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.
A reader told me I had to try out this new flavor ice cream Trader Joe’s came out with recently, so I did. All I can say is boy were they right. I thought it was SO good. In fact I believe via social media, the word has gotten out about it and it’s become so popular, it seems to be flying off the shelves. Also it was a Flyer Item. When I recently went to my TJ’s to buy some I was crushed to see just an empty row where it should be.
Fortunately though that might have been my Lucky Day. An employee just happened to be restocking the case with it just at that time, and he saw my crest fallen face looking at the empty shelf. He put a pint in my hand and told me to enjoy it. O frabjous day!
After I tasted some I understood why it’s flying off the shelf. It’s quite good, with a fairly unique flavor concoction that reminds me of something Ben & Jerry would come up with. If you love bananas (raises hand) you may love this. Yes it has some kind of really good banana flavor, and they list actual puréed bananas as the third ingredient listed. The taste does kind of remind you of banana pudding. In addition to some salted caramel swirls it even has tiny bits of vanilla cookie bits (‘Nilla wafers) like banana pudding has. It all blends up very well for a unique, subtle flavor combo.
As good as it was by itself I couldn’t help wonder how it might taste if I added some bananas on top! I cut up 1/2 a banana and added that and yes, super Yum with them. Like a banana, banana split. Trust me and try it with a banana! So good.
Still I did have one problem with this ice cream; It was so good the tiny little pint magically vanished so quickly. I put this ice cream into “dangerously good” category. If it’s in the freezer, I’m going to have a hard time staying away. It’s $3.79 pint (well it is a premium custom seasonal ice cream)
I would buy this again. If I can find it, that is. It was sold out when I went back a few days later. And a few days later again I could not find any in the freezer. So consider yourself lucky if you see this, and grab one. You won’t be sorry. Oh and it’s a “Limited Edition” flavor. So don’t expect to see this forever. Maybe it will be seasonal?
TJ’s says: “Made for us by the same supplier as some of our other (widely celebrated, if we do say so ourselves) seasonal ice cream pints, each bite of Trader Joe’s Banana Pudding Flavored Ice Cream expertly evokes the taste of a classically sweet and creamy banana pudding…We’re not just saying you’ll love it—we’re saying you’ll love it a whole bunch”
Now just in case you can’t find this flavor and want some recommendations for other flavors at Trader Joe’s I’d say you can’t go wrong with the COFFEE BEAN BLAST or MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ice creams.
For a long time I planned to review Trader Joe’s Cottage Cheese (in short, it’s quite good) but frankly I thought I’d be talking to the wind, reviewing an old fogey food that nobody buys anymore except me. I love cottage cheese and usually have some in the fridge.
I was really surprised to read recently that Cottage Cheese is now a thing. Due to lots of people posting on TikTok, cottage cheese has become a viral phenomenon among young people. Especially with their recipes like how to make “cottage cheese toast” (you need a recipe for that. Gotta laugh). So cottage cheese has gone viral? Funny but now I can write a review and offer my “recipe” for Cottage Cheese Toast:
Cottage Cheese Toast: Lightly toast a slice of bread. Spread with a little butter. Top with a good scoop of cottage cheese. I like to sprinkle on seasoning such as TJ’s AJIKA seasoning and black pepper. Or zing it with a little BOMBA or PERI-PERI (cottage cheese is bland) to jazz it up. A little chopped parsley or scallion on top would be great.
Trader Joe’s cottage cheese is very good. I like the Small Curd 4% version but there are other versions like low fat as well as Organic. The small curd one I get went up from $2.49 to $2.99 (1 lb). Strangely TJ’s sells a 2 lb container (twice as much) for only one dollar more ($3.99)! So the big container is a much better deal at $2 per pound. Nutritionally, it contains a whopping amount of protein (12g in a 1/2 cup serving) with only 110 calories (4% cottage cheese).
By the way, I think cottage cheese is great to eat with the super spiced ORGANIC ELOTE CORN CHIPS or CHILI LIME ROLLED CHIPS as a “dip”. The blandish cottage cheese balances out the spices and they make a great combo together. Obviously its easier to eat and scoop with the corn dipper chips than the rolled chips.
This is a very old recipe my mom used to make and it probably comes from my (Jewish) Grandmother a long time back. I assume its probably Eastern European in origin. Its like the inside of a blintz, minus the blintz. Cottage cheese is similar to “farmer’s cheese” which is drier.
