Trader Joe's Chocolate Marbles

The pros:  Beautiful round "marbles" of chocolate that are little works of speckled art. You are getting 16 truffles for about $4 and they are quality chocolate. There are 4 different varieties in Trader Joe's Chocolate Marbles. The varieties are mostly similar but with subtle variation.

The cons:  It's so easy to keep eating these.

The verdict:  For $3.99 these are a deal and a steal compared to what you would pay at an artisan chocolate shop. The chocolate is quality and these are made in France. There is some subtle differences. The truffles are very rich, which is the only thing that prevented me from sitting and eating the whole thing. They are pretty to look at, and are colored differently to indicate different flavors. There wasn't a stark contrast between the flavors as all had a super melty delicious chocolate truffle center. The differences were subtle. If you are hoping for lots of textural differences in the centers, you'll be disappointed. The flavor difference is most notable in the coconut. Nice crisp outside followed by a chocolate coating with the classic melt in your mouth center. Yes, I'd buy these again. Just not weekly. A lovely treat or gift for a chocolate lover at an affordable price.

The box of Trader Joe's Chocolate Marbles:

The nutritional information:

The ingredients:

How to know which color is which flavor:

Cut Trader Joe's Chocolate Marbles in half you get:

What did I think of each? Green-don't expect much almond texture here. It's very chocolatey and smooth on the inside. Sweet and sugary. Very pleasant mouth feel without being toothache level sweet.

Yellow-Reminded me slightly of a cookie dough, but still had that pleasant smooth chocolate taste. My favorite of the bunch so far.

White-I don't usually care for coconut, but usually its for textural reasons. This had only the most minimal texture of coconut, but all of the flavor. It's an intense coconut that is really good for contrast with the chocolate. Really enjoyable.

Blue-This you notice the contrast in chocolate between the shell and the melt in your mouth interior.

Would I buy this again? My head and heart say yes, my stomach and thighs suggest this is not a good idea. Also, these are similar to a product that used to be on the shelves called Trader Joe's Extraordinary Eggs as pointed out by Timothy Cain at a blog called "Chocolate I Have Known." I did a double take when I saw his pictures as the product looks and is packaged in an almost identical manner. Does he know his chocolate? Yes he does. I am always in awe (and envy) of all the chocolates he tries and writes about.

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

Did you try these? Let me know what you think of them in the comments section.