109 Best Trader Joe's Cookies and Other Holiday Treats
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If you haven't noticed, we're huge Trader Joe's fans. Every holiday, Big Joe surprises our taste buds with new cookies, treats and goodies that make the holiday gift-giving season that much easier.
This year, they have more holiday treats than ever before. We tried out as many as we could to help inspire some stocking-stuffer ideas or easy last-minute items to bring to Thanksgiving and Christmas parties. Out of all 109 items, which ones can you not live without?
Multi-Flavor Joe-Joe’s
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Our rating: 7 candy canes (out of 10)
Bottom line: For the true Oreo/Joe-Joe lovers out there, this assortment of chocolate-covered Joe-Joes is a winning stocking stuffer option.
Mini Gingerbread People
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Our rating: 10 candy canes
Bottom line: Gingerbread houses are usually made for the fun of decorating them, not to actually eat. For snacking purposes, these are way better. And the fudge icing? It's everything.
Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Cremes
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: On a plate with an assortment of cookies and other Trader Joe's treats, peppermint cremes look great and offer small mouthfuls of fresh, mint chocolate flavor.
Oatmeal Cranberry Dunkers
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Everyone hates on oatmeal raisin cookies, but we can't fathom why. Even if you're 100 percent on team chocolate chip, give these a try. They're super crunch and sweet, with a little tartness from the dried cranberries.
Sugar Glazed Lebkuchen Cookies
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: We love that Trader Joe's cookies aren't just inspired by American cuisine. Lebkuchen cookies hail from Germany, where these honey-sweetened, gingerbread-like treats have been a Christmas tradition for years.
Chocolate Covered Lebkuchen Cookies
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: We have mixed feelings about chocolate-covered Lebkuchens, though. The combination of gingerbread and chocolate is odd, and we plan on sticking with the sugar-glazed variety from now on.
Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's launches a ton of different ginger cookies around the holidays, and these are hands down their best creation. They're soft and chewy, almost like snickerdoodles, with an Oreo-like cream filling.
A Charcuterie Board Advent Calendar
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: It's not as fancy as a real charcuterie board, but it's inexpensive, tasty and an easy gift for someone you don't want to spend $50 on.
12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar
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Our rating: 10 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's treats aren't limited to food and beverages. Their 12 days of beauty advent calendar has some surprisingly nice goodies, giving Trader Joe's diehards a sampling of many of the company's skincare products.
Advent Calendar for Cats
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: If you're not above giving yourself an advent calendar, you're not above giving your cat one, either. This one is more amusing than it is useful, but the cat we tried it on approved. She's notorious for eating anything and everything, however, so results may vary by cat.
Pumpkin Overnight Face Mask
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Even when pumpkin spice season passes, the nutrients in pumpkins are great for your skin. Plus, this mask smells like pumpkin pie fresh out of the oven.
Holiday Crisp Protein Bars
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: While we don't consider this a treat, per se, a fitness junkie might. Get your protein on with a bar that supposedly tastes like the holidays. We tested it out, and it tasted more like an ordinary caramel flavored bar. Still good, though!
Hot Chocolate Sticks
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's hot chocolate sticks make rich, flavorful hot cocoa, but you may need to use two packets if you plan on making a sizeable cup of the holiday beverage.
Organic Hot Cocoa Mix
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: To make their cocoa even better, Trader Joe's made an organic version. The taste is almost the same, and it's probably slightly healthier for you.
Sparkling Cranberry Juice
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Remember being a kid and drinking sparkling cider out of a wine glass to feel extra fancy? This ruby-toned cranberry blend makes the experience even more authentic.
Sugar Plum Sparkling Beverage
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: What is a sugar plum, anyway? We're not sure, but this is more like sparkling grape juice with a holiday theme. Not bad, but not mind-blowing either.
Wintry Blend Coffee
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: We're not the biggest fans of Trader Joe's coffee, but we have to hand it to them: Wintry Blend coffee is every bit as smooth as they advertise, and the holiday spice blend mixed in is a nice touch.
