What happened when 10 of my friends tried 44 of Trader Joe’s Christmas/Holiday exclusives? What a night!
Tasting is believing, and that’s exactly what we did! I had a party and invited over my friends to try 44 items ranging from savory to sweet. (By the way, 44 is my lucky number so the night could only be awesome!)
But first, let’s go back to the idea. I feel like a kid in a candy shop walking into Trader Joe’s at the holidays; treats and surprises around every corner. Kind of like a scavenger hunt too! I wanted to try it all, so I started putting everything I saw that wasn’t usually there into my cart…peppermint this… chocolate that. I knew there was more, though, the not-so-obvious items that were there temporarily. Appetizers and gifts and more. So, I sought out the manager at my local store to see if he could help. His name is Ian Alsen, and I owe him huge thanks. Ian was kind enough to walk me though the entire store AISLE BY AISLE, and show me all the items that are seasonal and that will disappear soon, or most likely will sell out before the end of the season. We even looked at their unique selection of gift items…and I have info on all of those too. I started to wonder what fills up these shelves when it’s not holiday season there were so many options; but that’s a puzzle to solve after the holidays are over…
Even my dogs got in on the tasting. They tasted the dog treats and every night they have so much fun with their doggie Advent calendar. Their opinion: they LoVE Trader Joe’s!
What we didn’t try the night of the party – there’s only so much we can eat, right?? – I listed on the free printable at the end of this post, so you have the most complete list of their offerings.
So here goes, and since there are so many items to review, I’ll list the top 10 right off the bat.
Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom to get your printout to take with you!
In no particular order….10 favorites with sound bites from the tasting party reviewers:
1. Vegetable Pouches (appetizer) – out of all the appetizers we tried new (not including the tried and true brie in puff pastry, which is a holiday must), these were the best and least fragile of the seasonal appetizers. Kind of a veggie egg roll taste, most of the comments were that it would be even better with a sweet and sour sauce on the side.
2. Mini Peppermint Ice Cream Cones – approximately 4 bites of pure joy. One of our tasters said “I don’t like peppermint and these are good!” The rest of the year TJs has other flavors, but grab this holiday delight while you can.
3. Mini Cheesecakes – Creamy, delicious and pretty bites of cheesecake. 3 holiday flavors per box: Maple Vanilla, Gingersnap Spice, and Peppermint. Yum!
4. Dark Chocolate Marshmallows – deemed “dangerous” by our tasting crew. Use them for hot chocolate, in your coffee, or as is!
5. Slicing Brie – we’ve all made a mess of that brie round trying to put some on a cracker. Who knew we needed this, but we do! Just slice it and it fits perfectly on your cracker. Super creamy and tasty. And for rind haters like me….way easier than cutting off the rind.
6. Antipasto Assortment – all ready to go with 2 salamis, my favorite unexpected cheddar, and ripe olives. One of my guests pointed out that this would be perfect to quickly put out for a small gathering or grab couple for a lager crowd.
7. Roasted Creamy Cauliflower and Onion Dip – a great warm veggie appetizer: microwave and serve. Would be good on mini pumpernickel bread slices or chips. It pleased the crowd because it was a little different with the cauliflower. (Check ingredients, not sure if it’s purely vegetarian.)
8. Scandinavian Tidings Gummy Candies – Wow, just WOW on these! I almost didn’t open them for sampling because all gummies taste the same, right? Wrong! These are soft and oh so sweet, more like a fruit snack taste than a gummy. Everyone said the same thing when they tried one and listed it as one of their favorite tastings. The cute ornaments, trees and stars are an added bonus. Do they have them in a Valentine’s Day version?
9. Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe’s – the entire cookie selection was AMAZING but the Dark Chocolate Covered Joe-Joe’s took the prize. Super decadent, and worth every calorie! There’s even a gift box of a variety of Dark Chocolate Joe-Joe’s – check them out on the Trader Joe gift list.
10. Mini Dark Chocolate Covered Mint Stars – I’m not sure why, but I love things that come in “mini” sizes and so did most of the crew. Kind of like how puppies are so cute when they are small. LOL. These have inspired many Pinterest recipes, because the cute little stars are a perfect topping for cookies and cakes. They taste like a thin mint, sort of, maybe better!
That was our top 10 but there is sooooooo much more! Here’s some quick notes on the other 34 items that we tasted. Don’t forget to check out the printable list of ALL the holiday findings including Trader Joe’s Gift Ideas at the bottom of the page.
Gluten Free Candy Cane Joe-Joes – Nice flavor, not as crunchy as regular ones which are also available.
Hold the Corn Appetizer – cone has a nest-like, crunchy texture. They were described as festive too. Here Allie, from the Girlfriend-Connection, takes a bite.
Fondue – traditional Swiss with Ementhal flavor so you need to like that. Way easier than making your own.
Mini Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti – survey says, so good and would be even better with cup of coffee.
Peppermint Bark Popcorn – sweet and salty and good for a holiday snack. The group seemed to thing the texture was a bit off.
Pistachio Pomegrante Crisps – sweet and savory. Tastes great with some slicing brie (above) or cream cheese. Fun holiday addition to your charcuterie board.
Mini Gingerbread Men – MINI. GINGERBREAD MEN. CRUNCHY. YUM!
Peppermint Meringues – light and airy, fun to eat.
Pferrernusse Spiced Cookies – tiny spiced cookies popular in Denmark, Netherlands, and Germany. Didn’t quite tickle our taste buds.
Ginger Snowball Cookies – liked by the crowd; described as chewy and crunchy, buttery.
Step up to the Snack Bar – well it’s gone already I couldn’t stop eating it. A sweet and salty mix that includes honey roasted peanuts and mustard pretzels among several other crunchy delights. The only reason this didn’t make the top ten is not everyone tried it.
Over the River Snack Mix – all the tasters loved the unique combo of the dried cranberries and the pumpkin pie spiced pistachios, plus white and dark chocolate and other goodies, oh my!
Nuts about Rosemary Snack Mix – a blend of pecans, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews with sweet and salty rosemary – lots of rosemary flavor.
Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Cremes- the crew said “like a peppermint patty on steroids”. An ooey gooey chocolate minty delight. 
Pastry Bites with Feta Cheese and Caramelized Onion – The consensus was, very creamy cheesy oniony and rich.
French Onion Soup Bites – is it soup? Is it an appetizer? A taste of Paris in a bite sized morsel.
Cornbread Bites – Mushy rather than dry and crumbly. Another one to let cool a bit before serving. It also has a little kick to it.
Camembert Cheese and Cranberry Sauce Fillo Bites – Camembert cheese is a strong cheese so the group was split on this appetizer. Great mix of savory and sweet for those who loved the cheese.
Pimento Cheese Puffs – these had bacon in them as a yummy accent and had a little “kick”. They were a little hard to get out of the tray so make sure to let them cool enough before attempting.
Gingerbread Crisps – Is it a cookie or a cracker; it’s kind of both? Not a fan favorite but very original.
Mini Marshmallows – soft and full of flavor. Add them to your hot chocolate or pop them in your mouth as is!
Marzipanstollen – a type of German fruit bread it is said best to eat with some butter or jam. Liked by our tasters, one commented “delightful”. Some can’t celebrate the holidays without it. In large and mini sizes.
