“8 Mini Ice Cream Cones filled with rich vanilla ice cream and a chocolate coating”
Who hasn’t heard of these yet? Well, just in case you haven’t, these little mini ice cream cones dipped in chocolate that Trader Joe’s came out with are Da Bomb. These are SO GOOD! Not to mention so popular. They seem to fly off the shelves. As you can see in the photo I took when I went to buy them there was an almost empty shelf but luckily there still were a few boxes left so I could get one to try out for review. I got the vanilla but I’m sure all are as good.
They are small mini cones, kind of a perfect size when you are in the mood for a little ice cream snack. One is maybe about 5 or 6 bites. You could easily eat two or three! Even if you did eat three, according to the box that would be 260 calories, not too crazy bad.
The chocolate covering is not super thin, nor too thick, it’s just thick enough (ok its not Dove Bar thick) so you do get some very good chocolate with the first few bites, and the chocolate is good. The combo is so tasty matched with the all three elements: ice cream, chocolate coating plus the tasty cone it is in.
One thing I especially liked about these is that you get some ice cream all the way down to the very bottom of the cone which really makes these good till the last bite. Another huge improvement? They now are seeming to pour a little chocolate in the very bottom of the cone. This acts as a “stopper” and helps the ice cream not melt out through the bottom.
These MINI CONES really became popular fast. They may be Trader Joe’s most popular dessert item now. They’ve come out with and added a number of flavors besides the original (Vanilla) one so now you will see a few flavors like Strawberry, Mint and Chocolate…
If you haven’t tried these yet – and you can find them – be sure to check them out. You can not go wrong with these yummy treats.
“BROWN BUTTER ICE CREAM WITH COCOLATEY COVERED TOFFEE PIECES AND ALMONDS”
This ice cream is a “seasonal, holiday” limited edition flavor, which probably means you will only see it around Thanksgiving to New Years)
Here’s what Trader Joe’s says about it:
“When we set out to create this latest addition to our seasonal ice cream lineup, we could have very well started and ended by just adding bits of crunchy English toffee to something plain and simple, like chocolate or vanilla— English toffee is more than delicious enough to work on its own. But that’s not what we did. We decided, instead, to go the extra mile of adding bits of chocolatey-coated toffee and almonds to a rich, remarkably full-flavored base of brown butter ice cream. As a result, Trader Joe’s English Toffee Ice Cream is something even greater than a celebration of Toffee—it’s a symphony of sweet, buttery flavors, a revel of roasty, toasty, nuttiness, and a carnival of all things caramel-y in each and every spoonful.”
My review of this is this new limited edition ice cream that Trader Joe’s is it’s good. Very yummy stuff if however pretty sweet, but let’s face it toffee is pretty sweet.
If you are a fan of toffee you will probably love this. They did a great job recreating that taste. I really like this but as it is so rich and sweet I ate this in smaller amounts than I might usually go for. As opposed to lets say the famed Coffee Bean Blast ice cream where if I didn’t make sure and stop myself, I could probably devour a whole pint a sitting! So maybe this is a good thing with the English Toffee ice cream treat as I might more easily self limit themselves with this stuff!
I especially liked the English Toffee Ice Cream best when I paired it with some fruit especially bananas, kind of banana split, just the ice cream on top of sliced banana. This combo was a great match and cut down some of the richness so if you get this, try that combo. Or with some other fruit.
This ice cream is quite sweet but delicious, just don’t eat a whole pint by yourself.
Though this is called “Soft”, rest assured it is not squishy soft. It has a nice crumb with a little structure. In other words don’t mistake the word “soft” here for something like squishy Wonder Bread soft. This is a high quality white bread.
I found this to be a very decent sliced white bread. For one thing, its just great for toast. Looking over the ingredient list one sees that it is fairly short and natural sounding, with no chemical names, no preservatives, no “conditioners”. All organic stuff. Has a little molasses and sesame.
The bread was best I think when I lightly toasted it, or at least slightly warmed it up, which let’s face it, applies to most any bread as far as I’m concerned. Warmed bread always tastes better. One of the reasons I always have a flat cast iron skillet on the stove.
This made nice toast, spread with butter and jam. It was particularly good when we used it to make your typical “egg in a hole”. You know… Cut out a hole using a with a small glass. Toss a nice hunk of butter in a pan, then toast one side till golden brown. Flip it over and carefully drop an egg in that hole. Add salt and pepper and let cook for a few minutes until your desired level of runiness, which in my case is pretty runny. My wife on the other hand likes hers cooked “well done” which I find a total waste as my favorite part is slicing open the yolk with my knife on my plate to let that lovely yolk ooze all over the place. Ha ha! I bet you want one of those right now after reading this don’t you!?
