“…Modernity does occasionally produce snacks and sweets that previous generations could never have imagined… Fun, flavorful, and even a little fizzy, each Root Beer Float Cookie Piece starts with a vanilla sandwich Cookie, filled with popping candy-imbued vanilla crème, which our supplier enrobes in a toothsome, remarkably Root Beer-reminiscent candy coating…. ” – TJ’s
All I’ve been reading about is how fantastic the new Trader Joe’s Root Beer Float Pieces candy is. So I had to try it.
OK so my honest review is yes, the first piece you taste does in fact taste surprisingly like a root beer float, with even a little fizzy sensation in your mouth from the pop rocks evoking soda bubbles. Yes, I grant you that someone did come up with the right list of food chemicals stuff to do that. (yikes! you don’t want to read that list of ingredients).
To be honest, I found it just OK. I would not say I loved this. Its OK. My wife however spit it out after a little bite.
I find it way, way too sweet. However kids may just love this as it is unusual. After that first piece where you get the root beer float concept and say to yourself, wow it does taste like a root beer float, the novelty wears off, and as a candy it’s ok but not amazing. After that and I ate two more pieces, I was pretty much done with it. I find it more gimmicky than a great candy.
$3.79 (7 oz bag)
Sorry internet. I would not buy it again.
Me, I love dark not milk chocolate myself. Give me some dark chocolate peanut butter cups any day of the week. I could probably eat the whole container.
(NOTE: I’ve read that these have gone VIRAL and can now be hard to find!!!)
“A fish shaped waffle filled with a delicate custard cream, often sold as a street food in Japan”
TAI – red snapper, considered good luck. YAKI – grilled.
Taiyaki are sweet waffles shaped like fish and are hugely popular in Japan. They are always sold at street festivals where you will find taiyaki vendors like this guy making some.
They make them by pouring batter into iron molds shaped like fish. Cooked until they are golden brown, they get something in the middle then are flipped over. They come out golden brown with bit of a crunchy texture outside while Inside the taiyaki, there’s a sweet filling. Usually its ANKO (sweet red bean paste).
Here in Trader Joe’s Mini Taiyaki you find a yummy custard cream in the center.
Here’s what they look like.
As you can see they are pretty cute. And you know Japanese love CUTE (“Kawaii”) things. Trader Joe’s mini taiyaki are a little mini version of the typical Taiyaki which are usually much bigger. 4 times the size? Each of these TJ mini taiyaki is maybe a bite or two.
“Brought to us by an esteemed manufacturer in Japan, these bite-sized, perfectly pisciform Taiyaki are as much a feast for the eyes as they are a pleasure on the palate. Every bite starts with the crisp edge of the wonderfully waffle-y exterior, which quickly gives way to the luxurious consistency of the cool custard cream within.”
To make these Trader Joe’s says bake these in the oven or in an air fryer. They also say you can microwave these but I suggest you don’t, as they won’t get crispy which they need to be to really be enjoyed properly.
I didn’t do either of these. I just cooked them in a pan on the stovetop which works fine and is easy.
I just took a few of them out of the package, and let them sit for 10 minutes or so to defrost a bit. Then I put them in a hot cast iron pan (or use a non stick pan). Let them cook on one side until they get a lightly golden brown in color or when they look nice and crispy, and then flip them once or twice. It took about 6-7 minutes per side, so around 12-15 minutes total to cook them in a pan.
So how do Trader Joe’s TAIYAKI taste? These mini taiyaki are really YUMMY!
Even my (Japanese) wife approved of these and thought Trader Joe’s did a pretty good job with these. We were pleasantly surprised at how good they are. The only thing she said is she wished they gave you two kinds of filling in the bag, some with custard but she wanted some with “anko”, the most traditional filling.
Still the custard filling inside these is very good and satisfying for a sweet treat.
