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Trader Joe's Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade

A little while back I reviewed a fun item that wasn't too dissimilar to this Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade. It was Trader Joe's Organic Tea and Lemonade. Essentially, what that drink was is more commonly known as an "Arnold Palmer." Trader Joe's Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade is a playful spin in a substantially smaller bottle.

Taste and review

First off, this 16-ounce bottle is $1.99. It's refrigerated, therefore prices seem a bit higher here than they do for ones sitting in the bottled drink aisle.

And yes, that Organic Tea and Lemonade is priced at $2.99 for a 64-ounce bottle. Both are organic.

The Organic Tea and Lemonade is also 100 calories per serving, while this is a mere 40.

But this is going to come down to preference. Hibiscus tea is a bit more fruity that regular tea and tastes a bit like cranberries. But for the most part, this flavor pairing didn't wow me.

I've had bottles this small where I couldn't wait to get into another one. But this I was satisfied after a couple of sips and put it down. It's not undrinkable. But it doesn't wow either.

It's pleasant, interesting. But interesting not so much in the way that it tastes, but in a way of describing food and beverages that you are neutral about. You don't love it and you don't hate it either.

Overall

It took me 3 days to polish off this little bottle. So I guess I didn't love it. And honestly, it wasn't worth purchasing again.

Would I buy this again? Trader Joe's Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade is nothing you need to run out and buy any time soon. In fact, unless you adore hibiscus tea, then this one is perfectly fine to skip over.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The bottle of Trader Joe's Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade:

An unopened container of Trader Joe's Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade

The nutritional information and the ingredients:

Nutritional information, calories, and ingredients in Trader Joe's Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

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Trader Joe's Gochujang Chop Salad Kit

Well, if the Soba Noodles knocked it out of the park, then I will be giving these the bench. Now, in previous reviews I've liked Gochujang flavors when they have tried to incorporated them. But here in Trader Joe's Gochujang Chop Salad Kit, they just didn't work for me. Not. One. Bit.

Taste and review

So here is pretty much a lackluster salad kit. I'd rather stick to my bag of Butter Lettuce, to be honest. Or some other salad mix. Or better yet, I'd rather experiment with my own.

Now, within this plastic bag are even more little plastic bags. One has puffed brown rice that pretty much tastes like tinier Rice Krispies. The other bag has a lot of sesame seeds. And the final pouch contains the dressing.

If they tasted great, I wouldn't complain about the plastics, but here they just didn't work very well.

The dressing is a sesame soy sauce with a subtle funky heat that is gochujang. For me, that just wasn't a great pairing with the crisped brown rice. It just made the salad kinda weird.

Now, there are a LOT of sesame seeds in that bag, so you might be better off pouring individual portions rather than dumping the whole thing on this entire salad.

Some sesame tastes good. A tongue full of sesame isn't necessarily delicious.

Overall

For $3.99, it's new, but it won't be a repeat buy for me. I really didn't enjoy eating this one.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The bag of Trader Joe's Gochujang Chop Salad Kit:

An unopen bag of Trader Joe's Gochujang Chop Salad Kit

The nutritional information:

Calories and nutritional information in Trader Joe's Gochujang Chop Salad Kit

The ingredients:

Ingredient list in Trader Joe's Gochujang Chop Salad Kit

Out of the package you get:

What comes in a bag of Trader Joe's Gochujang Chop Salad Kit

Mixed together:

A fully mixed Trader Joe's Gochujang Chop Salad Kit

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit

Taco night and pizza night. They are things that happen in my household with some measure of frequency. Mostly because of the wide appeal of those items. I mean who doesn't love pizza or tacos? Tacos are made to taste too. You put as much or as little as the ingredients as you like on them.

Taste and review

Both make for quick meals to get dinner on the table. Low-effort meals that everyone likes. Meals that allow you to get back to other things you want to do.

When this hit shelves, it went into my cart.

Now, to be fair, taco night is super easy to do at Trader Joe's. There is no shortage of tortilla types, meat and meatless options, guac, salsa, and cheese options.

