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

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

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Happy Happy Happy (cookies)

I love happy. I strive for happy.
(Although, as I was stuck in traffic yesterday, HAPPY was a definite struggle.)


These cookies are HAPPY. {Start humming Pharrell Williams here; better yet...let's all watch the video. I'd like to live in there.}


It's funny...for a girl who has probably 500+ cookie cutters, I was stuck with a capital S when deciding on cookies to make for a bake sale. Some dear friends of ours are heading to Haiti on a mission trip over spring break and a bake sale was part of their fundraising efforts. I signed up to make 4 dozen cookies and couldn't think of a single design.


What to make? What to make? My fallback cookies are hearts, but the bake sale was right after Valentine's Day and I didn't want people to think they were leftovers. (You could probably say that I over-think things.)


I looked though my cookie archives (which I desperately need to update), I scoured Pinterest, I spent DAYS thinking about what cookie to make. Clearly, I need more hobbies. Anyhoo...I started looking at invitation and stationery websites because I think they always have pretty and modern design ideas. On Minted, I came across this set of garden party decor, and BINGO, inspiration.

I originally planned for only the white with dots and the solid pink cookies, but then I could tell I was running low on white icing and this happened...

Here's what you'll need to make some Happy Cookies that would make Pharrell proud:

• the perfect cut-out cookie recipe
• cookie cutters: circles, squares, whatever. I really like scalloped cookie cutters. You can find some here and here. 
• royal icing
• gel/paste food coloring: Bright White, Turquoise, Electric Pink, Super Red, Egg Yellow, Avocado
• disposable icing bags
• squeeze bottles
• couplers and icing tips: #2, #3, #1, #14 star, and #349 leaf

The cookies were outlined with a #2 tip and white icing. Then, they were flooded with thinned icing. To thin icing for flooding, add water a bit at a time, until it is the consistency of maple syrup. Stir gently with a silicone spatula. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and fill in the outlines.

For the dots, thinned icing was dropped right on top of the wet base coat. See this post for more details.


To make the flowers:

• big roses: pipe a swirl using the #14 star tip 
• rose buds: pipe a dot with a #3 tip. Use a #1 tip to add a swirl on top
• leaves: use a #349 leaf tip. Practice on a plate of sheet of waxed paper first, releasing the pressure on the piping bag as you pull out and away. 

Always let cookies dry 6-8 hours or overnight UNCOVERED. 

I think these are my new go-to when I can't think of any other cookie designs to make. :)

Hoping your day is filled with a big dose of HAPPY! ♥

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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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Crunchy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Can we talk? (< homage to Joan Rivers)

A crunchy oatmeal raisin cookie is one of the few cookies I can easily turn down. A chewy oatmeal cookie, a soft oatmeal cookie, a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie...sign me up, but crunchy? No.

These cookies, however, are not for me. They're for my dad. Remember for Christmas I promised to make him one batch of oatmeal cookies each month?

For these cookies, I started with a recipe I knew would be good...it's from King Arthur Flour, and I find I can always count on their recipes. I played with the amount of oats, and added in some oat flour for extra oat-iness. I also traded some of the brown sugar for white to make these extra crunchy.


As I was making them, I nibbled on quite a bit of the cookie dough. Practically like eating a bowl of oatmeal, right? The cookies, I wasn't so sure about. Like I said, crunchy oatmeal raisin cookies are not my cup of tea.

The day I made them, Mr. E and I were like ships passing in the night. As he was coming in from work, I was heading out of the door. I gave him strict instructions, "eat some of those cookies and tell me what you think."

When I came home later that night, he said, "those cookies? I ate 5 of them." He told me that he loved them so much that he didn't even slow down eating them to pour of cup of milk.

Well...there you go. I guess these are manly cookies. Rugged, craggy, crunchy...definitely not the puffy, soft, pretty, or gooey cookies I'd normally prefer.

Dad, I hope you approve.

Crunchy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

{makes a lot, adapted from King Arthur Flour}

2 & 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment.

Stir together the oats, flours, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugars, butter, and shortening until combined and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

On low speed, add in the flour/oat mixture, then add in the raisins and pecans. Mix on low just until combined.

Scoop onto cookie sheets and flatten the dough using the bottom of a juice glass. (Dip the bottom of the glass in flour first.) For 2-teaspoon scoops, bake for 18 minutes. For 2-tablespoon scoops, bake for 20 minutes. (I made some of each.)

Remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Are you a fan of the crunchy oatmeal raisin cookie?

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Oui! Oui! Let's go to Paris!

{Please tell me that you pronounced that PARE-EE.}



I've spent many of my cookie decorating years with a deep-seated fear.
The fear of the Eiffel Tower Cookie.


I mean, it's big, and detailed, and involves lots of diagonal lines. Piping diagonal lines well is not a gift that God bestowed upon me. It's ok...I'm still gifted at EATING cookies with diagonal lines, so there's that.


So, we "adopted" kiddo's French teacher for dinner one night recently. During one designated week at school, each faculty member's family gets adopted and a school family will drop dinner off for them one night.


I knew immediately that cookies would be part of the deal. Madame Bracht helped me with the French names for flowers in writing Decorating Cookies Party.

I also knew that it was time for me to face my fears...the tower of cookie decorating terror, er, the Eiffel Tower.


Things didn't go well when I started with pictures of the actual Eiffel Tower. Then, I found this drawing. I loved that it was still the Eiffel Tower, but it was a little whimsical. It had a few scallops and the x's weren't perfect. It was exactly what I needed for inspiration.

Here's what you'll need to make your own Paris Cookie set:

• the perfect cut-out cookie recipe
• cookie cutters: Eiffel Tower, heart (you can find these most anywhere), and poodle
• royal icing
• gel/paste food coloring:  I chose Ivory, then mixed a little ivory in with Soft Pink and Turquoise for soft, muted shades. I also used Super Black. 
• disposable icing bags
• squeeze bottles
• couplers and icing tips
• sanding sugar for the poodles

The cookies were outlined, then flooded with thinned icing. To thin icing for flooding, add water a bit at a time, until it is the consistency of maple syrup. Stir gently with a silicone spatula. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and fill in the outlines.

Once dried, the details were added...for the Eiffel Tower details, the details were piped with a #1 tip. 

For step-by-step instructions for decorating the poodle cookies, click here. (Old post, but decorated in the same manner.) 

Even without the other cookies, I love these hearts. A heart cookie with a black outline is one of my favorites. 

Is there a cookie design that is scaring you? I say, go ahead and try. Look for the whimsical, not-so-literal translation. Remember...it's just a cookie!

Bonjour, mon cherie!

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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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In tribute to Mr. Ferrero, King of Nutella

You may have heard that Michele Ferrero, father of Nutella, passed away on Valentine's Day. Fitting since, via Nutella, he really was a valentine to us all. ♥


Apparently, Mr. Ferrero's father began combining hazelnuts and chocolate during World War II when cocoa was in short supply and hazelnuts were plentiful. His son, Michele, was credited for making the mixture more spreadable and coining the name Nutella in 1964. (Same year Mr. E was born...it was a good year.)


In tribute, I thought I'd revisit one of my favorite Nutella concoctions here on the blog, Nutella-Filled Banana Muffins. Maybe they're one of my favorites because the dose of Nutella is in its pure form...not mixed, not baked...the perfect dose of chocolate-hazelnut goodness. It makes these the best banana muffins ever.


Nutella at breakfast makes any morning a good morning.
(You can quote me on that.)


Here's the low-down:  the mashed bananas keep the muffins soft and moist, the salted butter and kosher salt give a double-shot of salty to the sweet, the nutmeg & cloves add just a bit of spice and interest, and the Nutella?  Well, it pushes the delicious factor over the top.


Want to make them?  Yes, yes you do.  Here's how...

Nutella-filled Banana Muffins

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup Nutella

instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Line 12 regular size muffin tins with liners and lightly spray with cooking spray (this will keep the muffins from pulling away with the liners).  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.


{Don't you love freshly grated nutmeg?  If you never tried it, do.  you don't even need a fancy-schmancy microplane....the small holes on your grater will do.}

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, mashed banana, and milk.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.

With a silicone spatula, gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet.  Divide the batter into the 12 muffins tins.  Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Place on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove from the tin to cool completely.


Meanwhile, spoon the Nutella into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip. (I used a Wilton 4B.) Once the muffins are cooled, poke the tip into the center of each muffin.  Fill until you see the muffin expand a bit and, while squeezing, pull the tip up and out of the muffin.

DEVOUR.

*this recipe first appeared on the blog in 2012 and has become a family favorite. 

Thank you, Mr. Ferrero! ♥ 

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