Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Grahams + Chocolate Almond Spread

We're bringing you a two-fer today! Two reviews for the price of one!
(If only Trader Joe's would let us buy our treats that way!)

Today's review is of Trader Joe's Honey Graham Crackers AND Cocoa Almond Spread.

TJ's graham crackers are made without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. They come in a 14.4 oz. box and packaged in sleeves, like other brands of grahams. The box costs $2.99.


Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond Spread can be found in a jar near the peanut butter. The 10-ounce jar costs $3.99.


A mom's (my) take: Let's start with the graham crackers...they're light, crispy, with just a hint of sweet. I like these better than the grahams I've been buying at my regular grocery store. Now, to the cocoa almond spread. Similar to Nutella, this is a smooth spread made with chocolate and nuts. This one is a bit thicker than Nutella, with more of a peanut butter-like consistency. Sometimes Nutella can get oily...not so with this spread. The almond flavor is subtle, but definitely noticeable. I loved this spread on the graham crackers...and even MORE straight from the jar with a spoon. (Not coincidentally, every spoon in our house is now dirty.) This might be something I can never again be without.
Overall rating:
Honey Grahams: 5 of 5 stars
Cocoa Almond Spread: 5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: The graham crackers, to start, definitely provide a nice base for the spread. The texture is lovely; however, I'm not a big fan of the "slightly sweet" graham crackers as my mom is. I prefer graham crackers with a more substantive taste. The spread was my favorite out of the two items. The almond flavor hit hard at first (which I love), but was soon overshadowed by the luscious chocolate flavor. As with all spreads, you have to proportion it correctly to get the perfect amount: not too thin to where you can't even taste it, but not so much that it is overwhelming.
Overall rating:
Honey Grahams: 4 out of 5 stars
Cocoa Almond Spread: 5 out of 5 stars



Trader Joe's Honey Graham Crackers and Cocoa Almond Spread: add these to your TJ's shopping list...and buy more spoons. ;) 

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: English Toffee

This morning, I sent kiddo to Trader Joe's to pick out our review item since I was busy doing important things...putting a deep conditioner on my hair. Now that I think about it, I should send him to pick up the dry cleaning while I write this intro.
(Minus the worry, having a driving teenager has its perks.)

Today, we're reviewing Trader Joe's English Toffee with Milk Chocolate.


An 8-ounce package costs $3.49 and contains about 8 small bars of toffee. Each bar is covered in milk chocolate and chopped almonds.


A mom's (my) take: I definitely prefer my toffee IN things...like Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, for example. If you are a toffee lover, you might really love these. The toffee center is thick, crunchy and buttery. I can't help thinking they could use a little pinch of salt and more chocolate. I don't taste the chocolate at all here. Chopped up in coffee ice cream, though? That might make these a 10.
Overall rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: Well, unlike my mom, I prefer toffee OUT OF things; by itself. The nutty taste hits hard at first, but is soon balanced out by the thin, but very tasty layer of chocolate, and, of course, the title item -- the toffee. I really enjoy the consistency, and the fact that it doesn't get stuck to your teeth like some other toffee does. I do agree, however, that it could use just a tad more chocolate.
Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's English Toffee with Milk Chocolate: not quite 5 stars, but not bad.

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews!

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Smashing S'Mores

Today's review is Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Smashing S'mores.

These little guys are one of the first Trader Joe's treats I ever had. Before we had a Trader Joe's, my friend Teresa sent me a Trader Joe's care package. That's a true friend right there. 

TJ's Smashing S'mores consist of a graham cracker and marshmallow covered in chocolate in a mini treat. The package suggests that for a more traditional treat, they can be microwaved for 4-6 seconds. A 7-ounce package (about 12-15 treats) costs $4.29.

A mom's (my) take: So, these are perfect. Just the right ratio of graham cracker to marshmallow to chocolate. I tried these at room temperature and microwaved and they're both delicious. Each component tastes just right...and each treat leaves me wanting another. 

Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: The first thing that your tongue encounters is the thin layer of chocolate. Despite its size, it is very flavorful, and I would probably give it 5 stars for that alone! Once you get into the s'more itself, the marshmallow and graham cracker provide a tasty variety. I personally enjoy those components better when they're mixed in my mouth rather than being separate (that's just me). These taste great, and like I say every time, I could definitely eat a whole box of them. (I almost did a few days ago!)
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Smashing S'mores: Smashing!!!

{psst...don't forget that there's a giveaway going on through tomorrow...and shopping, too!}

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Salt Water Taffy

This week, we ditch the chocolate and review Trader Joe's Salt Water Taffy.

The package package and the taffy pieces themselves are so pretty in spring colors.


In the bag, you'll find an assortment of flavors: cherry, strawberry-banana, red licorice, sour apple, and watermelon. A 7-ounce bag of assorted taffies is a bargain at $1.99.

One note is that the taffies are colored with plant extracts...red radish, red cabbage, and turmeric.
Now, why can't my vegetables be flavored with candy extract??? 


A mom's (my) take: Why do I rarely buy taffy? I think because I'm always drawn to chocolate. Well, these Trader Joe's taffies are good! Chewy, sweet, and in a few cases, tart and tangy...they're a perfect sweet treat. I really appreciate the fact that Trader Joe's colored these with plant extracts. While I use food coloring for decorating cookies, I love finding products without or that use natural options whenever possible. Good stuff. The sour apple and watermelon flavors were my favorites.
Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: This is by far the best taffy I have tasted that I can remember! The consistency is just stiff enough where you have to work for it, but not too much. The flavor does take a second to come out, but once it does, it is incredibly powerful! It leaves a pleasant aftertaste, and doesn't leave any stickiness behind because it tends to stay in one piece (unless you purposefully bite it into separate pieces). These little guys pack a flavorful punch!
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Salt Water Taffy: 5 stars all around! 

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews!

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Sweet on Trader Joe's: Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

This week, our "sweet" is breakfast...Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins.


The kiddo and I are big fans of lemon-poppy seed anything, and who can resist a muffin for breakfast? Certainly not this girl.

These are sold in a package of 4 for $3.99. Our Trader Joe's has them over by the breads, rather than by the baked goods.


A mom's (my) take: At first glance, what I love about these muffins is that they look homemade. They're not perfectly the same size, and the muffin tops vary in color from deep golden to pale yellow. I've been to many a buffet breakfast where muffins were purchase at a warehouse store, and they look like they were made by a robot (and they taste that way). In contrast, you could totally take these muffins out of the package and pass them off as homemade...not that we would ever do something like that. Taste-wise? Spot on. The muffins are nice and lemony with just the right amount of crunch from the poppy seeds. They're substantial, but not dense, and moist without falling apart. Paired with some of TJ's fresh cut fruit, these make a super easy breakfast for busy mornings!
Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: I absolutely love the texture of the dough: it's moist, but not overly so. The taste makes it very obvious very quickly that they are lemon flavored, but it doesn't leave a weird aftertaste, and, as a bonus, the poppy seeds from these muffins never seem to get stuck in my teeth! Maybe that's just me. :)
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: A+ breakfast! 

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews!

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: cash register temptations

Hey guys! We missed last week! I got one tweet asking where our review was and we loved that one person noticed. ;)

Our spring break started last week and although we stayed home, we've been on college tours, to the rodeo, to the movies (McFarland, USA), and to the symphony. (Actually, kiddo and his friends went to the symphony...I stayed home and watched Netflix in my pjs. I'm not sure what this means.)

Two more days until it's time to start thinking about packing lunches and setting the alarm for 5:45 again.


So, we're back this week with a three-for-one. We've noticed these little bags of mini chocolates at the registers before and have always resisted. This week kiddo suggested we review all three. Yes, he's definitely my child.