I figured since the individual options are so good, then this set should be fine.

Well, I made these and my reaction was womp womp.

So let me start with the good. The meat in this is good as long as you can get a quick sear on this. So make sure you don't crowd the pan. A good amount of liquid still came out of mine regardless.

Now, let's go over the not-so-good. The flour tortillas have no problem holding up the contents of a taco. There really is no need to double up. If they were corn tortillas ok, maybe.

But the ingredient that added the most water was the salsa. Which of all the things they could have put into this, was not my favorite.

This would have been way better off with some pico de gallo. The cheese in this was Monterey Jack cheese. This would have been better with some of Trader Joe's 3 Cheese blend or some Cotija cheese.

And the guac, that was just some packaged guac that is basically identical to other plastic-wrapped guacamole options that are readily available.

Overall

Would I buy this again? Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit is a solid no from me. It was easy to have everything in one package, but they didn't improve upon what is already available for taco night on the shelves currently. And for the nearly $10 price tag, the bar was much higher. For just a bit more, you can grab a package of pre-marinated meat (or some soy chorizo) and have a much better outcome.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The package of Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit:

An unopened box of Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit

The nutritional information:

Calories and nutritional information in Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit

The ingredients:

Ingredients in Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit

How to prepare:

Cooking instructions for Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit

Out of the package you get:

An open package of Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit revealing the contents of the kit

After being cooked you get:

Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit fully cooked into 3 tacos on a plate

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you like the taste of chocolate chip cookies, but wish for a more chocolate taste, then look no further than these double chocolate chip cookies which are rich and deeply chocolatey. These cookies are easy, soft, and delicious.

Chocolate Chip cookies are the perfect cookie in my world. There is something just magical about that flavor combination.

All chocolate chip cookie recipes have pretty much the same ingredients: butter, flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, and a leavening agent.

Since the chocolate chip cookie has been all but perfected, I've based this recipe on the very vision of perfection.

This recipe takes the classic chocolate chip cookie and modifies it to include the deeply chocolatey cacao powder which you can pick up at Trader Joe's and other stores.

What is the Difference Between Cacao and Cocoa Powder?

Yes, there is a difference between cacao and cocoa powder. While they are very similar, there are some substantial differences.

Cacao powder- is cold-pressed cocoa beans.

Cocoa powder- is cacao powder that has been roasted at a higher temperature.

Confused yet? Cacao powder is just less processed.

Can I use either of those here? Absolutely. You'll get a richer tasting cookie using cacao, but if all you have is cocoa powder, all means use that.

Watch Me Make These (60 Seconds)

Tips on this

Here are my best tips for making this recipe:

Cacao will achieve a richer taste and was used to make this recipe. If you just have cocoa, then just use that.
For softer cookies cook for 11-13 minutes and for crisper cookies cook for 15-18 minutes.
These do have that familiar molasses-y nature of chocolate chip cookies.
Use better quality chocolate chips, or chop up your favorite chocolate bar for delicious chunks.
If you don't want to use chocolate chips, then various candies make an awesome add-in. Just add in your favorite candies in the same proportion. Candies like Butterfingers, M&Ms, York Peppermint Patties, Kit Kat, Pretzels, White Chocolate Chips, and a wide variety of others would work well with this basic dough.

Directions

Step 1: Get all of your ingredients out. Preheat your oven to 325F.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients out in Mise en Place.

Step 2: Melt Butter. Add in white and brown sugars and mix. Add vanilla.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies step two showing the combination of adding melted butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.

Step 3: Add egg. Mix until just combined.

Adding the egg to the chocolate chocolate chip batter

Step 4: Add flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.

Adding the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, salt, and cacao powder into a finished dough.

Step 5: Add in chocolate chips. Combine.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie dough with chocolate chips waiting to be mixed.