Sparkling Cranberry Ginger Beverage
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Bringing a six pack of beer or a bottle of wine is customary when attending a party, but it's also nice to bring something for those avoiding alcohol. The cranberry ginger flavor is divine, but only when served chilled. It's even better over ice.
Sparkling Pomegranate Punch
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Very similar to the sparkling cranberry ginger variety, the sparkling pomegranate version is slightly more tart.
Winter Wassail Punch
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: We are huge fans of Trader Joe's ciders in general, and we were so excited to see that they branched out from apple. Winter Wassail Punch tastes like mulled red wine, minus the booze.
Honeycrisp Apple Cider
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: Don't get us wrong, here. Honeycrisp apple cider isn't bad. It's good, we just don't see why anyone would choose this over Trader Joe's spiced cider. Maybe it's preferable for those who detest cinnamon, but do cinnamon haters even exist?
Spiced Cider
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Our rating: 10 candy canes
Bottom line: Now we're talkin'. We have nothing bad to say about Trader Joe's Spiced Cider. It's heaven on Earth when served hot, especially topped with homemade whipped cream, caramel sauce and a cinnamon stick.
Egg Nog
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: This stuff is the real deal. Nothing low-fat or low-carb about it, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Sprinkle some ground nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice on top before serving.
O’Nog
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: It's not "real" eggnog, but the light sweetness of oat milk makes this version of "nog" a more palatable alternative than almond nog or soy nog.
Gingerbread Coffee
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: Gingerbread coffee is a bit like ginger or cinnamon tea. If you like that, you'll probably like this. If not, pass it up for one of their less spicy coffee blends.
Autumn Maple Coffee
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Autumn maple coffee is delicious as long as you love maple-flavored things. We prefer it with cream and sugar and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
Maple Espresso Black Tea Blend
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Is it tea? Is it coffee? Maple Espresso Black Tea falls somewhere in the middle. Our verdict is out, but it's worth taste testing for curiosity's sake, if nothing else.
Winter Wake Up Tea
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Our rating: 10 candy canes
Bottom line: We take issue with overly spicy teas, but this one passed our examination with flying colors. It's much better with steamed milk than black, especially if you sweeten it and sprinkle raw sugar on top. It's the perfect gift for those tea lovers in your life.
Candy Cane Green Tea
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's, we see what you're doing. This tea is fine. Good, even. But the name and cute packaging make it seem much more exciting than it really is. It's plain, old green tea with peppermint added in. Good, but nothing revolutionary.
Peppermint Cream Liqueur
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: Kids, get out of here. It's time for the grownups to party, and Trader Joe's peppermint cream liqueur will definitely help. It's essentially Bailey's, only peppermint flavored, and it's every bit as delicious as you'd imagine.
Eggnog Liqueur
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Our rating: 10 candy canes
Bottom line: Of all of Trader Joe's seasonal liqueur flavors, eggnog is our favorite. Just add it to a cup of coffee or a double shot of espresso, and you have a spiked eggnog latte your guests will lose their minds over.
Gingerbread Liqueur
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: While gingerbread liqueur ranks third out of the four Trader Joe's liqueur flavors, it's very much a matter of personal preference. It's just as creamy as the others, only with a distinctive, spicy ginger flavor.
Cocoa Cream Liqueur
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Cocoa cream liqueur is tasty, so take the six candy cane rating with a grain of salt. If you want to make a spiked mocha, this is exactly what you need. The other flavors are more festive, however, and make for tastier lattes than the cocoa cream flavor.
Almond Flavored Sparkling Wine
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Almond-flavored sparkling wine is weird but in a good way. This is one item that you really need to try for yourself to get. Fortunately, it's intriguing enough that your guests will clamor around to sample it even if it ends up not being your favorite.
Sparkling Rose
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: We couldn't leave out this particular Trader Joe's treat even though it's not particularly special. It's just a bottle of brut rose sparkling wine, but it's giant. The attractive ros-colored bottle doesn't hurt its appeal, either.
