I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure the quarantine 15 is going to be a thing. I’ve done more baking in the last 2 weeks than I did over the entire holiday season. The whole being at home thing and staying close to the refrigerator most of the time has been very real. I’m positive pajama pants have given me a false sense of security as well. So, I figured I would revisit an older product review.
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baking
Trader Joe’s Lemon Shortbread Bar Mix
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: …
Trader Joe’s Banana Bread Mix
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: …
Trader Joe’s Blondie Bar Baking Mix
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: …
Trader Joe’s Maple Pecan Shortbread Bar Mix
Trader Joe’s has brought a lot of new products to the shelves. Some new, some returning from last year. Most of the items at your local stores seem to be pumpkin themed, or squash. However, in all the orange hued madness, there are a few new non-pumpkin Fall flavors out there. If you love the sweet flavor of pecans and maple, you are in for a treat. And yes, this year has yielded quite a few maple items as well ranging from Vanilla Maple Syrup to Ghost Pepper Maple Syrup to now Maple Butter.
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Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Scone Mix
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Scone Mix makes quick, easy, tender, and flavorful scones that are perfect for the Fall.
The cons: It’s seasonal, so if you discover you really like this then you really should stock up because you don’t know when or if you’ll ever see this one again.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Sugar
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Sugar is kosher, organic, and tasty. There are some noticeable differences between regular sugar and organic. It comes in a bag that can be resealed.
The cons: Organic sugar comes at a premium price. The last time I was at Costco, sugar (in a much larger and non organic package was about $0.40 cents per pound). This is about triple the price per pound.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Coffee Flour
The pros: Trader Joe’s Coffee Flour has some good potential as it’s eco friendly and would be discarded. If you add 1 Tbsp to whatever you are making, it contains 6 grams of fiber. Very cool resealable bag that seems to utilize a Velcro like seal.
The cons: Limited production of this item and even more limited number of suggested uses of this product. They included a few recipes, but not many. This is a half pound bag. There will have to be a lot of consumer experimentation and I’m not sure most are willing to devote that much time to incorporating this one product.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
The pros: Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix makes decent brownies. It has a nice texture with chocolate chips added in.
The cons: Not as much value in this product as it is smaller in size than Duncan Hines and Pillsbury packages.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cultured Salted Butter
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cultured Salted Butter competes with the rich European butters like Kerrygold. This is very rich with a slight tang from the lactic acid.
The cons: The packaging is an issue if you plan to bake with this. There are no units of measurement other than telling you it’s 8.8 ounces. As table butter it’s hard to serve in the current wrapper. More expensive per pound than regular butter.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Spatchcocked Lemon Rosemary Chicken
The pros: Trader Joe’s Spatchcocked Lemon Rosemary Chicken has a tasty finished product if you can put in the time. It’s a timesaver if you forget to take care of things the night before.
The cons: You are actually expected to cook this. If you need dinner quickly, skip over this. This product needs an hour in the oven.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Mixed Berry Scones Mix
The pros: Quick, easy and fast to put together. Trader Joe’s Mixed Berry Scones Mix only requires water to come together. Were ready in under 20 minutes from start to finish.
The cons: Light on the mixed berry. You might want to keep some freeze fried berries on hand to add into this mix.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Semi Sweet Chocolate Chunks
The pros: Trader Joe’s Semi Sweet Chocolate Chunks is almost 60% cocoa, rich cocoa taste, great for baking.
The cons: If you need uniformity in your chocolate then reach for the chips and not the chunks. These were meant to be uneven on purpose.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Dry Toasted Pignolias (Pine Nuts)
The pros: Delicate, flavorful and lightly toasted nuts which are made affordable. Seriously, Trader Joe’s Dry Toasted Pignolias is the largest cheapest size bag I have found in most grocery stores. They do sell a bag of raw pine nuts, but that’s a review for another day.
The cons: 1/4 cup is 200 calories, this bag come as a resealable as you are unlikely to use the entire 8 ounces in one application. A third of your daily fat in one serving.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Gingerbread Molasses Cookie Dough
The pros: Trader Joe’s Gingerbread Molasses Cookie Dough are the quickest cookies you can get short of buying them already cooked. They were done in under 15 minutes. They had that true gingersnap texture. There is a very nice spice beyond just ginger.
The cons: The package contains 12 cookies. If you need more than that you’ll need to pick up a few of these.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Blanched Almond Flour
The pros: $7.99 might sound like a lot for Trader Joe’s Blanched Almond Flour, but that’s actually a very reasonable price. King Arthur Almond flour sells for double.
The cons: Still expensive compared to regular wheat flour, but for some wheat flour is a non option.
The verdict: …
