Specially Selected Tiramisu + Specially Selected Profiteroles

Last Updated on October 6, 2021

A couple of times a year, Aldi pulls out all the stops and sells a wide array of Italian food. From specialty pastas to sauces to desserts, there are treats to tempt every palate. On a recent shopping trip, I picked up a few Italian desserts from the freezer case.

Specially Selected Tiramisu and Specially Selected Profiteroles cost $5.99 each at the time of publication. Both desserts are imported from Italy.

They are Aldi Finds (Special Buys), which means they’re only in stores for a short time. You can’t order Aldi Finds online, so once your local store sells out, they’re gone until next time, which might be for a few months or up to a year.

Both of these desserts are sold frozen, the the only preparation instructions are to remove them from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for approximately six hours to thaw. Keep the desserts in the fridge and eat them within three days of defrosting.

Read on for a closer look at each of these Italian desserts.

Specially Selected Tiramisu

This is sold in a 17.6-oz. box. The package describes it as a “classic Italian dessert with instant coffee-soaked ladyfingers and layers of mascarpone cream topped with cocoa powder.”

One package has six servings, with one serving netting you 200 calories, 7 grams of total fat (12% DV), 5 grams of saturated fat (25% DV), 42 mg of sodium (25 DV), 29 grams of total carbohydrates (10% DV), 21 grams of total sugars, 16 grams of added sugars (32% DV), and 3 grams of protein.

The first few ingredients are non fat milk, mascarpone soft cheese, sugar, and savoiardo biscuit. (I think it’s actually supposed to be savoiardi biscuit, but I’m not an expert on ladyfingers.)

A little farther down the ingredients list is Marsala wine, which is not a surprise because Marsala wine and coffee are key components of traditional tiramisu. Because the ladyfingers are soaked in the coffee and wine mixture and the dessert is not baked, that means the alcohol does not bake off, so you’re getting its full effect.

However, it’s a small amount of alcohol — so small that the packaging does not feature any alcohol warnings, and no one is going to card you when you buy this at Aldi. It’s one thing if you’re pairing an alcoholic drink with a dessert containing alcohol, but if you’re only eating dessert and not drinking, you’d have to eat a ridiculous amount to get intoxicated just from boozy desserts, and you can read about one reporter’s humorous efforts to do so here. (By the way, his story involves several alcohol-laden desserts purchased from Aldi in Ireland.)

Tiramisu nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Because this isn’t homemade, it’s also got a few processed ingredients such as carrageenan, maltodextrins, and natural flavor.

If you’re avoiding allergens, this contains milk, eggs, and wheat. It may also contain tree nuts (hazelnut, almond, and pistachio) and soy.

This tastes how I expected it to: coffee-soaked sponge cake with a whipped cream-like topping dusted with cocoa. My husband and I are not coffee drinkers, but the coffee flavor nicely complements the mascarpone cream and cocoa powder, so the coffee flavor is more mellow and not like drinking straight-up black coffee.

The ladyfingers have a soggier texture because they’re soaked in coffee, though, so the texture may take some getting used to.

Overall, this is a very rich dessert, and a small portion goes a long way.

Specially Selected Profiteroles

These are sold in a 15.9-oz. box. The package describes these as “delicate Italian cream puffs filled with vanilla flavored cream topped with a rich chocolate sauce.”

One package has eight servings, with one serving (or one piece) netting you 150 calories, 7 grams of total fat (9% DV), 5 grams of saturated fat (25% DV), 45 mg of sodium (2% DV), 21 grams of total carbohydrates (8% DV), 10 grams of total sugars, 5 grams of added sugars (12% DV), and 2 grams of protein.

If you’re looking for a lower-sugar dessert, this certainly looks appealing, at just 5 grams of added sugars.

The first several ingredients are non fat milk, maltodextrins, sugar, coconut oil, puff pastry, and dark chocolate. There is no alcohol listed in this dessert, unlike its tiramisu cousin described above.

Profiteroles nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Again, this isn’t a homemade dessert, so it’s got a few processed ingredients such as maltodextrins, carrageenan, xanthan gum, and natural flavor.

If you’re avoiding allergens, this dessert contains milk, eggs, and wheat. It may also contain tree nuts (hazelnut, almond, and pistachio) and soy.

Like its tiramisu cousin above, these profiteroles are very rich. These consist of pastry puffs filled with cream and covered in a thick, almost pudding-like chocolate sauce.

In theory, they’re similar to a large plastic box of frozen cream puffs (minus chocolate sauce) that Aldi often sells out of its Regular Buy freezer section. The profiteroles are good, but I actually prefer the non-chocolate cream puffs over these profiteroles. That may be simply a matter of personal taste. Still, if you’re craving a fancy dessert, you won’t go wrong in choosing these profiteroles.

The Verdict:

Specially Selected Tiramisu and Specially Selected Profiteroles are imported from Italy. The tiramisu features ladyfingers soaked in coffee and a trivial amount of Marsala wine, along with layers of mascarpone cream and cocoa powder. If you like coffee, you’ll probably like the tiramisu. The profiteroles are pastry puffs filled with vanilla cream and covered with a rich chocolate sauce, and they’re definitely an indulgent dessert. While they aren’t my personal favorite desserts, they are worth trying if you enjoy internationally inspired food.