2016 12 24 18.59.42

Trader Joe's Joe Joe's 'n Cream Ice Cream: Available year round, Trader Joe's version of cookies and cream tastes very much like any other cookies and cream ice cream you might buy, with a classic combination of vanilla ice cream and chocolate cookies. It likely uses full-fat milk (as the amount of saturated fat is high) and has generous chunks of softened chocolate crumbs throughout. I generally stay away from rich ice cream, especially quart-sized containers, unless it's to be shared among a group, which was the case in this inst... (read more) 3.0/5.0

icecream cookies traderjoes cream ice 3.0
2016 12 23 20.24.55

JJ Bakery Peanut Mochi: Generously sized chewy and sweet mochi coated with peanut powder and filled with a sweet, textured peanut paste. Mochi is glistening on the inside. Holds up well in the fridge (I had it a day after it was purchased, and it was still delicious). 4.0/5.0

recommended japanese jjbakery peanut mochi 4.0
2016 12 23 20.19.23

JJ Bakery Strawberry Shortcake Mochi: From the Taiwanese sweets shop JJ Bakery in LA, this plump ball of strawberry shortbread is about twice the size of a normal piece of mochi and contains a whole strawberry nested in rich cream and moist cake. The mochi skin is impressively thin and elastic, and as a result, plays a supporting role to the western cake on the inside. Ripe, deep red strawberry is sweet and fresh. Cream is not for the faint of heart (there's a lot of it), so this snack may be best shared among friends. (I at... (read more) 3.5/5.0

recommended losangeles cake jjbakery strawberry shortcake mochi 3.5
2016 12 17 21.11.30

Berkeley Bowl Pumpkin Ice Cream: Actually from Loard's Ice Cream, a chain based in Oakland, the Berkeley Bowl Pumpkin Ice Cream is sherbert orange with specks of brown throughout. If you let it sit out at room temperature, it takes on a whipped consistency almost like whipped cream cheese (I prefer this to the otherwise firmer, more dense texture). Sweet but endearingly so, like a dessert made with far too much cream but with a lot of love. 3.5/5.0

recommended berkeleybowl pumpkin cream 3.5 icecream
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C2O Coconut Water: Despite its clip-art labeling, this all-natural coconut water is as good as most, with a slightly sweet taste (there is no added sugar). Comes in a large 2-serving can. Refreshing. 3.0/5.0

drinks coconutwater c2o coconut water 3.0
2016 12 19 18.50.29

Mary's Gone Crackers Everything Pretzels: Each pretzel stick is shaped like a twig and sized like a skinny cinnamon stick, with a texture that did not match my expectation for a pretzel at all – it's crispier, as if fried. The sticks are covered with an array of seasonings like poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and caraway seeds, but the flavor combination overall tastes like burnt garlic. One of the more unpleasant snacks I've consumed in some time. 1.5/5.0

avoid organic vegan marysgonecrackers everything pretzels 1.5