MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM BETWEEN TWO CHOCOLATE WAFERS
Well, my wife bought these for us to try. All I can say is this… about two days later she told me I had to go buy her another box as she found only one left. I had eaten most of them.
She barely got a chance to eat any of them and she wasn’t too happy about it. OK I confess this was true. I did eat almost all of them. I couldn’t stop myself! These are “Dangerously Good”, as we say in our house.
Basically these are small ice cream sandwiches; with mint chocolate chip ice cream between two chocolate wafers, like an Oreo/Joe Joe’s but these wafers are pretty soft.
The combination of mini and double chocolate inside and out is really good!
Eating just one of these is nigh on impossible, in fact I dare you to try eating just one (you will want another as soon as its finished)
Four of these have 240 calories, so figure one of the mini mouthfuls comes out to 60 calories.
The box goes for $4.49 (15 oz/12 mini ice cream sandwiches)
I would buy these again. (I have to. I ate almost the whole box myself)
This is a “Limited Edition” Trader Joe’s new addition to their cheeses. Trader Joe’s “April 2024 Spotlight Cheese”
A few months ago I saw it and made a note to get it the next day but as luck would have it, the next day I didn’t see it anymore. As they say “Limited Edition”. But after a few months, luckily I saw it appear again yesterday. I grabbed one to try for review. In short, if you are lucky enough to see this cheese in stock, I say Grab One while you can! Its very good!
“Crafted in the style of a Red Leicester, Ivy’s Red is a special edition among Wyke Farm’s variety of Cheddars. It definitely stands out for its burnt-orange color and nutty & fruity notes, which are delivered with a firm texture that is rich, creamy, a bit tangy, and… moreish. All this complexity develops over 12 months of aging, and benefits from the skills of award-winning cheesemakers.”
I loved it and found it delicious. Nutty, tangy, its a slightly crumbly reddish special English cheddar from Somerset, England. Very high quality. The kind of cheese that a high end cheese shop would sell (and probably for a lot more).
I tried it on its own, with a slice of apple and put on my new favorite TJ’s cracker (Savory Square). Just delicious. I can certainly imagine people putting this on a nice cheese board! You can’t go wrong with this.
Trying this for the first time, left me impressed. It is quite good. A very tasty English cheese. Here I find the addition of the onion/chives enhance the cheese, they don’t overpower it.
This is the kind of cheese you might find at an English pub. A semi soft cheese. Neither hard nor soft, its a bit softer than regular cheddar. Speaking of which this is fairly different than regular Cheddar cheese; as a “Gloucester cheese” is its own thing.
I first tasted it on its own, then on some plain crackers and found the flavor really lovely in both cases. Just very tasty. I think this would be great on a cheese plate or cheese board.
Equally nice is the way this cheese melted, which was very easily, as its not very hard to begin with. So this will be great to melt on things and cook with. I put it on a taco and it melted easily and was delicious especially when I let it get little brown. It would be great of course mixed into scrambled eggs. Would this make a great Welsh Rarebit? I think yes, so I intend to try that sometime.
This cheese is going for $10.99/lb, my hunk coming out to about $5. It is an Imported premium cheese, so that is not bad.
Getting near St. Patrick’s Day, I saw two new Irish cheeses in the cheese case at Trader Joe’s.
They looked interesting so I decided to try them.
The first one is called IRISH PORTER CHEDDAR CHEESE. As you can see, it’s got yellow areas mixed with brown areas which I imagine is the porter beer (the brown color makes me think of Guinness though that is technically a stout) Its a nice mild cheddar cheese. I think the porter mellows it out nicely. When you slice this cheese it looks really interesting with a pattern of swirls of brown and yellow.
The second cheese is also a cheese with a little something extra, here an IRISH CHEDDAR CHEESE with Irish Whiskey. This cheddar is a bit more robust than the other one, and this is very tasty too. It has a little more sharpness to it. However to be honest I could not distinguish the taste of whiskey but the cheese has a nice blend of flavors. Maybe a hint of whiskey is in there so very subtle; don’t expect this to taste like a big slug of Jameson’s.
Both of these cheeses were $11.99 a pound; a bit more expensive of course than many other imported cheddar cheese’s such as one my top favorite cheeses at Trader Joe’s: the excellent New Zealand Grass Fed Sharp Cheddar, which is now $6.99 a pound (used to be 5.99)
Still if you want to have some Irish cheese on the table for St. Paddy’s Day you may find either of these Irish cheddar cheeses worth trying. They would be nice on a cheese plate with an assortment of crackers and fruit. Or I imagine would match nicely with some Irish Soda Bread.
I assume these are “Seasonal” cheeses put out around the holiday; they may not be stocked forever, maybe just for a few months?
“Tangy creamy cream cheese speckled with fermented black garlic for unique, earthy, slightly sweet, umami rich flavor.”
Trader Joe’s says: “It’s a tangy cream cheese flecked with savory, fermented Black Garlic throughout, its flavor further bolstered by dried garlic and roasted garlic powder. A generous schmear of the stuff is an instant upgrade to your morning bagel and a delectable dip for crackers, crudités, and roasted Shishito Peppers. It also makes a splendid sandwich spread, and it enlivens everything from pasta sauces to baked potatoes.”
“Umami-rich flavor. A savory shmear for sandwiches, crackers and bagels.”
You may have heard Trader Joe’s new BLACK GARLIC CREAM CHEESE spread. I heard it was really good and a hit, so got some to review.
My take? I’m all in. Yes this black garlic cream cheese spread is delicious. I loved it immediately and found it so good. Full of umami from that mellow black garlic. (something that they used to actually sell fresh)
I put some of this spread on a bagel and topped it with cucumbers and the combo was of course so yummy.