Trader Joe’s new MINI TAIYAKI are quite tasty and worth trying especially if you like Japanese treats. A package is $4.99. It’s not very big, a bit less than 8 ounces. There are just about 8 or 9 of these little fishes inside. Some people are saying save yourself a trip and “buy two”.
FRENCH APPLE TART – “Baked apples in a short bread crust with a hint of apricot and vanilla”
This tart is a seasonal item at Trader Joe’s that comes out around the holidays. We got this first for Thanksgiving to try out. We were impressed. It was so good we got it again later at Xmas!.
This tart tastes way better than I expected a store bought pie to taste. This tastes as good as something you would get at a bakery – which would easily cost twice or more as much. You can just look at it and see its a rung up from your average commercial apple pie, just by seeing intact slices of apples arranged perfectly all along the top edge and baked just until browned. Checking the list of ingredient I see it actually lists varieties of apples: “Northern Spy, Granny Smith“. The crust was pretty good even though we didn’t even warm it up, which would probably make this taste even better.
“To create this masterpiece of a Tart, our supplier takes a buttery apricot and apple filling (made with sweet Northern Spy apples and tart Granny Smiths), nestles it in a shortbread crust, tops it with a fan of even more sliced apples, and finishes it with a light, apricot glaze. A thing of rustic beauty.
Now, you might raise an eyebrow when you notice that our French Apple Tart is made here in the U.S.A., but before you raise that other eyebrow, consider this: the Master Pastry Chef who developed this recipe once made this exact tart—which is constructed and baked according to French tradition—for the President of France himself. Spoiler alert: he loved it.”
While fine on it’s own, if you want to really make a super dessert, you could warm it up a bit and serve with a little French Vanilla ice cream on top. That was heavenly.
“Combing the rich flavors of dark chocolate with the resounding crunch of resounding crunch of roasted almonds and pretzel pieces, then finishing with a sprinkle of sea salt. This is a satisfying snackable bark, one that is well worth every bite”
(thats old price)
“The Bark you’ll find within each bag starts as a thin(ish) slab of rich Dark Chocolate, studded with crunchy roasted Almond & Pretzel pieces. Our supplier then sprinkles said slab with Sea Salt, breaks it into snackable pieces, and packages it up for your enjoyment. The end result? A sweet, chocolatey treat that’s well worth every bite.”
OK, enough of Trader Joe’s advertising and what they think. What did I think? Well here’s my review: If you were intrigued by how good that sounded, all I can say, is this is as good as it sounds.
I really liked this. The chocolate bark is a little bit thick and slightly crunchy, a mix of sweet and a tiny bit savory (sea salt). I think they use a decent chocolate, mixed with pieces of roasted almonds and bits of pretzels mixed into the bark that all in all, makes for a very satisfying snack or treat. Very yummy.
I would buy it again.
$3.99 a bag (10 oz).
PS – they recently came out with a variation of this chocolate bark, with quinoa and raspberries. Will try that too!
They were giving out samples of these yesterday so I took one to taste. Didn’t like it at all. For me the cookie was crazy sweet, just overpoweringly sweet. I have no idea what “Cinnamon Bun Inspired” even is supposed to mean. I barely tasted cinnamon flavor, just an overpowering amount of sugar.
Now the TJ’s Regular Joe Joes are not bad; they are an Oreos copy. This one though, I thought whoever dreamed up this “Cinnamon Bun Inspired” variation had a terrible idea that failed in execution. On the plus side this says its a “limited edition”. I expect it to fade away and make room for another decent product.
I do love cinnamon and TJ’s I just love TJ’s Old Fashioned Cinnamon Grahams, which are a are wonderful cookie with a ton of great cinnamon flavor, so if you want a great cookie with cinnamon taste get some of those. They are absolute Classics and a great product.