$3.49 loaf (24 oz) This bread is pretty good, priced fairly well, and I would say certainly worth a try if you want some “white bread” for sandwiches, toast and the like.
These would be great on your next cheese plate or charcuterie board. Or any time you want a good cracker!
My wife got these for us to try out. In short, we found these really tasty and quite good.
The box has 3 packs of crackers. Size wise perhaps a tiny bit bigger than your typical Ritz cracker? They have enough room for whatever you are putting on them. They are a bit delicate. I would spread things on these gently so you don’t break them. Or for example let things like butter or cream cheese or spreads come to room temp.
There are 3 kinds of crackers with different flavors. They are wrapped in plastic. I would love if they still used used wax paper for wrapping crackers like the old days (Ritz). Wax paper is really easy to re-wrap once you open a pack but no biggie really, a Twisty will suffice.
SCALLOPED CRACKER TRIO REVIEWED
Flavor one – Rosemary. These had a very nice smell of rosemary, delicate though, not overpowering, which added a nice back note to whatever you put on it. We LOVED these!
Another package holds crackers with a reddish tinge, which is of course the RED CHILI cracker. A tad spicy but not very spicy. We didn’t think these would classify as “hot” to most people (except for one cracker in the pack which seemed to have more spice on it than others). We thought these were just a wee bit spicy, again not overpowering, just adding a tiny and tasty heat which went well with everything we tried it with. Great for dips I think.
The last flavor was a Garlic cracker. While fine, we both thought these were the least special flavor of the 3 kinds. Again fine, but these just didn’t stand out like the other two.
Overall, I would say the trio of crackers was nice. Very tasty. Of course we tried all of them crackers with a variety of cheeses and anything we could fine in the fridge and we liked every combination of crackers plus cheeses we tried.
I would say you these are well worth adding to your your list of the choices at of so many delicious crackers Trader Joe’s carries. Lets face it TJ’s has so many temptations in the cracker department, so many of them excellent! Talking about you OLIVE FLATS!
Scalloped Crackers Trio – $3.99 (16.4 oz)
Six crackers have 120 calories (and boy are six easy for me to eat, and thats before they get the cheese on them!)
“SPRING MIX, UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR, APPLE CINNAMON CHIPS AND PECANS WITH AN APPLE VINAIGRETTE” (THIS IS SEASONAL)
Some of Trader Joe’s prepared salads are are bit hit or miss. With this (seasonal) Harvest Apple salad however both of us were impressed. We found it quite good, so I’m going with calling this one a HIT.
Trader Joe’s has this around the Holidays like its a bit special, and we thought it was a bit special due to the included additions. Inside with the lettuce are some little plastic bags with dressing and the additions to add, specifically some apple chips, some unexpected grated cheddar and some pecans, all staying crunchy wrapped up. It’s these 3 additions plus the dressing which really made this into something a bit special. So good I can imagine you might think this came out of a special salad place or restaurant kitchen, where they would easily charge you about three times the price of this one which is four dollars.
I found the dried apple crisps were the special component here. I really loved those. The apple chips added a nice texture and taste to the greens for contrast. The pecans were excellent as well. There aren’t a ton of nuts here but as with most TJ’s stuff, just enough. Not a ton of grated unexpected cheddar either but this cheddar does add a nice taste (Next time I would add more, just grate up a hunk of that yummy Unexpected Cheddar )
Dressing: I liked the included “apple vinaigrette” which matches well with all the other ingredients. Additions you could add? This would be even better with a bit of cut up fresh apple. Maybe some dried cranberries?
TJ’s calls this salad “seasonal” meaning you will see it around the Holidays starting pre-Thanksgiving through Xmas or so. Meaning this would be great for some guests/fancy up a dinner and of course all it requires is putting the stuff in a bowl!
In addition to being “just a salad” this would be good for “beefing it up” into something more substantial by topping it with most any protein. Perhaps slices of chicken or steak, or baked tofu for that matter, or additional cheese, if you wanted to make this into a protein with salad thing.
(packets here, half used)
Trader Joe’s HARVEST APPLE SALAD kit, $3.99. I’d say one bag is about enough for about 2 people as part of a dinner. Or one salad lover. Again, add some sliced chicken on top of this and you could make this a nice balanced lunch or dinner.
