I’m still not really sure what to make out of these things.  When we purchased them, we expected a bite of strawberry cheesecake rolled up in crushed graham cracker bits, which sounded delicious.  Instead, it’s a bite that almost resembles cheesecake, but at its peak another flavor interferes that tastes just like…butter.  Sure enough, “butter cheese” is second only to “cream cheese” on the ingredients list, which definitely makes some sense.

As I admit I’m not really into cheeses, a quick internet search has revealed that “butter cheese” is a slight variation of a cheese known as “butterkase” (which translates, literally, to “butter cheese“), a soft cheese generally made in Germany and Austria.  The American version is often made by the Amish, and is prevalent in the Midwest, namely Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana.  It gets its name because, even though it contains no butter, it tastes very similarly to the dairy product.  Hmm…fascinating.  Since Aldi is a German company, I’m assuming it probably uses the “butterkase” variety, though I guess it would also make sense if they used an American supplier for their U.S. stores.

Wherever the cheese comes from, it seems to be the overwhelming flavor in this dessert, to the point that it’s very hard to detect a taste of strawberry at all (though you can smell it somewhere in there).  While the inside is rich and creamy, the graham cracker pieces the “cheesecake” is rolled in have a similar consistency to Rice Krispies that have been left to sit out for a day…that is to say, they are very soggy.  The main problem with this is the graham cracker adds so little to the overall flavor that their off-putting texture becomes more of a hindrance than a help.

If you are a huge fan of cheeses, you may enjoy this product a lot more than me (although I will say that my wife is a pretty big fan, and hated these way more than I did).  Or you may appreciate them more if you understand what you’re getting–and as the problem for us was, what you‘re not–as we just picked these up spur-of-the-moment expecting a delectably-sweet cheesecake treat.  As the title suggests, the focal point is the cheese, rather than the “cake”, so while there’s definitely some sweetness in the bite, it probably won’t be enough to satisfy a full-on sweet tooth.

Overall: 5/10.  As the title suggests, this is cheese as a dessert, so don’t go in expecting something that‘s going to satisfy a craving for something really sweet.  You can pick out the taste of cheesecake, but there’s an even stronger taste of butter that ends up overpowering this small bite, while the strawberry is nowhere to be found.  Might be worth a shot if you are in the mood for something different, but not recommended if you’re in the mood for something that strongly resembles actual cheesecake.