Pumpkin Ale
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Tired of bringing the same, boring pack of Corona to holiday parties? Bring Trader Joe's pumpkin ale instead. It's fairly strong for an ale, and the pumpkin flavor isn't too overpowering.
Pumpkin Ale Spiced Ginger Brew
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Anyone who went to Trader Joe's before Halloween knows how insane the store goes over pumpkin-flavored things. While they dialed it back when November rolled around, this unusual beverage stayed.
It's essentially pumpkin spice-flavored ginger ale, and we were thoroughly impressed by it. It has a strong ginger flavor and tastes like a real pumpkin pie without any artificial aftertaste.
Cranberry Orange Bars
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Our rating: 4 candy canes
Bottom line: While we gave Trader Joe's cranberry orange bars a mere four candy canes, they're a fun treat to add to the dessert table. If they had a layer of crumbly pie crust on the bottom and a crunchy layer of pecan pralines, they'd be a home run.
Chocolate Bundt Cake
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's does dessert well, but this chocolate bundt cake fell a little flat for us. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but we'd pick their sinfully scrumptious chocolate lava cake over this any day.
Milk & Honey Cookies
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: On those days when you're sugared out, but still feel like dunking something in your coffee, these Italian cookies are a dream come true.
Maple Leaf Cookies
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: These are one of our favorite Trader Joe's cookies in fall. They have a texture similar to a shortbread cookie, only with a creamy center.
Double Chocolate Almond Flour Cookies
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: We have to give Trader Joe's props for inclusivity. While cookies without gluten are rarely as tasty as the real deal, these surprised us. They're nice and crunchy, softening up nicely when dipped in tea or coffee.
Lacey’s Milk Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: If you don't like peanut brittle, you probably won't like these. If you do, however, Lacey's cookies are like peanut brittle on steroids. The milk chocolate macadamia flavor is our favorite, but Trader Joe's also has a dark chocolate version.
Triple Ginger Cookie Thins
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Any holiday tea party or get together needs a box of these. They're so light and crispy that you can eat several without feeling stuffed or sick.
Triple Ginger Snaps
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: A slightly chewier Trader Joe's ginger cookie, these ginger snaps are a classic, particularly when dipped in milk.
Butter Shortbread Cookies with Chocolatey Filling
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Our rating: 10 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's has a ton of shortbread cookies, but these are hands down the best. Just buy them. You won't regret it.
Almond Windmill Cookies
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: Windmill cookies are a tradition in Holland, and it's high time Americans catch on to the hype. These naturally flavored windmill cookies have a warm, nutty, buttery flavor that's way too addictive to be legal.
Dark Chocolate Stars
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Dark chocolate stars aren't our favorite Trader Joe's cookie, but they're tasty if you adore dark chocolate. Are we biased because we ate too many of these one year and can't stand them anymore? Maybe. But they do make a good winter treat to bring to a wide range of holiday parties.
Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: These cookies illustrate the other reason we wouldn't buy dark chocolate stars: Trader Joe's also makes a mini version that's minty, and they're better all around.
Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joe’s
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Joe-Joe's are Trader Joe's version of Oreo cookies. These, however, are like Oreo's dressed up for a party. Enrobed in velvety dark chocolate and sprinkled with peppermint candy pieces, they look and taste the part.
Candy Cane Joe Joe’s
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: If a full-on chocolate fest isn't your thing, don't sweat it. Candy cane Joe-Joe's have the same flavor as the chocolate-covered version, just with less chocolate.
Walker’s Shortbread Assortment
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's has so many of their own cookies, but we love that they sell traditional holiday brands, too. Walker's shortbread is a Christmas time staple, and their collection of butter cookies is as good as ever.
Stroopwafel Cookies
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Think you know how to eat cookies? Well, you thought wrong. We were enlightened by a friend from Holland who informed us that Stroopwafels should be placed on top of your tea or coffee mug to soften them and melt the caramel inside before you take a bite. Try it and let us know if it makes a difference.
