Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
Trader Joe's sells a wide variety of baking items to make you look like a pro. But quality can vary, fortunately, that's why you have this site!
From Meyer Lemon Baking Mix to the Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Brownie Mix find dozens of reviews of Trader Joe's baking products and see which ones are worth your time and which ones you may want to consider leaving on the shelf!
In my experience, there have been a number of products where the directions are less than perfect. Some have been outright wrong. However, there are some products where the directions could have been written a bit clearer which includes this Trader Joe’s Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie Baking Mix.
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Welcome to Trader Joe’s 8 Mini Croissants review 2.0. It should actually be considered 3.0 as I never got a chance to try the original mini croissants. But since publishing this more than a year ago, some very passionate fans of the old product have come out to share their thoughts. And I’m happy to report this product is back and improved from the ones in a bag.
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Right before I got married, a coworker and I took a Croissant making class at Sur la Table. Yes, I had a fluffy white dress that was tailored to my exact frame and I was making buttered treats. Sorry, not sorry. When I walked away from that class I realized something important: they are a TON OF WORK (and a lot of butter). Labor of love is fine, but even Betty Crocker acknowledged women have things to do most of the time. Why mess with perfection when you can buy Trader Joe’s Chocolate Croissants in the freezer section….
‘Twas a day or two before Thanksgiving and all through my house, was a lady scrambling to make a lot of stuff. Maybe you felt the same way too. Tuesday night was filled with making goodies for potlucks at work. Wednesday night was filled with making things for Thanksgiving.
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If there are any flavors I’m totally obsessed with is the combination of Chocolate and Peppermint. I’m that person adding a few pumps of peppermint syrup to their mocha frappuccino in the middle of July. So I got excited when I saw Trader Joe’s Chocolate Peppermint Loaf and Baking Mix hit the rest of the baking mixes.
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I love a good crumb cake. Or is it a coffee cake? Regardless, people tend to use both phrases interchangeably. Regardless, we are still talking about the same thing here. And for the naysayers out there, sometimes an item that disappears from the shelves of Trader Joe’s doesn’t always mean it is gone forever. In fact, Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake Mix was introduced in 2010 and hasn’t been seen in about 5 years….
The weather is finally getting cooler and I’m excited to be able to turn on the oven in the house. While I don’t necessarily love the whole getting cold and maybe snow thing we have going on here in the northeast, I can tell you that nothing beats a baked good fresh from the oven. So the first chill we had and I made sure to try Trader Joe’s Maple Pecan Cookie and Baking Mix.
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I remember making cookies with my mom as a kid. It was like magic how butter, sugar, and flour came together to make cookie dough. If that isn’t magical enough, she always put a nice dose of vanilla extract into the dough.
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It’s been a good year so far to be at Trader Joe’s if you are gluten-free. Now, I’m not gluten-free, but I do like to see how things taste. And if desserts are where you feel like gluten is missing the most then they have you covered with Trader Joe’s Fudgy Chocolate Quinoa Loaf and Cake Mix.
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Not a new product. Just a winter seasonal item that might not strike you as a winter seasonal item. With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, this might be a decent alternative if you hate caraway seeds and just happen to have a beer and some butter you want to get rid of.
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If there was on holiday food memory other than cinnamon rolls, it was making a rum cake with my mom. It was nothing fancy nor was it a family secret. Nope, it was the classic 1980’s Bacardi Rum Cake recipe. It was moist, boozy, delicious, and had the shelf life of a fruit cake. I loved making it with my mom. She let me handle the cake, but the making the glaze was on her. In either case, I loved it and was hoping for the same awesomeness in this box.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Lemon Shortbread Bar Mix makes for a pleasant and lemony dessert which has a nice contrast between the shortbread cookie and the soft lemony filling.
The cons: Seriously, I don’t understand why Trader Joe’s hasn’t rolled out a no bake bar for the summer months. The thought of turning on the oven isn’t that appealing during the summer months. There were a few things unclear in the directions.
The verdict: …
Meyer lemons. If you’ve never had one then you are missing out. These are a fruit that is a hybrid between two citruses: lemons and mandarin oranges. So they aren’t quite as acidic as most lemons and are best saved for sweet applications. If you are looking for the fruit then you’ll see them appear mostly from November to January. However, this product likes to make its debut when they aren’t in season. And that is ok in my books.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Banana Bread Mix is a quick and easy banana bread that won’t require you to possess any bananas to make.
The cons: Banana bread is relatively easy to make and you are paying for convenience here.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Pancake and All Purpose Baking Mix works well for pancakes and waffles and is priced right.
The cons: Nothing really stands out.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Blondie Bar Baking Mix is a super quick and easy baking mix that makes a reasonable amount of blondies.
The cons: While the box does not mention it, these pair very well with nuts too.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Falafel Mix is a new mix that is vegan and gluten free and very easy to prepare.
The cons: You won’t be able to make this instantly as the box requires you to wait 30-60 minutes before cooking. You can’t skip this step.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Cookies are a nice balance between soft and chewy without being too soft or crumbly.
The cons: If you are a crunchy cookie fan, then don’t reach for these. Also, the hint of molasses is kind of misleading. Yes, there is molasses but isn’t brown sugar just sugar with molasses?
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Sugar Muffin and Baking Mix is a delicious and new to shelves mix that makes good muffins.
The cons: The directions are not 100% accurate and I’ll correct them below.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s It’s Sedimentary My Dear Cookie is a great gift idea that makes for a tasty batch of cookies.
The cons: This is a seasonal item. The brown sugar in mine had hardened to near sedimentary rock level making a my spoon have to do a bit of jack hammmering and scraping to get this out. This also requires a 2 hour rest in the refrigerator, so if you need cookies quick, then reach for something else.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s White Chocolate Baking Chips will stand up to most cookie recipes and keep their shape. While I enjoy a good white chocolate bar more, these were well done baking chips.
The cons: This is a seasonal item, so if you discover you like these then understand they are not on shelves forever.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Pixie Pie Mix is new to shelves this year. If you normally enjoy sweet potato pie (topped with marshmallows of course) then you’ll probably enjoy this easier boxed version that only needs, 1 egg, 1 stick of butter, and 3 tablespoons of water.
The cons: Dieters need not apply. If you only cut this pie into 5 pieces then each person would be consuming over 500 calories. You’ll also want to make sure you have an 8 pan for this otherwise the crust might not fit.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancake Mix is a good quality mix for those who can’t have gluten. Other than a mild textural difference, I probably would not have guessed that these are gluten free.
The cons: There is a price premium as compared to the non gluten free variety. No directions available for waffles.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix is seasonal and will cure your hankering for pumpkin first thing in the morning.
The cons: If you prefer your pancakes plain, then this is not for you. The Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Pancake mix would be better for those who want it plain.
The verdict: …