Step 6: Using a scoop make scoops and put them on a cookie sheet. Bake for 11-13 Minutes for a soft cookie or 15-18 minutes for a crisp one.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies on a cookie sheet

Step 7: Remove from oven. Take a few extra chocolate chips and push them into the cookies for picture-perfect cookies. Allow cooling for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the sheet. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies with milk and chocolate chips on a marble surface

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

Crumb Cake

Strawberry Scones

I hope you enjoy this Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe!

If you try this, would you mind hitting the "Rate" button? I'd love to know what you thought of it. If you modified the original recipe here, please let me know how it turned out. I love comments!

If you've tried this Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe or any other recipe on the blog, I'd love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

A top view of three Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe

4.70 from 10 votes

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

My Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best of both worlds finding a perfect balance between a chocolate chip cookie and a chocolate cookie. You can make these as picture perfect with one quick tip at the end.

Prep Time15

Cook Time12

Cooling10

Total Time27

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, Soft Chocolate Cookies

Servings: cookies

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Brenda

Ingredients

1 stick butter melted
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg give it a quick mix before adding it in
1 cup flour
¼ cup cacao powder cocoa powder can be used here also.
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup chocolate chips for making these picture perfect

Kitchen Equipment Needed

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325F
Melt butter in a covered bowl your microwave. I found 40-45 seconds to be about right.
Add white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add lightly beaten egg and mix until combined. Be careful to not over mix as this will make the cookie tough.
Add flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine.
Add chocolate chips and mix to combine.
Using a disher, or if you don't have one, make a ball of cookie dough and place it on to a cookie sheet. You'll get about 15 cookies from this mix.
Bake for 11-13 minutes for soft cookies or 15-18 for a more crisp cookie.
Optional-If you want those picture perfect cookies, once these are out of the oven and still on the cookie sheet, press extra chocolate chips on to the top. They will melt on their own and look exactly how they appear here.
Enjoy with milk or non dairy beverage!

Video

Notes

Cacao will achieve a richer taste and was used to make this recipe. If you just have cocoa powder, then just use that.
For softer cookies cook for 11-13 minutes and for crisper cookies cook for 15-18 minutes.
These do have that familiar molasses-y nature of chocolate chip cookies.
Use better quality chocolate chips, or chop of your favorite chocolate bar for delicious chunks.
If you don't want to use chocolate chips, then various candies make an awesome add in. Just add in your favorite candies in the same proportion. Candies like Butterfingers, M&Ms, York Peppermint Patties, Kit Kat, Pretzels, White Chocolate Chips and a wide variety of others would work well with this basic dough.

Nutrition

Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate PB and J Minis

Just a couple of weeks ago I tried Trader Joe's Almond Butter Cups. They were sweet, but not too sweet. And yes, they were oh so very good. They had a nice shell of dark chocolate and the filling was nutty, but not the classic peanut butter filling. A really fun spin on a classic with the new Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate PB and J Minis.

Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate PB & J Minis review Pin for Pinterest

Taste and review

And now we have yet another spin on a classic.

Here we have Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups made into a square shape and with the simple addition of raspberry filling.

While I didn't think that would make much of a difference, I actually really dig these little candies.

Just not the price with the size bag.

For $2.99, you get 8 bite-sized pieces. So this bag is tiny. Portion controlled if you will.

And sadly, despite this being made of dark chocolate, this is NOT vegan. There is milk chocolate on the ingredient list. So this dark chocolate isn't quite as bittersweet as I would have liked either.

Now despite those gripes, the 8 tiny pieces that I had were delicious.

The choice of raspberry over other flavors here is important. Most importantly, they chose seedless raspberry for the filling. But it added a nice touch of sweetness and acidity.

Overall

So if you are looking for a portion-controlled snack, then consider picking up this little bag. But if you like your snacks less sweet, then stick with the Almond Buttercups as these add a sweet burst of flavor here.

Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate PB and J Minis again.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The bag of Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate PB and J minis:

An unopened bag of Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate PB and J minis

Calories

Ingredients

Out of the package you get:

The insides of a Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate PB and J minis

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.