TIP: with any of these pre-packed salads I always find these soft lettuces go bad pretty quickly, after 2 or 3 days, so use them asap. I always pierce the bags with a knife when I get home to make a few airs holes which I think adds a little more shelf life. Or open bag and put in a paper towel to absorb moisture and stay fresher longer. Also check for any odd bad leaves. One mushy leaf will make them all go bad fast.
For year I’ve been buying the little cans of anchovies in olive oil at Trader Joe’s, sold in a yellow can under the famous Italian-American “CENTO” brand for as long as I can remember. I try to always have at least one can in the pantry, as anchovies are so useful for cooking (trust me)
Today I saw that those yellow cans of anchovies come in a new can now sold under the TJ brand: “Trader Joe’s Anchovy Fillets In Olive Oil”. Even the sign below them not only says “Cento” they even wrote the (R symbol – for registered trademark)! Perhaps they just didn’t get around to changing the sign. I think they had a price increase from $1.49 to $1.79.
(and now $1.99 I think! Summer 2025)
In any case, anchovy fillets are great to have in the pantry. Have a least one there for whenever you need it.
Anchovies can add a ton of flavor to many dishes. They are just full of UMAMI. Even the Romans used them (well as garum) a kind of fish sauce made from anchovies, just like Thai Nam Pla fish sauce.
Don’t be afraid of anchovies. They’re an amazing ingredient. For example when you have “nothing for dinner”, just go in the pantry. Grab a package of spaghetti or capellini and a can of these anchovies. Start with 3-4 cloves of garlic, chop and toss in your pan, then pour in 2 tbls olive oil and let that sauté for minute. Now add in a can of anchovies (or half a can if this is your first time). Crush them up with a spoon. As they cook they will dissolve into your anchovy garlic pasta sauce. Toss in your pasta (undercook it two minutes) and a 1/2 ladle of the pasta water and let it come together mixing it well for a minute or so. Cook for a minute plus or until just al dente. Add chopped parsley, maybe some toasted breadcrumbs or panko. A squeeze of lemon. Voila a yummy dinner. Your welcome!
Anchovies match incredibly well with tomatoes and especially tomato sauce. Want to add something special to your jar of store bought sauce which will give it a ton of flavor and make it taste homemade? Try smashing a few anchovy fillets up with a knife into a paste and toss that into your sauce on the stove. Let them mellow for 5-10 mins on a simmer.
TIP: If I just use a few fillets from the can don’t use the whole can up I put the left over anchovies in a little glass jar. Cover with oil. They will last a month or two in the fridge.
Here is a recipe I found on the TJ website for UMAMI DRESSING using a can of anchovies.
Umami Dressing
1 package Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil, drained and diced
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
Juice from two Lemons
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp EVOO
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper or to taste
In a medium bowl, mash the anchovies and garlic with a fork to form a paste. Add the lemon juice and mustard and stir until well incorporated. Slowly whisk in oil until it starts to emulsify. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Makes about 1 cup of dressing. Serving ideas: over bitter greens (radicchio, kale, arugula, Belgian endives) with freshly grated Parmesan, dress a Niçoise salad or as a dip for crusty bread
By the way, looking closely at the two cans, I see the yellow ones say Product of Morocco. The green ones say Product of Albania —
(google) “Albanian anchovies, particularly those sourced from the Adriatic Sea, are known for their high quality and are a popular culinary ingredient. Albania is a major exporter of fresh and processed anchovies, with some anchovy products being processed in Albania from anchovies caught in the Cantabrian Sea”
“Trader Joe’s Wheat Crisp Crackers will tantalize your taste buds with an addictive crunchy wheat flavor. They will hold up to your favorite cheese, dips, or peanut butter. But most folks don’t wait for the topping, they’re great for snacking right from the box.”
RAVE
I am a huge fan of WHEAT THINS, a well known cracker made by NABISCO which has been around forever. Well make that since 1947. Since I was a little kid we almost always had Nabisco Wheat Thins in the house as they were Dad’s Numero Uno favorite cracker. They became one of my favorites too. So when I saw these I said to myself, these look like Wheat Thins! I have to try them.
Trader Joe’s WHEAT CRISP CRACKERS to me seem to be TJ’s version of the classic cracker. All I can say is these new crackers taste really good to me. They have a lovely wheat-y taste from whole wheat, which is listed as the second ingredient.