This week, we review: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Tahitian Vanilla Caramels, Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee, and Dark Chocolate Mints. You'll find all of them near the registers. The bags contain 2 ounces of chocolates and cost $1.49 each.


A mom's (my) take: Let's start with the caramels...soft, creamy center, thick chocolate coating. They remind me a lot of these. I'd definitely pick these up when in need of a chocolate fix. The toffees...crunchy, rich centers with a thick chocolate coating. A nice mix of almond and butter flavors made even more delicious by the chocolate. The mints...soft peppermint center with a thin chocolate coating, surrounded by a crunchy, chalky candy shell. Do you love those pastel "butter mints?" You'll love these. I, on the other hand, do not.
Overall rating:
Dark Chocolate Tahitian Vanilla Caramels: 5 of 5 stars
Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee: 4.5 of 5 stars
Dark Chocolate Mints: 2 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: Mints: Nice, peppermint-y start, but that's basically the entirety of it as well. I can taste a little chocolate, but not enough -- peppermint overload! Caramels: Cool, thick outer coating of chocolate, which you cannot really taste until you get into the caramel itself. The caramel has a sophisticated, delicious flavor. I can definitely detect vanilla, and a wonderful saltiness appears after several seconds. Finally, the toffee: The chocolate coating has a fantastic taste, which caves nicely into the brittle center of toffee. Its flavor has a very nice, almost burnt quality to it, which (to me) makes it all the more appealing.
Overall rating:
Dark Chocolate Tahitian Vanilla Caramels: 5 out of 5 stars
Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Dark Chocolate Mints: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Cash Register Goodies: Stick with the caramels and toffees. 

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews!

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Milk Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels

This week, I sent my (now driving!) teenager to Trader Joe's to pick out our sweet for review. He chose Milk Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels.

Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Pretzels come in a 12-ounce bag and cost $3.29. From the package description, "coated with a generous layer of velvety chocolate, then drizzled with more chocolate "stripes" for a lovely presentation."

A mom's (my) take: Coated pretzels of any kind (yogurt, chocolate...mustard) are usually trouble for me. I start eating them and can't stop. These, I did not love. The chocolate has an off-taste to me. I can't put my finger on it...and I checked the ingredient list and saw nothing out the of ordinary. I was left with a weird aftertaste and an inkling to send kiddo back to TJs for something else. Bottom line: I wouldn't buy them again
Overall rating: 2 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: These caught my eye in the store because of their simplicity. Two things I love: milk chocolate and pretzels. The chocolate actually has the smell of dark chocolate, but of course tastes like rich milk chocolate (very interesting). The pretzels have a nice crunch and consistency, and are salty as well!
Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels: another split decision

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Chocolate Brooklyn Babka

Happy Saturday, friends! Today, we're reviewing Trader Joe's Chocolate Brooklyn Babka.


Now, maybe because I grew up in the suburbs of Houston and went to college in Oklahoma, but I'd never even heard of babka until watching Seinfeld. Remember Elaine wanting to bring a chocolate babka to a party...gets stuck with the "lesser" cinnamon babka...and Jerry breaks his no throw-up streak due to a black & white cookie?
That was my introduction to babka...and I've wanted to eat one ever since.


Trader Joe's describes this as "a sweet rich pastry layered with chocolate." An 18-ounce babka costs $4.99. In our Trader Joe's, I've seen this come and go. It's always right by the first register and nowhere else in the store that I have seen. Keep your eyes peeled.


A mom's (my) take: BABKA...where have you been all my life? Oh, y'all. This is my ultimate food. This is like a cross between bread and a croissant, all marbled and swirled with chocolate. The top is glazed and studded with chocolate chips. Bonus: babka is super fun to say. You know they have those forks by the door at Trader Joe's? (I'm sure they're for to-go salads.) I may grab one on my next trip and eat one of these in my car.
Overall rating: (a very enthusiastic) 5 of 5 stars

A teeanger's (kiddo's) review: I've never eaten any sort of babka before, but this particular one was amazing. To me, it tasted like several layers of crossiant-ish bread spaced by chocolate and all sorts of sugary goodness. The consistency was very interesting, as the outside and bread was sort of chewy but the inside, especially the chocolate, was very soft and rich. I could EASILY eat the whole thing.
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Chocolate Brooklyn Babka: 

Elaine wants you to have one. (So do we.)