Danish Butter Cookies
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: These are shortbread cookies. Nothing more, nothing less. They're perfect just as they are.
Mini Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: Mini cranberry pistachio biscotti is like biscotti for people who aren't sure they like biscotti. They're like biscotti cookies with the welcome addition of decadent pistachios.
Gingerbread House Kit
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: All in all, Trader Joe's gingerbread house kit is fantastic. The packaging is adorable, and the house is relatively easy to assemble — a perfect addition to those craftier holiday parties. We wish there was a bit more candy included, but it's a fun, inexpensive kit perfect for grade schoolers.
Holiday Ornaments Cookie Kit
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Between the gingerbread house kit and this one, this one wins. It's way easier to use and way less messy, and the cookies taste so much better.
Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's has made more than one tasty cookie mix, but this one simply shouldn't be passed up. They're just the right consistency and have the perfect amount of peppermint.
Gingerbread Cookie and Cake Mix
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: We'll let you make your own judgment on this one. The mix is easy to throw together, and the cookies it produces are packed with ginger flavor, but they're not that much better than the store-bought version.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Mix
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Anyone who has ever made frosting from scratch knows that it's a royal pain — so much powdered sugar! This is a bit easier and takes the guesswork out of frosting creation.
Trader Joe’s Spice Blend Set
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's spice blends are all delicious. Everything but the Bagel Seasoning goes on just about everything, and this set offers a nice sampling of their other tasty seasonings. We like how they're all boxed up together in this nice little gift for the cook in your life.
Panettone Fruit Cake
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: Generally speaking, fruit cake is weird. If you have to buy one, however, these petite panettone cakes are surprisingly inviting.
Marzipan Stollen
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Our rating: 4 candy canes
Bottom line: If you like marzipan, you'll probably love this. Unfortunately, we don't, so we can't offer much of an assessment. We didn't hate it, however, which is more than can be said for most marzipan.
Tiramisu Torte
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Now we're talkin'. Tiramisu, a classic Italian dessert, is tricky to get right when you make it from scratch. Trader Joe's, or Trader Giotto's as they say, put in the effort to make a delectable tiramisu torte that would make any Italian grandmother proud.
Nantucket Style Cranberry Pie
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Possibly the most festive dessert on this list, cranberry pie is a dessert no one expects. Apple and pumpkin, sure. But cranberry pie? Unlike many fruit pies, it's not painfully sweet, and everyone will want a taste of this unexpected delight.
A Dozen Sweet Bites
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: Entire cakes and pies are great, but small gatherings don't always require such a large dessert. These tiny bites are ah-maaazing, with three different varieties of cake cut into bite-sized pieces. Chocolate and coffee opera cake is our favorite, but the raspberry macaron cake is a close second.
New York Baked Cheesecake
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Cheesecake can take some time to make, but this one found in TJ's frozen foods aisle is as easy as opening up the box and grabbing a fork. Did we mention it's delicious?
Vegan Cookies & Creme Vanilla Bean Bon Bons
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: We're usually advocates for having the "real" version of desserts. If you're going to indulge, indulge! That doesn't apply to those with dietary restrictions, however, and they deserve delicious ice cream treats, too.
These are as good as a non-dairy frozen treat can get, with a crisp, chocolate shell that melts in your mouth.
Mini Peppermint Ice Cream Cones
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's ice cream treats are universally amazing, and these tiny ice cream cones are no exception. They come in several flavors, but try the seasonal peppermint flavor before it's gone. The bottom of the cone usually has a big chunk of extra chocolate, which is arguably the best part.
Cold Brew Coffee and Boba Dessert
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Coffee ice cream with boba? What will Trader Joe's think of next? We wondered if the boba would remain nice and chewy when frozen, and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the answer was yes.
Peanuts for Chocolate Ice Cream
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Yes. Absolutely yes. Do you need to buy this? Yes. Is it amazing? Yes. Would we scarf it down even if we were deathly allergic to peanuts? Honestly, probably yes. It's that good.