This stuff is going to be great spread on toast, any bread or crackers. I tried it on some rice crackers. Yum. Next, I tried it as a dip for sliced veggies dipping in spears of cucumbers and carrots. This makes a perfect dip for crudités. Dip your baby carrot snacks in a little!
Honestly this is one of those “what wouldn’t this be good on” Trader Joe’s products. I am sure when you taste it you will get a few ideas where to use this. Putting this on Baked Potatoes is one No Brainer. Pasta? Yes, put a spoonful or two into almost any pasta dish and stir it in with a tablespoon of pasta water. Could I thin it with a touch of greek yogurt and serve on the side with a piece of grilled chicken, shrimp or fish? Why not indeed. So experiment away! Take it out and leave at room temp for an hour if want to let it get softer and more spreadable.
Black Garlic Cream Cheese Spread is $2.79 for an 8 oz tub.
I think this is a new dessert, or at least we hadn’t seen it before. MINI CHOCOLATE MOUSSE. Individual tiny chocolate mousse cakes that are Imported from Belgium, where they know a little bit about chocolate!
So rich and yummy. Its a round mini cake consisting of chocolate mousse on top of a shortbread crust base, topped with a dark chocolate ganache. Three layers. These were very delicious and a dessert that will satisfy any discerning Chocoholic (raises his hand). Just heavenly.
Reading the label though, we were all a bit confused by it saying “1 serving per container” as well as “serving size 6 pieces”! What? They think this box is one serving? Now each one is small, only about 3 bites each. I could eat 2 easily. Maybe even 3…. Still I don’t think anyone should eat six. Odd Nutrition label. Still each serving of one piece says its (only) 110 calories. Not bad at all and they are very light as mousse is airy.
These were so good. I would buy them again. Look for these in the Frozen Dessert section.
“A crispy savory and sweet cracker to complement cheeses, dips, and toppings”
Wow, these little Trader Joe’s crackers are just delicious. First off, the texture is great, as they are very well baked and very crunchy, and have both sunflower and flax seeds.
The flavor of these is terrific, just the right amount of both sweet and savory. These are pretty small and delicate. They taste great on their own with nothing on them. You can eat them right out of the box.
However they will be even better if you put something on them. I tried them with cream cheese and loved the combo, then tried them with some Chevre and brie; they will match superbly with any cheese you put on them, or try them with charcuterie too like prosciutto.
These are one of those Trader Joe’s products that you could really impress guests with. Especially one of those cheese boards. Pretty natural sounding ingredients too. These are about $4 / box (5.3 oz)
Another knock it out of the ball park Trader Joe’s item. I would buy them again
This creamy soft log of goat cheese is actually one of my favorite cheeses Trader Joe’s carries. Along with it’s cousin the “honey chevre” log which has a tiny bit of sweetness from honey.
Chevre means goat in French. The cheeses are of course made with goat’s milk. If thought sounds off putting dont worry. TJ’s version is really a very mild, creamy chevre cheese with a light pleasant taste and aroma. The “Honey Chevre” is the same cheese but they’ve added a tiny bit of honey. I really like that version. I would suggest you to buy the Honey Chevre version first, if you’ve never tried any kind of goat cheese before. Goat cheese and some sweetness go so well together which is why chevre is often paired with fruit or coated with chopped cranberries or blueberries, and TJ’s has those fruity coated cheeses too.
These goat cheeses will be a great addition especially for a cheese board, and goat cheese matches wonderfully with fruit. Slice it up and serve with apples or grapes in addition to crackers and a crusty baguette.
TJ’s says “This lovely Chevre is fresh, soft, and unaged – lower in fat, calcium, but higher in vitamin A than cheese from cow’s milk. And with a lower lactose content, makes it more tolerable for many children and elderly people who may have a tougher time processing lactose.
As a side note, TJ’s has one goat log coated with dried herbs. I am not crazy for that one, I just don’t think its as good as these other two as I found the dried herbs had a slightly bitter aftertaste. You can make that yourself fresh chopping up some herbs and rolling the log in them.
If you are lactose intolerant goat milk & cheese is supposed to be easier to digest.
“FRESH CHEESE TOSSED IN PICKLE SPICES – Perfect for snacking on the go, our fresh cheese curds pack a serious squeak and just the right amount of pickle goodness”.
We know that Trader Joe’s loves “all things pickle”, a food trend that TJ’s is quite fond of. One more addition to it is these PICKLE CURDS made in partnership with a cheese producer Beehive Cheese in Utah. These curds are squeaky little nuggets of fresh cheese lightly coated with dill and pickle spices to add extra flavor. They’re simple but tasty especially if you like pickles (raises hand). I can see these being good for a picnic, or just as a snack, or on the go, or even as part of a cheese plate – with some cornichons too of course! Take them out of the fridge before eating as you want these at room temperature. A bag has 4 oz.
You may have heard about how good this $5 cake Trader Joe’s is. It’s terrific. This cake quickly became a famous Trader Joe’s dessert and I have to agree with how good it is.
TJ’s Chocolate Ganache mini sheet cake is really delicious. I am a big chocolate fan and this hits the (chocolate) spot right on the nose and satisfies it. The cake is moist and the frosting is perfect with a rich dark chocolate flavor. I am actually not a big fan of butter cream frosting, which I find too rich and heavy, however this cake has a cream cheese frosting instead of butter frosting and which is perfect. I love it, it’s so good. The only problem I have with the cake is how hard it is to stop eating it.
There is also a vanilla version of the sheet cake, called Chantilly Creme, also with a cream cheese frosting. I’d seen online many people say its also wonderful as well. I still haven’t tried that one yet but both are no doubt worth trying.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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