Even if you never had the original, these are well worth trying. These are just good all around crackers. Since I grew up eating the original and just love them I could not resist wanting to try TJ’s version of them. Walking back home from the store, I stopped and decided I had to try them RIGHT NOW. I put my stuff I was carrying on a park bench and opened up the box. I could not wait to taste these.
So are what I think of as Trader Joe’s version of Wheat Thins good? A big yes! I found them really good. I meanI pretty much could not stop eating them right out the box on the street. After about a half dozen, I had to stop myself and put the box away.
When I got home, I’d say things got even better of course when I tested them out with something on top of them.
For instance, how about cheese? These were especially terrific with cheese. They were of course yummy with TJ’s excellent, and very properly British, English Coastal Cheddar which I recently gave a big thumbs up. The crackers were good even with just plain old cottage cheese, as well as good with peanut butter, and honestly whatever else I found that I could put on them.
These are as the name say thin. Crunchy, with a nice whole wheat flavor. Small, one bite sized. Just made to be devoured. Well baked. The edges are a bit darker then the middle. Perfectly baked.The ingredient list doesn’t look terrible either.
All I can tell you is that first box I bought went fast. Way too fast. Even pacing myself, I saw it was almost empty after a few days. So I need to go now and get another box!
I am probably going to want to have these around all the time now. A dangerous but yummy temptation. As 15 crackers have only 120 calories probably better than other crackers.
These are a great Anytime Snack. I would buy them again. $2.49 (9 oz)
Cheddar is one of my favorite cheeses, so it’s one kind of cheese that I buy all the time at Trader Joe’s.
I love me a good cheddar. As we know, Trader Joe’s carries a pretty amazing variety of cheese. Go there looking for a “cheddar cheese” and you may see 8 or more kinds.
But which ones are really good cheddars? While this is a very personal choice of course at least to my taste, one cheddar which would go right at the top would be the Cabot Vermont Extra Sharp. Its one of the best cheddar cheese’s they have if you like your cheddar Extra Sharp in a New England style of cheddar. What something a little bit less less sharp? Then I would say get the New Zealand Sharp cheddar. Another great choice. Then there is TJ’s famed Unexpected Cheddar which is in a class by itself of course.
This is a think a fairly recent addition… ENGLISH COASTAL CHEDDAR which comes from Dorset, located on England’s Southern coast. How is these one? Great. I add this English cheddar to the list of EXCELLENT CHEDDAR cheese at Trader Joe’s.
I found it bold and delicious. I would name this cheddar as one more “gourmet” level cheese Trader Joe’s sells, equal to something you would find at a very good cheese store. This what I might call an “adult” cheddar both figuratively and literally. It’s aged a minimum of 15 months. Its a sharp cheddar. Bold, mature, a bit crumbly, a bit rugged, tangy sharp with a lovely nutty taste. A bit in the realm of the Unexpected Cheddar. I tried to slice it thinly but found it easy to crumble when cutting.
This is one cheddar that will go great with a good crusty bread or crackers. It goes really well with fruit, in fact I just loved eating this with an ENVY APPLE. It was great melted. I would try this for an omelet for sure.
This cheese would be great on any #cheeseboard or #charcuterieboard. They say it’s a must for one of those, here. If you really like a cheddar cheese, this is well worth a try.
I heard about this new cheese and had to try it. My review? Yes, it’s as good as they say. I really, really liked it. In fact, I could not stop eating it. This cheese is pretty damn delicious.
Try this spread on crackers or on a slice of good crusty sourdough bread. Toast some up and spread this on a Crostini. It pairs great with fruit. Apples, grapes, figs….. On the other hand, they recommend putting on a burger!! Even a turkey burger or Veg. Masala Burger would be improved if you put some of this on top.
This would be great for #Holidays, gatherings….
If you included it on a #cheeseboard or charcuterie board I think this would get a ton of “where did you get this cheese ?” comments.
Goes great with eggs, I am thinking about mixing this into an omelet. Should be wonderful like that…
$2.99 – Says “LIMITED SUPPLY” so grab one while you can… (or two!)
“…And for a tangy and tart goat’s milk cheese? Something sweet, umami-rich, and irresistibly alliaceous will make it sing— something like the combo found in Trader Joe’s Caramelized Onion Goat’s Milk Cheese, in fact. Whether it’s enjoyed on a cracker, a bit of crostini, or a well-toasted bagel, this Caramelized Onion Goat Cheese creates a synergistic symphony on the palate. It elevates cheese plates and charcuterie boards with its balance of sweet and savory. It uplifts burgers and sandwiches when used as a spread. And when baked with a bit of puff pastry and fresh fig, makes a truly unforgettable hors d’oeuvre. Just be sure to stop by the cheese section of your neighborhood Trader Joe’s soon, because supplies are limited!”
