sweetened the air around me, intensifying my need to bite into one.

Boy, these are sweet, and that's not a bad thing. In fact, they are surprisingly good! They have a rich chocolate coating that coated my mouth like a fresh coat of paint. And then that graham cracker crunch comes in to round out the experience with textural satisfaction. The graham cracker flavor came through at the end just as I was reaching for a second helping. These are among the best cookies at Dollar Tree, and I will probably stock up on them upon my next visit.

I love cinnamon on desserts, but I might hold the unpopular opinion that Cinnabon cinnamon rolls are just too sweet. Mrs. Freshley's Pecan Twirls available at my local Dollar Tree probably won't have a kiosk at the local mall anytime soon, but they might make a nice addition to your pantry as a morning coffee duo or a lunch snack for your grade schooler.

When I opened the wrapper, I could smell the cinnamon, which was a good sign. Still, I was afraid they might be stale or dry. I bit into it and, to my delight, the roll was cotton-soft. It had a nice mouthfeel; its texture was satisfying.

I kept trying to taste the pecans, but alas, I didn't find any. These aren't too sweet, so if you're long in the sweet tooth, these might not appease your craving. They are also very small, although for $1.25 at my Dollar Tree location, they were a pleasant trigger for remembering autumn flavors. All things considered, these are just okay. I'd skip them next time.

I heard a viral rumor once that Dollar Tree's Oven Baked Fudge Mint Cookies are made in the same factory as the famous Girl Scout mint cookies. This theory suggested the two treats were basically the same, but one costs almost $5 less. The story is only partly true; only a portion of manufactured Girl Scout cookies are baked in the same location, and even then there are slight differences in the recipe.

And yet, I couldn't tell the difference. Dollar Tree's take is surprisingly great! These cookies have all the familiar flavors of the ones sold by young and future boss ladies outside your supermarket, and all for $1.25. I do recommend supporting your local Girl Scout chapter, but in the off-season, take a trip to Dollar Tree.

I love a great coconut treat. They remind me of summer, sunscreen, and the Caribbean. Tropical Fields Crispy Coconut Rolls didn't whisk me away to the islands, but they did leave me with a hint of paradise in my mouth.

I opened the foil pouch (not resealable, by the way) and got a whiff of that familiar aroma, that sweet personification of palm trees and warm sand. They are small hollow tubes about an inch long. I put one in my mouth and got only a hint of coconut taste despite the fragrance. The thin sugar wafer was crispy and flaky, but it almost dissolved too soon for me to enjoy it. Putting three in at once was a little better, but they didn't wow me. They are light and airy, but I cannot recommend them: Skip.  

Magic Keebler elves aren't the only ones who can make fudge striped cookies. I remember the animated commercials from the '80s in which the little green guys led us to believe they made cookies using magic in a tree trunk bakery. But there's another tree, the Dollar Tree, that has some magic of its own, mostly in its ability to not make your money disappear.

The Oven Baked Fudge Striped Cookie is Dollar Tree's dupe of the Keebler variety. I didn't have high hopes that it could go head to head with the famous bakery elves, but at $1.25 I was willing to take my chances. And what do you know, it is a delicious one.

I bit into this crispy treat drizzled in chocolate, expecting a stale biscuit. Surprise! They are good! The cookie is soft and slightly buttery with a pleasant chocolate finish. The crisp part melted nicely in my mouth, allowing the chocolate stripes to coat my tongue. And the mix of the two was a sweet surprise. It's not the best chocolate, but it's sweet, rich, and successfully gaslit my serotonin. I will admit, the elves still have a better baking facility, but Dollar Tree is giving them a run for their money without taking all of mine.

I haven't had a cream-filled sponge cake snack cake in years. They used to be a staple in my house when my kids were young. I was excited to revisit them for this review, although I was skeptical about how this Dollar Tree dupe would measure up against the name brand.

Turns out my concerns were valid, as I did not enjoy this version of the iconic snack at all. Cravingz Spongiez Cream Filled Sponge Cakes come in a familiar rectangular box containing five cakes. The one thing I did enjoy was the unboxing experience. These treats are packaged in beautiful blue and white wrappers that look kind of expensive.

However, judging a book by its cover, in this case, is an extreme letdown. These cakes are small, dry, and utterly unappetizing. I took my first bite and was immediately hit with a stale, dense cake that felt like it had been sitting on the shelves for years. It wasn't sweet enough to keep my taste buds interested in the vanilla filling to come, which, when it did, was so small and unnoteworthy that I could barely taste it. Skip.  

A brilliant old TV commercial from the '70s showed situational comedy bits where someone walking and holding a chocolate bar runs into someone else holding an entire jar of peanut butter. In the collision, the two products are accidentally mixed, the actors taste the results, and voila! The combo, and the false canon, were created. The real story behind Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is a bit more inspired.

Dollar Tree has its own combo cookie featuring the two confectionery superstars — Oven Baked Fudge Covered Cookies with Peanut Butter — and it just goes to prove that chocolate and peanut butter are delicious together no matter where you buy them. At $1.25, you're getting a tasty treat: They're soft, sweet, savory, and 15 cookies come in a package.

I will admit, the peanut butter isn't the highest quality and the chocolate could be a little better, but these little cookies act like reuptake inhibitors and had me in a great mood until I realized I'd eaten about four of them and that I should probably stop.

Remember conversation hearts, the little heart candies with words on them? Lil' Dutch Maid Butter Rings are kind of like that, but they answer questions like a Magic 8 Ball. Each cookie is embossed with the words "yes," "no," or "maybe." Despite that gimmick, which answer best describes how they taste? Sadly, it's the last.

You can't deny the fun factor of these treats, and maybe a creative person could figure out how to use them in a party game. However, they'd probably skip eating them because they taste awful.

I opened the noisy packaging, slipped a cookie out of the crinkly sleeve, and took a bite. Although the word butter is in its name, there isn't a single hint of it. These aren't even sweet — baby teething biscuits are sweeter. And then a curious thing happened: I began to taste fish. Yes fish! There's this aftertaste that reminded me of how Fisherman's Wharf smells. Skip these abominations, and if anyone ever offers you one, take a cue from the product itself: Say no.

This assignment was an exciting one, but I will admit it gave me pause just because I, like some others, think buying food from Dollar Tree might be like playing a game of gastronomic Russian roulette. But I was wrong. Yes, there are some drawbacks to buying budget food items. Sometimes brands use cheaper ingredients or the portion sizes are smaller, but despite the price tag, everything is safe to eat if you're not on a restrictive diet.

I judged these items on flavor, appearance, mouthfeel, and smell. I also allowed my personal preference to contribute a small amount of input in the rankings. I didn't include cost in my verdicts since everything I purchased was $1.25 at my local Dollar Tree in Queen Creek, Arizona (not everything is a dollar at the discount chain anymore). Hopefully these reviews will help you and your bank account decide what you should try or skip in the dessert aisle the next time you visit Dollar Tree.