Claussen's Pickle Cupcakes Were Not Created For Pickle Lovers

Pickles are having a moment — or maybe it's longer than just a moment by now. Food manufacturers have been figuring out how to incorporate pickle flavor into breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and now dessert. The cupcake company Baked by Melissa has teamed up with Claussen, a pickle brand with a 150-year history, to release pickle cupcakes for a limited time.

The new bite-sized cupcakes, which were released on July 10, come in packs of six or 25 depending on where you purchase them. The six-pack is available exclusively at Baked by Melissa shops (it costs $10.25) and the 25-pack ($37) is available from the bakery's website to ship nationwide while supplies last.

Developing a pickle product with genuine pickle flavor can be a hit-or-miss proposition. I know from experience that some foods just shouldn't try to taste like pickles. But considering Claussen's long-standing reputation as a pickle producer and Baked by Melissa's stellar baking prowess, I have high hopes here.

Pickles have gained more mainstream popularity over the last few years, but incorporating their flavor into other food items is not so simple. As someone who's been eating pickles straight from the jar since childhood, there's a balance of dill and brine not easy to achieve.

As a self-proclaimed pickle professional, this collaboration unfortunately falls under the category of "not pickle-y enough" for me. I've seen it time and time again with other brands that have tried to make pickled-flavored snacks. These brands go heavy with the dill but fail to deliver on the briny side of what an actual pickle tastes like.

To the average consumer, this is probably a good thing. Not everyone is as in love with the brine, the salt, and the sour of pickles as this author is. But at the same time, when a pickle brand drops a collaboration, who is it speaking to if not the pickle-loving community?

Upon first bite (a small half of the little cupcake), the cupcake tastes sweet and smooth but barely has the essence of a kosher dill spear. The scent of a Claussen pickle is clear as I hold the cupcake to my lips, but another bite confirms this is mostly just a tasty green cupcake. In a blind taste test, I would likely think this was a vanilla cupcake with dill seasoning thrown in. There's not much brine to be found in this little treat, though I did end up eating three cupcakes just because they were yummy. 

A friend who's not as committed to the pickle lifestyle as I am also sampled the tiny green desserts. Their immediate reaction was that the pickle flavor was evident and strong enough to taste from the first bite. I would like to chalk this up to the heavy scent that comes from merely opening the packaging, but perhaps I've become so entrenched in pickle products that my palate can only detect the strongest flavors.

Despite the weak pickle flavor, these cupcakes are worth their itty bitty bite. Two or three of them at a time is just the right amount of pickle indulgence and dessert satisfaction for the average person. If you're like me and need a stronger hit of pickle flavor, I would suggest garnishing these little bites with chopped pickle pieces.