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: Our relatively low rating of five candy canes is based not on the fact that this product is vegan but on our mixed feelings toward gingerbread. Those who love it, however, will be major fans.
Bite-Sized Candy Coated Milk Chocolate
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: These are M&M's, just from Trader Joe's and in slightly more muted colors. Enough said. Santa will bring you four for the whole fam.
Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: The mix of dark chocolate and ginger is interesting in this one. We felt very whatever about it, but we know some ginger fans will make this their holiday go-to.
Ginger Chews
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Our rating: 4 candy canes
Bottom line: If you really, really love ginger, these might be for you. The ginger flavor is strong, however, so consider yourself warned.
Cocoa Truffles
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's cocoa truffles are for true chocolate lovers only. If you're not crazy about chocolate, just walk away because these are the chocolatiest chocolates we've ever tasted.
Dark Chocolate Truffles with Hazelnuts
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: Remember how we said Trader Joe's made their own M&M's? They basically stocked up on a Ferrero Rocher copycat. Are they just as good? Better, even? You tell us.
Chocolate Fig Bon Bons
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Chocolate fig bon bons are fun because they look, sound and taste fancy. If you're less familiar with the flavor of figs, just imagine a chocolate-covered fig newton. It's like that, just without the cereal bar part.
Peppermint Bark
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Peppermint bark is an oldie but goodie. Trader Joe's didn't mix it up, and that's how we like it. It tastes just like it did when your mom made it for Christmas.
Dark Chocolate Orange Sticks
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: These are kind of like orange-flavored Pocky. Our verdict remains out, but we aren't huge candy fans, either.
Dark Chocolate Mint Creams
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Dark chocolate mint creams are our favorite mint-flavored candy Trader Joe's makes, in part because it doesn't taste like candy. These are more like chocolate mint truffles.
Dark Chocolate Honey Mints
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: How can a chocolate have only three ingredients and still taste amazing? These are fabulous to set out in a bowl for guests, and we love that these candies don't have any artificial ingredients or fillers.
Dark Chocolate Covered Minty Mallows
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Minty mallows only have one downside: They're impossible to roast since they're already covered in chocolate. In hot cocoa, however, they're like light, chocolaty clouds of pure joy.
Hot Cocoa S’Mores Spoon
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: The idea of hot cocoa spoons is fantastic. The execution? It depends on your goals. If you're expecting to make a full cup of steaming cocoa with one of these babies, give up. If you just want to make your existing cup of cocoa even more delectable, this will do the trick.
Dark Chocolate Collection
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Remember that friend you keep promising to meet up with? Since you've canceled so many times, you should probably bring them a gift to smooth away the annoyance. While you're at it, grab a second box of these tasty dark chocolate truffles for yourself.
Dark Chocolate Orange
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Chocolate oranges have been a tradition as long as we can remember, and Trader Joe's version is just as good as the original, if not a little better.
Sea Salt Caramels
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's dark chocolate caramels aren't bad to begin with, but we like them even better with crunchy sea salt crystals on top.
Taste Test of Caramels
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: This is what we were craving when we said we wanted more interesting caramels from Trader Joe's. Instead of just one type, this box has six different kinds of caramel candy to test out.
Toffee Chips
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: We thought these were chocolate chips at first, but we were pleasantly surprised to realize they're tasty treats in their own right. The box comes with a mix of dark chocolate and milk chocolate toffee chips, and both are delicious.
Speaking of chocolate chips, these could easily be broken up and used to spice up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
Salty Honey Toffee Milk Chocolate Covered Crackers
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Our rating: 10 candy canes
Bottom line: Whoever the mastermind is behind these buttery, milk chocolate-covered toffee crackers has our eternal gratitude. Don't plan on buying any, though. We're going back tomorrow to buy every box.
English Toffee
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: If Trader Joe's consulted the British when they worked on their English toffee recipe, we wouldn't be surprised. It tastes exactly like it should.
