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.
Taste
Now, there are a number of items sold at Trader Joe's that are essentially duplicates of other more famous items.
We have Crispy Cookies with Belgian Chocolate that are like a reshaped Milano Cookie. There are Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Coins which reminded me of Thin Mints but better (don't tell your local Girl Scout this). There are Joe-Joe's Cookies which are essentially a Trader Joe's answer to an Oreo. You have the Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches which are improved Chipwich sandwiches.
You also have Candy Coated Chocolate Drops which are essentially M&Ms with natural colors.
Now you have these, Trader Joe's Candy Coated Chocolate Peanuts. They're naturally colored Peanut M&Ms. Oh, and they're non-conforming in shape and size. The milk chocolate tastes about the same as the Candy Coated Chocolate Drops.
However, for the most part, they are priced well at $0.99 which isn't a bad deal when you compare the retail price of most bags available by the checkout of most grocery stores, drug stores, or vending machines.
The M&M bag is currently sold in a 1.74-ounce size. And for comparison's sake, this is about .75 ounces larger.
Now, with a larger size comes a larger comes with a heavier caloric intake. Unlike M&Ms, this bag isn't quite as easy to close either. At least the little paper-ish packaging allows for easier folding that this plastic bag.
However, I think Trader Joe's could be doing more to push the envelope here. I think if M&Ms can come out with creative and experimental flavors, I'm shocked that Trader Joe's hasn't beaten them to the punch.
Overall
But time will tell. It's not a bad snack when you compare it to the original. Would I buy it again? If I feel snakish enough I would reach for Trader Joe's Candy Coated Chocolate Peanuts again.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Packaging
The bag of Trader Joe's Candy Coated Chocolate Peanuts:
Calories
Ingredients
Out of the package you get:
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Trader Joe's Candy Coated Chocolate Peanuts
Product Name: Trader Joe's Candy Coated Chocolate Peanuts
Product Description: Trader Joe's Candy Coated Chocolate Peanuts are roasted peanuts covered with milk chocolate with a crisp candy shell.
Price: $0.99
Summary
Trader Joe's answer to the more famous Peanut M&Ms
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Good value compared to buying a bag in the store.
- Natural colorings that don't lend any weird flavors
Cons
- A lot of calories in a small bag
- They can totally push the envelope with flavor more here.
Alek says
I think maybe a kick of spice would be great here. Or even coconut flavor. I think these would make good addition to cookies.
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! I totally agree that there are a lot of fun experimental flavors that could be used here. And yes, cookies and even brownies would make for some great pairings! Thanks for stopping by!
Dagmar says
I've been eyeing these at the register for the last couple of weeks. Do they pretty much taste like peanut M&M's? Would you be able to tell in a blind taste test LOL?
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! They're similar, but not 100%. These aren't uniform in shape so visually you'd know. And just like the candy coated drops, you can taste some subtle differences. Figure these are like candy coated drops with peanuts.
judilyn says
Ingredients list shows "shellac" ????? Is there such a thing as "food grade shellac"?
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
Hey Judie! I saw that too. I looked it up and it is a thing. It sounds gross and I can't imagine how many other foods use it. Thanks for pointing that out! Thanks again for stopping by!
Cathy says
I thought they were BETTER than M&M's....just tasted fresher to me! Loved them!
becomebetty says
Hey Cathy! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this!
dylan says
I think they are delicious. They are like a very high quality peanut M&M. I particularly appreciated the fact that the peanutes were salted.
becomebetty says
Hey Dylan! Thanks so very much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this.
Carol says
I came here because I couldn't believe ho many more calories were in these candy-coated peanuts than regular peanut M&Ms. (I got the orange bag that they sell now in 2022, which is 6 oz.) While it looks like it's the same size as a peanut M&M bag, it's actually several ounces bigger and contains over 900 calories! I'm going to avoid these in the future, because it's going to be hard for me to remember that a bag that looks to me about the same size as regular M&Ms actually holds 2-3x more calories. Yikes. I'll stick to the smaller portions.
becomebetty says
Thanks for sharing Carol!