“FLAVORFUL AND HEARTY, GREAT FOR MAKING LARGE SANDWICHES”
For years, I’ve been buying the very decent round loaves Trader Joe’s calls “San Francisco Style Sourdough” . I’ve found it’s just a great all around sliced bread to have on hand at a very affordable price.
They eventually came out with this variation on that one. This new sourdough they call “CRACKED WHEAT SOURDOUGH” which is also quite good. It’s a slightly heartier version of that original SF style bread.
Here’s my honest review of Trader Joe’s (new) CRACKED WHEAT SOURDOUGH loaf sliced bread.
I liked this, it’s very good. This cracked wheat version is a nice variation on the original. In the new bread they’ve added cracked wheat which gives this one a little bit of a heartier taste and texture as well as slightly thicker slices compared to the original bread, TJ’s San Francisco sourdough bread.
The Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread has some whole wheat flour mixed in plus a bit of cracked whole wheat. This bread is little darker than the SF style bread. This is a light brown with flecks of cracked wheat visible. Like the original SF bread, this is a round, sliced loaf which is 24 oz (1 1/2 lbs). The loaf is sliced a bit thicker. Here, one loaf has about 13 slices, compared to the “SF style” loaf which has about 16 slices. The slightly thicker slices make it “heartier”, which might be good for building hearty sandwiches for one thing, or just a bit bigger piece of yummy sourdough toast.
The cracked wheat in the recipe makes a hearty slice with a nice soft chewy interior and a nicely chewy crust.
This bread makes a nice hearty slice of toast. I just find it reaches its full potential toasted or grilled, even a little bit. Which is true for a lot of breads.
Tip: I find this is best toasted or at least warmed. I say this bread is made to be toasted, even if just lightly.
BREAKFAST TOAST: I toasted this up till golden brown, and it does makes a great piece of toast. I spread it simply with some good butter and a little jam. So if for nothing else, this thick sliced bread will make you a hearty slice of toast at breakfast, though you will find plenty of uses for it as you will see below.
Now just as is, un-toasted, this bread is fine, but for me, nothing like what it tastes like, after being toasted, even a little. Toasting or grilling this even a wee bit, really brings out the flavor as well as texture.
Of course the thicker slices here will make great sandwiches as it will be a bit sturdier than the slightly thinner slices of the SF Style Sourdough (also great toasted). Sturdy enough to even make a Dagwood sandwich. These thicker slices would certainly, as TJ’s sign says, just be perfect “for making large sandwiches” not to mention Open Faced sandwiches. Think of this for some Avocado Toast as it will be perfect, for one just idea. Grilled cheese? A No Brainer. How about a Tuna Melt? Yes again.
I made a closed TUNA MELT with the Cracked Wheat bread, and that turned out great.
I also used the bread to make an open faced sardine sandwich on a slice of this, lightly toasted. Toast bread, spread a little butter then load it with my favorite smoked sardines from TJ’s mashed up with a little mayo and lemon juice. Very yummy.
What about this bread for Grilled Cheese, you ask? Perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches of any kind. I made a yummy grilled cheese kimchi sandwich (no really, that is a thing now and it works great!) I used cheddar and mozz with a little bit of TJ’s KIMCHI. Super delicious.
So good for sandwiches and good just toasted for breakfast spread with some good butter, with or without jam.
For my next endeavor using this bread, I am thinking of doing an “egg in the hole” for next Sunday’s breakfast, which I expect would be great using this hearty bread grilled up.
So my review is that TJ’s sliced cracked wheat sourdough bread is it is well worth checking out if you want slightly healthier sourdough at Trader Joe’s and you want your slices a little bit thicker.
(PS – This seems pretty popular and sometimes they do seem to sell out of this, but it usually comes back in a day or so; Ask the store Captain if you don’t see, it when they expect it back in stock)
STORAGE – Generally I will freeze it if keeping it more than three days in the fridge. Since it’s sliced, its pretty easy to take out a slice or two as needed. In the freezer its good for a month or two, but can get freezer burn if you are not carefully wrapping it. So wrap tightly. Double bagging it, isn’t a bad idea. Many people I know, always keep bread out on the counter at room temp (bread will develop mold after maybe a week if no preservatives like this one)
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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