RECIPE: BOW TIE NOODLES WITH COTTAGE CHEESE AND CINNAMON SUGAR:
Cook Trader Joe’s Farfalle (bowtie) noodles and when they are done, drain them and put them back in the pot. Turn the heat to the lowest possible setting. Now add a tablespoon or two of butter and then a good amount of powdered cinnamon (a teaspoon). Next add a few teaspoons of good sugar like Organic Sugar or Turbinado or Coconut Sugar. Stir in a cup of cottage cheese, or more if you like. Stir gently until the cheese just so slightly starts to melt into the noodles and everything is well mixed. Eat immediately. This is delicious as a snack or kind of dessert.
These Are So Good! They kind of reminded me of a Creamsicle, but grown up and much better. But rather than orange and vanilla these bars have MANGO and Vanilla, which is just a super combination. The vanilla ice cream on the inside is really good. Surrounding that outside is mango sorbet which has a delicious, intense flavor of mango. These are perfect for Summer but frankly I would want to eat this anytime. If you see these MANGO CREAM BARS I suggest you grab them to try.
Trader Joe’s SPICY HONEY; it’s honey with chili, so obviously sweet and spicy. Make that Quite Spicy!
Now back in 2010, I had first heard of something called “Mike’s Hot Honey” . It created a bit of a buzz in the NYC food scene when it came out. I actually first tasted Mike’s Hot Honey on a delicious pizza from Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint, Brooklyn that Mike had come up working there doing pizzas. His Arugula Pizza with Honey was Mike’s hot honey drizzled over fresh arugula on the pizza after it came out of the oven. The whole thing was just terrific. Also the place (if you can, go try a Paulie Gee’s pizza). Mike was marketing his hot honey (his was made with a Brazilian birdseye chili). Hot Honey began to catch on with chefs. Hot honey became a thing. Other vendors came out with similar products. Trader Joe’s jumped on the hot honey bandwagon too a few years ago. They came up with what they call “Spicy Honey”. TJ’s spicy honey is quite good. It’s quite spicy as I said so you use it sparingly, just drizzles of it at the end on something. Interestingly I just realized as I had a bottle Trader Joe’s first sold it in an 8 oz container and the sold it for I think $3. Recently they increased both the price and the size. Its now 12 oz for $5. It’s Organic too I think. This is really Terrific if you’re into Sweet and Savory. I drizzled some on my Japanese Curry Rice last night, perfect addition.
“From something as simple as a baked sweet potato to something as rich as a slice of New York Cheesecake, a drizzling of Organic Spicy Honey Sauce instantly gives anything it’s added to an extra element of complexity. Try it on sandwiches, pizza, or shrimp tacos for an elevated everyday eating experience. Give it a go over pan-fried Gnocchi, roasted carrots, or barbecued meat skewers for a bit of gourmet experimentation…”
If you’ve never heard of it before, “horchata” is a beloved and famous Mexican drink. It’s made from milk, rice, water and cinnamon and super refreshing served ice cold on a hot day. I didn’t know of horchata until I first visited Mexico years ago. I absolutely fell in love with it with my first sip.
Well this new ice cream from Trader Joe’s is “inspired” by this Mexican drink. They say its a “sweet cinnamon and rice ice cream with horchata flavored cookie pieces”. The little pieces add little bits of crunchiness in the smooth ice cream. I found TJ’s new flavor to be quite good. In fact, our pint went pretty fast! Here’s what TJ’s has to say….
“The popular Latin American beverage called horchata [or-cha-ta] is creamy and sweet, like ice cream. With no good excuse not to, we decided to take it all the way there—from smooth beverage to frozen dessert! Trader Joe’s Horchata Inspired Ice Cream delivers all the delicious flavors of horchata in every spoonful.
Like many ice creams, its rich base includes cream, milk, egg yolks, and cane sugar. We horchatized it by adding cinnamon and brown rice flour, plus a touch of sea salt. And since inclusions are fun, we also added pieces of horchata-flavored cookies, contributing a nice textural variation.”
I really liked this blueberry preserve Trader Joe’s has come out with, which uses wild organic blueberries from “the Canadian Boreal Forest“. It has an intense and delicious flavor of wild blueberries which are much smaller than cultivated ones. It’s very tasty though I found it a bit on the sweet side, borderline overly sweet, so what I like to do with jams I find too sweet is tame down the sweetness with some lemon juice. I added the juice of about a 1/4 of a fresh lemon into the jar and mixed it in. That did the trick for me, cutting down the sweetness with some more acid and adding a very nice subtle lemon undertone. It made it even better and really improved the whole thing. So my recommendation is buy a lemon with this jam (if you didn’t have one already in the fridge).
