Growing up I know there were certain cookies that were more popular than others around the lunch table at school. Chips Ahoy was up there in popularity. I was probably the odd kid who really liked Keebler Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies. There was something in those that vaguely reminded of homemade cookies. So when I saw Trader Joe's Soft Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies I was hopeful.
Taste
And on first bite, it wasn't bad at all.
Like my beloved Keebler cookies, they had that semi homemade taste. And when I say semi homemade, I do mean that the flavor is nearly impossible to replicate at home. Think of how boxed cake mix tastes, you really can't replicate that at home.
Likewise, there is a naturalness to the flavor here.
As well as one odd flavor. More on that in a second.
These cookies are first and foremost peanut butter cookies. That is hands down the most assertive flavor here. There are little bits of peanuts in here to add an extra kick of peanut flavor.
It doesn't had that familiar brown sugar flavor that a chocolate chip cookie usually has. But the chunks of chocolate chips do vaguely make this sort of like a chocolate chip cookie.
But on the back end of tasting, I got a weird flavor note. I had to quickly glance at the ingredients to figure out what in the world I was tasting.
This has date paste. Dates are mostly sugar after all, but they do add an unexpected flavor. It wasn't even mentioned in the product description either.
So depending on your feeling towards the flavor of dates might actually guide how much you like them.
Overall
For $2.99 you get 10 cookies which isn't a bad deal.
Would I buy this again? Trader Joe's Soft Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies were fun to try, but nothing essential to life. It didn't come close to my favorite cookies like the seasonal Key Lime Tea Cookies, Speculoos Cookies, or Maple Leaf Cookies.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Product photos
The bag of Trader Joe's Soft Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Calories and ingredients
The description from the side of the bag:
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 Soft Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Product Name: Trader Joe's Soft Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Product Description: Trader Joe's Soft Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a soft baked cookie with some natural sweetness to them.
Price: $2.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Soft Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a cross between two popular cookies
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Nice soft baked texture
- Has more natural sweetness to it
- Peanut butter cookie first and foremost
Cons
- The natural sweetness comes from the dates which might not appeal to everyone
Alek says
They should had swapped the chocolate chips with the teeny peanut butter cups. That would been amazing! I haven't seen that yet and if TJ's did that; they're ahead of the cookie game. Also birthday cake cookies should be made.
Dagmar says
Oh my gosh- the key lime cookies you mentioned are awesome! Lol- I was lazy to do a work potluck once and mixed some lime zest with whipped cream cheese & spooned it between two key lime cookies. People loved them!!! I drizzled some dark chocolate over half of them. Also a hit!
Robert says
I’m not impressed. They are largely flavorless without strong peanut butter or chocolate tastes. The cookie is moderately dry too. Lastly, the packaging is deceiving. There are only 10 cookies in the package–it’s half air. Never again.
Reni says
Actually the sweetness mainly comes from brown sugar (second ingredient) and the inverted sugar syrup. The date paste is probably used more so for keeping the cookies firm as there’s no taste of dates at all.