Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
Trader Joe's offers a wide variety of chocolate options along with products that are chocolate. But quality can vary, fortunately, that's why you have this site!
From Cocoa Almond Spread to the Chocolate Lava Cakes to their very popular Dark Chocolate Lovers Bar find dozens of reviews of Trader Joe's chocolate products and see which ones are worth your time and which ones you may want to consider leaving on the shelf!
I’m pretty sure every candy sale that I’ve ever done or witness that involved a case of chocolate, ended with the packs of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups being sold out first. And there is good reason for it: it’s just delicious. On the shelves of Trader Joe’s we’ve seen the addition of two new “cups” style candies: sunflower seed butter, and this almond butter.
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Behold! A perfectly timed product gracing shelves in time for Valentine’s Day that is chocolate, but quite different. The color you are seeing here is not the result of coloring of any sort. And apparently, this is a new type of chocolate you can be sure that you’ll be seeing more of whether you find it at Trader Joe’s or available commercially.
I guess Trader Joe’s was feeling many people’s resolve about New Year’s Resolutions. They knew we would cave. So they came out with a long list of sugary items to expedite this process. They’ve welcomed vegan cookies, sunflower seed butter cups, and now these.
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There is something special about the holidays and Trader Joe’s. I’m not mentioning this because Valentine’s Day is coming up. I’m reflecting on this past holiday season. As a foodie, going in there was almost as exciting as going into FAO Schwartz as a kid. Now kids won’t even know what that is. Alas, Trader Joe’s has found a way to extend the holidays for just a bit longer. And perhaps your waistline too. …
I wasn’t going to write this review given the time of year. In fact, I’m shocked they picked now to release Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Pain Au Lait. I mean we have one Pain Au Lait. Why would we possibly need a second variety right after New Year’s?
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Let me apologize in advance for all the goodies that are going to be posted on this blog over the next month. I like reviewing real food, but this time of year all the goodies are out. Including this fancy breakfast/dessert that is so fancy it didn’t feel like it needed the “e” in chocolat.
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If I were to admit to the food pairings that I like most, it would probably be chocolate and peppermint. If I stop at a Starbucks, there is a peppermint mocha frappuccino in my future. If I go to the movies, I reach for Junior Mints. There is something about the pairing of those flavors that make my taste buds very happy.
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Behold, the second Hot Cocoa themed item of the year (possibly the third if you count the return of the salted caramel hot cocoa). The previous appeared in the Hot Cocoa Toaster Pastries but one thing was missing: the marshmallows.
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It’s been over a year since I last review Trader Joe’s Chocolate Lava Cakes. While both Trader Joe’s Chocolate Salted Caramel Mug Mix and Lava Cake desserts go into the microwave and yield a similar outcome in terms of texture, this mug cake won’t take up any space in your freezer.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Hot Cocoa Organic Frosted Toaster Pastries is new and dressed up for cooler weather.
The cons: Seasonal based on the appearance of the packaging. Depending on your feeling on frosting, mine were not evenly frosted. Some would prefer if the frosting was left off.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chunk Cantuccini are new to shelves and are priced under $2. These are a hybrid between the traditional biscotti and a chocolate chip cookie.
The cons: Bag is not resealable. If you are nut free, you need to skip this product.
The verdict: …
The pros:Trader Joe’s Milk and Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Bits Bar is basic chocolate. It’s inexpensive.
The cons: This bar is terribly designed. The ridges are too big for most mouths. I could not break off just a piece without reaching for a knife. The use of the word bits here is an understatement.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Coins are new and seem to be pretty obvious with what they are meant to taste like. There are 8 cookies in a serving.
The cons: The box was mostly empty. Six ounces of cookies isn’t much, but then again neither is the price.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie and Cocoa Swirl is a hypnotic mix of cookie butter and spreadable chocolate.
The cons: I’m still not sure how they figure there are 27 servings in this wee little jar.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Covered Wafer Cookie are new and inexpensive. They are pretty decent.
The cons: I hoping for this to be Trader Joe’s copy cat Kit Kat. I did not rise to that level. They can’t be split easily for sharing or portion control. If you have allergies, this too contains a long list of possible allergens.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Bite Sized Crispy Cookies filled with Belgian Chocolate might remind you of another cookie, but improved.
The cons: The allergy list on this on is pretty long for cookies.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Gone Berry Crazy are the perfect addition to the freezer aisle. If you loved Gone Bananas! then this will probably be a hit for you.
The cons: Milk chocolate fans need not apply here. This product does have dairy in it so it is not vegan. The box is small on this as well. I’m deeply hoping this isn’t a seasonal flavor.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mini Hold the Cone Vanilla Ice Cream Cones are one of two year round varieties of mini ice cream cones.
The cons: Hard to eat just one. Chocolate and vanilla flavors are offered year round. Other varieties will appear, but are seasonal.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Vanilla Ice Cream Bon Bons are a small and portion controlled dessert that might satisfy a sweet tooth.
The cons: Vanilla ice cream could be better.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cocoa Filled Pinwheel Cookies are a beautiful and whimsical cookie with a delicious filling.
The cons: The cookie isn’t as flavorful as it could be. In fact, it’s a bit bland.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Toasted Sesame Caramels are new and are a very different flavor combination than what is one the shelves currently.
The cons: I’m not sure this is a knock it out of the park flavor pairing.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Ruggedly Adventuresome Cowboy Bark is uniquely named and very rich.
The cons: This product isn’t really bark and it isn’t appropriate for cowboys. Maybe if this were chocolate covered jerky the name would be more fitting.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Pecan Pie Bar is a solid option in the baked good aisle. It’s a reasonable sized dessert if you are having company.
The cons: Like most Pecan Pies, this one does not shy away from the calories. However, one serving is quite a generous size. Would be better if this had some bourbon flavoring to it.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mini Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are addicting and a better balance of peanut butter and milk chocolate than the full sized ones they sell.
The cons: Addicting. It’s not hard to sit and eat the whole container.
The verdict: …