TIP: after adding the lemon juice I add a little piece of the lemon rind and throw that it in to the jam for even more flavor from the rind’s oil. Just push it to the bottom.
The Organic Wild Blueberry Preserve is $4.49 for a 17.5 oz jar. Not cheap but then it is Certified Organic and taste-wise I would say this stuff is certainly a Gourmet Level jam. Probably elsewhere (say Whole Paycheck?) a similar one would probably go for more like six or seven dollars. Try this on just about anything but I really think it would be heavenly on a slice of TJ’s Sliced Brioche bread, toasted with butter, spread with the blueberry preserves. Ditto on an English Muffin, toasted Crumpet or on your pancakes….
Trader Joe’s says: “Our supplier takes wild, organic blueberries, harvested from the Canadian Boreal Forest, and simmers them with organic cane sugar to complement their pleasantly tart and rich blueberry flavor.”
You may have heard of this super popular “recipe” if you can call it that, which is all over the internet. It makes a healthy snack or dessert. Basically there are actually two ingredients: chia seeds and almond milk (or whatever “milk” you want). Here ya go.
RECIPE: CHIA SEED PUDDING
In a glass or small jar, put about 2 tablespoon of TJ’s chia seeds. Next add about 1/2 cup of any kind of milk beverage (like almond milk). Give it a little stir. There are no rules that you must use almond milk, just use whatever you like best. Me, I alternate all the time between OAT, ALMOND or SOY MILK depending on my mood. Option: Add a bit of honey or any of your preferred sweetener (agave, maple syrup) and stir that in. While optional it does add some flavor and if you have kids you must use something like that. All you do now is wait for it to thicken so put it in the fridge and let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least about 30-60 minutes but it sets up best if you let it sit for 8-12 hours or overnight. When ready to serve put some fruit on top, or even something crunchy like Granola.
Chia seed pudding is super easy to make and of course very healthy. Now there is no rule that you can’t have use more ingredients and include a few other things. I usually mix in some yogurt or kefir too with the oat milk and sometimes add a few dried fruits like dried cranberries in. Basically figure about 1/2 cup of liquid to about 2 tablespoon of the chia seeds. If that is too thick (or not thick enough) adjust with more or less chia seeds until you get the consistency you, or your kids, prefer. This is a great snack.
“CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY SWIRL” (NEW PRODUCT) An excellent new addition to Trader Joe’s ice creams containing two flavors which are so perfect together, namely chocolate ice cream plus an intense raspberry sorbet, both swirled together into one super tasty treat. This stuff is so delicious. Super gourmet premium ice cream/sorbet. Its $3.99 a pint.
“A chewy-flaky dough filled with a lusciously gooey cinnamon filling”
Here’s one more Korean item Trader Joe’s added in 2022; “SWEET CINNAMON FILLED KOREAN PANCAKES” known in Korean as “HOTTEOK“. In Seoul, they’re a common snack sold from stalls in the street. People really enjoy eating them on a cold winter day. Trader Joe’s has come up with a frozen version which all you need to to do is heat up in a pan and enjoy. I cooked them as recommended in a pan on the stove with no added oil, until they were golden brown and delicious. They look really good as you can see. I found them to be quite tasty. They were flaky and had a nice filling with cinnamon and brown sugar. I thought there might be some red bean paste in there but but reading the package I can see theres some sweet potato in the filling. So while I enjoyed these I’ve never tasted a real one and my wife (who’s Korean) on the other hand told me they were just so-so and not at all as good as ones you would get at some street stall in Seoul made by the Hotteok lady vendors. I don’t doubt that but at $4.50 for a package (of 4 pancakes) these are at least a lot easier and cheaper than booking a flight to Seoul. These might even make you want to go get some real ones some day in person. I know I would watching the lady make them in video below.
Trader Joe’s and folks on the internet suggest putting ice cream inside them. I didn’t try it but imagine it would be good. Again my wife, poo-poo’ed this saying that’s not authentic. I say try these yourself and decide. They make a slightly unusual and interesting dessert or snack. And if you’re ambitious enough to want to try to make them yourself, here’s a recipe…. and a TIP: eat them carefully, the inside is lava HOT so let them cool slightly!
Trader Joe’s site has a “Limited” sign on the picture so I expect these may not last forever. If you want to try them, do sooner rather than later.
“When strolling through the streets of Seoul on a still, chilly morning, among the many sights to see, you may encounter the scent of fresh hotteok being served straight from the grills and fry pans of street vendors….”
They are interesting to watch getting made…. I bet they are really good. They are huge too.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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