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews!

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies

Someone had to do it. Someone had to test out Trader Joe's latest cookie butter creation...Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies.


I've had my eye on these in the store and have noticed that sometimes the shelf where they sit is empty. Always a good sign.

Trader Joe's describes these cookies as "creamy Cookie Butter spread between two decadent butter cookies." They also have a long and cute description on the side of the box explaining "c + cb = OMg" = cookie + cookie butter = Oh My goodness.

A 10-ounce box costs $3.99. There are 18 cookies per box.


A mom's (my) take: I may have mentioned before that I'm usually not a fan of "butter cookies." (Which is weird considering that those are two of my favorite words.) Anyway, these butter cookies sandwiching the cookie butter are delectable. Crunchy, buttery, not overly sweet...they make the perfect foil for the creamy, spiced cookie butter in the center. Pair these with a cup of tea for a sweet afternoon snack.
Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: The cookies, in my opinion, taste very similar to shortbread cookies. I love their taste! The amount of cookie butter is pretty much perfect- not an overload of it, where it is too rich; but not too little that you aren't able to taste it. There are wonderful!
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies: a delicious cookie butter creation. 

Want more TJ's Cookie Butter reviews? We've got 'em!

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes

In honor of Valentine's Day, we knew we had to bring you a chocolate review. Alas, we could not find anything heart-shaped and chocolate in Trader Joe's
[Note to Trader Joe's: if there were something heart-shaped and chocolate, we would totally buy it.]

Today's review is of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes.

You'll find these in the baked goods section of TJ's. Four to a package, you'll pay $3.99 for them. The package description reads, "chocolate cupcakes filled with peanut butter and topped with a decadent ganache icing."


A mom's (my) take: Like a peanut butter cup in cupcake form with a lovely, moist chocolate cake to go with it. I've seen these on some "top 10 Trader Joe's desserts" lists. Now I know why.
Overall rating 5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: First, the incredibly rich ganache hits your taste buds like a train, only to be complemented and made less formidable by the light and airy cake; which, I might add, has a great taste. Then comes the peanut butter- but wait! The little spot on the top is a false alarm. The real reservoir of peanut butter isn't connected to it, which adds to the flavorful suspense this phenomenal cupcake gives you. All in all, a quality buy. :)
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars



Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes: a perfect treat for Valentine's Day...or ANY day! 

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews!

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Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Cocoa Batons

Today, we bring you a review of Trader Joe's Cocoa Batons.

I think these might be a new item as they were on an endcap and caught my eye immediately. Cocoa Batons come in a cute cardboard tube like a Pringles can. 

Trader Joe's describes these as "delicate rolled wafers filled with rich chocolate cream." A 5-ounce package will set you back only $1.99. 

A mom's (my) take: Super thin and crispy wafers filled with creamy chocolate...what's not to love? Crunchy and creamy at the same time, it's hard not to eat more than the suggested serving size of 2 pieces. I think these would be perfect served with ice cream, or so pretty on a dessert table. 

Overall rating: 4 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: I am a HUGE fan of any of these types of wafer rolls, but these... These are quality. The wafers are thin, very crispy and slightly sweet. They yield easily to the decadent and flavorful chocolate inside. Also, it's the perfect balance of both; not too much wafer and not too much chocolate either. I could easily eat a couple containers with no regrets, aside from a stomachache;)
Overall rating: 5.5 out of 5 stars (not a typo)

Trader Joe's Cocoa Batons: we like 'em. 

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews!