Mar 8, 2023 - Food and Drink

Taste Test: Aldi's St. Patrick's Day specials

Photo of two boxes of cakes and cones.
Two St. Patrick's season specials from Aldi. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

Every year around this time, I report on another kind of March madness—the explosion of green foods that appear on grocery shelves to, ostensibly, honor Irish culture.

Flashback: Last year I tackled "Luck O' the Cookie Dough" ice cream, as well as special, milk-dying Lucky Charms and Reuben bites from Aldi, Chicago's most ubiquitous grocery store.

What's happening: I tried two eye-catching specials from the Batavia-based chain.

Photo of ice cream treats on a plate
Grogu Cakebites and a Lepre-Cone from Aldi in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Monica had luck with only one. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

The food: Star Wars "The Mandalorian" Grogu Cakebites ($3.99), described as "colorful vanilla cakes, green frosting, apple jelly and galactic sprinkles."

The verdict: I still don't know what makes these sprinkles "galactic" but I know I don't like them on this dry, way-too-sweet petit four.

  • Even the Mandalorian-crazy teen in our house rejected these after one bite, and I'm guessing Grogu (Baby Yoda to me) would spit them out, too.

Rating: ☘️

The food: Lepre-Cones ($3.99), described as "mint and cocoa flavored frozen desserts in a wafer cone with a cocoa flavored coating and topped with cookie crumbles."

The verdict: I continue to wonder why the words "ice cream" and "chocolate" appear nowhere in this super-processed "frozen dessert."

  • That said, I found the soft stuff at the top creamy, nicely minty and pleasantly low-sugar, with only 15 grams in the whole cone.
  • Plus, it comes with a little helmet to cap the cone if you want to save some for later — like when you finish writing your newsletter.

Rating: ☘️ ☘️ ☘️

The bottom line: My stomach hurts.

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