The one-of-a-kind grocery store, Trader Joe’s, recently released their fall and Halloween-themed dishes and snacks. While Trader Joe’s is well known for their unique assortments, low prices and the store’s quirkiness, not all of these treats are worth your money.
The classic, Joe Joe’s cookies hit the shelves again this fall. These are essentially Oreos, but with cookies shaped like jack-o-lanterns and an orange-colored vanilla bean creme filling. This candy is decent, but essentially ripping off an already perfected treat. If you are looking for a gen-z Oreo, this is the cookie for you, but otherwise, Oreos are much more bang for your buck.
On the other hand, the Apple Cider Donuts are delightful. These cake-style donuts are blessed with real apple cider from a family-owned bakery based in Western Massachusetts, topped with cinnamon sugar. These doughy delights are enchanting. They simply melt in your mouth and just taste like autumn. If you want to step it up a level, try heating them up and your mind will be blown. These are a must-buy.
Normally when you read the words “gluten-free” and “bread” on the same product this is a big red flag, however, Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread defies these odds. Since pumpkin is one of the top-tier fruit breads along with banana and cranberry-orange, expectations were quite high, especially without gluten. However, this loaf is dense, but not heavy and very moist, almost making it feel like cake, which it basically is since it’s loaded with sugar, but still very enlightening to eat. A slice of this bread is a great way to start a cool, autumn morning.
Nowadays it seems stores are just lazy come fall time, finding a random product and slapping “pumpkin spice” on the front because they know it will sell. This is how the Pumpkin Spice Espresso Beans felt. First off, what even is a pumpkin spice? And why put it on espresso beans? The only decent thing about this product is they smell quite nice. However, we do not eat with our noses, and these beans taste like a chalky, illmeasured clump of random spices with a coffee bean in the middle, would not recommend.
Once again, Mr. Joe shows he has the tastebuds of a five year old with the Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli. Now doesn’t that sound appetizing? Honey, pumpkin, cheese, and pasta! Four foods that have no business being in the same dish together. This product is an insult to Italy, with a bright orange ravioli that tastes like pig feed with a cheap, mealy blend of cheeses on the inside, its hard to take a second bite. This dish is so clearly terrible, if you need a review to tell you not to purchase it, you have a bigger problem on your hands.
However, it doesn’t stop there! Trader Joe’s has lots of more fall items such as pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cheesecake, caramel apple dipping kits, pumpkin sticky toffee cakes and an assortment of other pumpkin-flavored items. Get out to your local store and try them for yourself!