“Mini Pretzels” with a thick coating of good dark chocolate. Sweet and a little salty. A match made in heaven folks. Love Them! A 12 oz bag is about $3.29. I would buy them again. There is also a milk chocolate version too (no thanks i’ll stick with the dark)
(UPDATED) This brand “Wholesome” organic coconut palm sugar has has now been replaced by Trader Joe’s own brand, “Trader Joe’s Organic Coconut Sugar”.
FAIR TRADE. CERTIFIED ORGANIC. ALL NATURAL. LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX
“Made from the nectar of the coconut palm tree flower”
I really like this organic coconut palm sugar sold at TJ’s under the original brand name, “Wholesome”. For one thing it tastes amazing in my morning coffee, specifically my Moka pot, Cafe con Leche that I make every morning (#mokapotlover).
This coconut palm sugar is a brownish, granulated sugar which has its own distinctive but subtle taste. The taste of coconut palm sugar is a bit different from brown cane sugar or Turbinado sugar, and I’ve switched to this palm sugar especially for coffee, as it just adds a little something, a very nice subtle flavor. It’s delicious with just a hint of caramel and vanilla notes. I am also using it on yogurt too, just a little sprinkling is excellent. This palm sugar is excellent in any Chinese or Asian recipe which calls for sugar, which most do.
I see people on the net saying how this is “low glycemic” compared to cane sugar, but frankly I don’t know much about that, but I figure it’s important to those watching their blood sugar levels as it may relate to diabetes. So in that sense, this must be a better sugar if you are concerned with your blood sugar level.
TJ sells this palm sugar for $3.99 a one pound bag (which is cheaper than Wholesome sells it for directly) LINK BELOW TO “WHOLESOME” WEBSITE WITH MORE INFO
“Wholesome Organic Coconut Palm Sugar is a rich, unrefined brown sugar that makes an ideal substitute for conventional brown and white sugar. Beyond baking, it’s an excellent choice for sweetening your preferred coffee, preparing sauces and perfecting your favorite Asian dishes, all thanks to its rich molasses taste and caramel overtones.
Made with Care Contrary to its name, this sugar doesn’t actually come from a coconut, nor does it remotely taste like coconut. The brown sugar’s rich caramel flavor is produced by tapping the sweet nectar from the tropical coconut palm tree flower (a process that’s similar to how maple trees are tapped for maple syrup production). The nutrient-rich juice is dried in a large open kettle drum and condensed into a delicious whole brown sugar. A natural sugar substitute for baking, this organic product will add depths of flavor to all your favorite recipes.”
Apparently this is one of Trader Joe’s most popular products, and not without reason. I know it’s one of my favorite TJ products, on my “gotta always have in fridge” list. As the name says, this is a delicious sweet chili sauce that is pretty much the same traditional Asian sweet and spicy chili sauce you will find at any Asian grocery. It’s both sweet and spicy but not crazy spicy, with a perfect balance of the two tastes plus garlic of course. This sauce is typically served with chicken in many Asian cuisines. I had been buying Chinese brands of this stuff for years whenever I went to a special Asian grocery or supermarket but now Trader Joe’s make a version of it so even more convenient, as we put this sauce on many things though its terrific with most any chicken. If you bought a store cooked rotisserie chicken for dinner, serving with this sauce will that roast chicken 10x as tasty. What else can you use it for. Really anything… Chicken sausages? Yes. Fish? Yes (in fact you can put some on top of almost finished broiled salmon and put it back for a minute for a sweet spicy glaze). Grilled pork. Sure! Eggs? Yes. Get it? Seriously I think there is little this would not be good on, except may ice cream.
Easy dipping sauce for dumplings: a 2 tablespoons of this sweet chili sauce, a tablespoon of soy sauce, a little rice vinegar. Fresh grated ginger if you have it. Easy. Some extra garlic wouldn’t hurt either. Now you have a sauce for all those pot sticker dumplings in the freezer. Dinner in 10 minutes.
A bottle used to sell for only $1.29. Last time I checked it went up to $1.49, not bad. I can’t live without this stuff.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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