Trader Joe's Chocolate & Peanut Butter Joe Joe's Sandwich Cookies: I'm not sure if there's anything more American than these single-cookie serving size sandwich cookies from Trader Joe's, with alternating peanut butter and chocolate layers (essentially an Oreo with peanut butter filling, covered in a peanut butter frosting-like exterior drizzled with more chocolate). On a hot day, the waxy outer coating can melt quickly in your hand. It tastes a bit like a better quality Reese's cup, but with a cookie base (the quality of the chocolate, in particular, is ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
cookies tjs traderjoes chocolate peanut butter joe joe's sandwich 3.0
Trader Joe's Pumpkin Brioche Twist: This TJs brioche was in the same section as the pastries, so I was expecting it to taste more like a dessert. In reality, it's definitely more of a flavored bread than a cake, with the same buttery texture as regular TJs brioche but with a faint yet distinct spiced pumpkin flavor. Reading the label more carefully, I saw that they do accurately describe it as "slightly sweet" and "lightly spicy." Overall, I found it a bit too mild to be satisfyingly festive. 3.0/5.0
traderjoes bread pumpkin brioche twist 3.0
Trader Joe's Sparkling Cranberry Ginger Beverage: This holiday drink is definitely better suited for being a mixer than for consuming on its own because It's both quite sweet and has a sharp acidic cranberry flavor. I think if it were mixed with a little bit of ginger ale, or even diluted with some tonic water, the overall balance would improve. 3.0/5.0
drinks traderjoes sparkling cranberry ginger beverage 3.0
Trader Joe’s Bamba peanut snacks: Popular Israeli snack Bamba lands at Trader Joe’s. Mini corn-puffs coated with peanut flavoring, they have a fairly neutral nutty flavor (a little sweet and a little savory). Resembles plain peanut butter and similarly coats your mouth after a few handfuls. 3.0/5.0
cornpuffs peanutbutter traderjoes bamba peanut 3.0
Trader Joe’s Cornbread Crisps: I love cornbread, so I was especially excited to try this snack from Trader Joe’s. The chips are thickly cut and triangular, in a similar vein to Stacy’s pita chips. The flavor does bear a pretty strong resemblance to cornbread, but it leans more savory than sweet. I was missing the distinct gritty texture of cornmeal. I recommend Milton’s corn bread crackers if you want an altogether better cornbread snack. 3.0/5.0
traderjoes cornbread crisps 3.0
Trader Joe’s Sweet & Salty granola bars: Chewy and flavor-heavy snack option combining almond butter and yogurt, along with grains and nuts. Barely a granola bar; more likely candy. Overly sweet for my palate. Surprisingly not so filling. 3.0/5.0
almond yogurt traderjoes sweet salty granola bars 3.0