English Toffee With Nuts
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: This English toffee variation is very similar to the previous option, only this one is covered in crunchy chopped nuts.
English Toffee Bites
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: Aaaand these are exactly the same as the previous item, only packaged to put in stockings or as a lunch time treat.
Dark Chocolate Roasted Pistachio Toffee
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Tired of old-fashioned English toffee? You've got options. Trader Joe's invented roasted pistachio toffee, and while we prefer their original recipe, these are fun to mix in to make a party platter more interesting.
Milk Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels
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Our rating: 9 candy canes
Bottom line: Trader Joe's sells peanut butter-filled pretzels all year round, and we hate them. That's only because we lack the self-control not to eat the entire bag in one sitting.
Milk Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: Ever been to an old-fashioned candy shop with rows and rows of candy bins to pick and choose from? These would sell out in one of those. If you're going to buy them, just give in now. You will eat the whole bag. Don't feel bad. We did, too.
Peppermint Pretzel Slims
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: These pretzel slims are not your healthier chip alternative. These are straight-up candy, but we're fine with that. They're a sweet and creamy cross between pretzels and peppermint bark.
Coffee Lover's Espresso Beans
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Our rating: 4 candy canes
Bottom line: Even coming from the perspective of an obsessive coffee lover, these just didn't do it for us. The texture of expresso beans is too gritty to make a good treat.
Caramel Coffee Almonds
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: If a coffee-flavored snack is what you're craving, try these almonds instead of the chocolate-covered espresso beans. They're filling and full of healthy fats, and the flavor is simply muah.
Chocolate Coconut Almonds
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Our rating: 8 candy canes
Bottom line: If you ever wanted a pile of tiny Almond Joy's in a box for ongoing snacking purposes, congratulations. Your dream has come true.
Pecan Pralines
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Our rating: 10 candy canes
Bottom line: Public safety announcement: We will officially be putting Trader Joe's pecan pralines on top of everything we eat from now until New Year's. They make everything better, from oatmeal to baked sweet potatoes. Anyone with nut allergies, stay far, far away.
Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: While dark chocolate almonds aren't low in calories, they do have a ton more health benefits than most Trader Joe's treats. They're made with 73 percent dark chocolate, so they have less sugar and more healthy antioxidants than milk chocolate almonds do. We were also impressed that the almonds are always crunchy and never stale in the slightest.
Sea Salt Butterscotch Caramels
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: All caramels are not created equal. These have a strong, butterscotch flavor that's emphasized by finely ground sea salt.
73% Belgian Dark Chocolate Non-Pareils
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: These look exactly like the candies everyone's grandma used to keep. We grabbed a couple of boxes just for nostalgia's sake, but the texture of the sprinkles was nicer than we anticipated.
Scandinavian Gummy Candy
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Our rating: 5 candy canes
Bottom line: One of our top picks for Trader Joe's stocking stuffers, these gummy candies are excellent. Not too stiff or sticky, they're nice and soft with fun shapes that kids and kids at heart will love.
Candy Canes
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Whether or not you like the flavor of candy canes, they're undeniably cute. Grab a handful to hang on the tree, if for nothing else.
Gummy Tummies
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: Gummy tummy penguins are cute, but that's about all we can give them. Trader Joe's other gummy candies are all tastier, but these are always a hit among kids.
Soft Black Licorice Twists
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Our rating: 6 candy canes
Bottom line: When Trader Joe's first opened, they clearly had a plan: To find the tastiest foods all over the world and put them all in one place. Even their licorice is amazing.
Sourced all the way from New Zealand, it's not tough and bitter in the slightest. It was the smoothest, most flavorful and softest licorice we've ever tasted.
Soft Strawberry Licorice Twists
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Our rating: 7 candy canes
Bottom line: Even if you don't like licorice, this strawberry version might change your mind. It's roughly the texture of gummy candy, only smoother and with a delightful twisted shape.