This is another thing that just didn't need pumpkinized. I guess we can't blame Trader Joe's for that since flan de calabaza is a thing in certain parts of Latin America, despite neither Sonia nor I being aware of its existence until this autumnal oddity came along. The texture is nearly identical to Trader Joe's Caramel Flan: soft, smooth, creamy, custard-esque. No complaints there.
Flavor-wise, Trader Joe's Pumpkin Flan is a pandemonium of pumpkin and pumpkin spice—a flandemonium, if you will. There's an off-putting aftertaste that really bugged Sonia. The spice blend is almost like potpourri. It's not subtle enough. There's an odd clove essence that just lingers long after you've finished your dish.
Furthermore, I actually taste the pumpkin puree. And by that, I mean I taste it too much. In my experience, good flan just doesn't need winter squash mixed into it.
For those of you who are new here, let's review. Sonia, the beautiful wifey or "la esposita bonita," is Latina and grew up with flan from a very young age. In fact, she can even make her own. While familiar with the dessert, I'm far from an expert, but we both gave Trader Joe's Caramel Flan the thumbs up with matching eight and a half star scores. We were both very pleasantly surprised.
That neutral, sweet caramel flavor is one of the things that made it so good—so much cleaner on the palate. So much safer. So much better executed.
Again, the texture here is very pleasant. The presentation is delightful. The ingredients list is top-notch and above board. Apparently pumpkin flan is widely recognized as a traditional holiday dessert in other parts of Latin America like Cuba and Puerto Rico, however, it's less common in Mexico. As Sonia puts it, "There's a reason nobody in my family ever made flan de calabaza." Perhaps it's just an acquired taste that neither of us has acquired yet.
$3.49 for two servings of pumpkin-flavored dessert found in the refrigerated section. In my opinion, there's just absolutely no reason to purchase this if the caramel flan is available. Feel free to disagree in the comments below. Six and a half stars from Sonia. Six out of ten stars from me for Trader Joe's Pumpkin Flan.
Bottom line: 6.25 out of 10.
Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Powdered Sugar Mini Donuts are one of those products where I’m not entirely sure what to make of them. Not because they’re bad. Quite the opposite, actually. They’re really decent little donuts. The problem is that they’re almost too normal. These are basically the kind of cinnamon powdered sugar mini donuts you might find at any number of grocery stores, gas stations, or convenience stores. There’s nothing particularly weird, inventive, exotic, or especially Joesian about them. And yet...we kinda like ’em.
For $4.49, you get a 10-ounce bag of Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Powdered Sugar Mini Donuts. They’re tiny—about two or three bites each—and have a pretty good cakey texture. They’re soft without being mushy, with just enough density that they don't feel spongy at all. The cinnamon powdered sugar coating adds a pleasant sweetness and warm cinnamon flavor without going completely over the top.
Honestly, these are probably one step up from the normal grocery store mini donuts. The texture is good. The flavor is good. The cinnamon-to-sugar ratio is good. Dunk a couple into coffee and you’ve got yourself a perfectly respectable little breakfast/snack situation. They’re also small enough that you can eat three and tell yourself, “Well, they’re mini,” which is totally sound nutritional science.
But here's the thing: why now? Trader Joe’s drops these in the middle of the fall food explosion, surrounded by pumpkin this, apple that, maple whatever, and approximately 8,000 other products screaming AUTUMN! at you. And then there’s this bag of perfectly ordinary cinnamon powdered sugar mini donuts. No pumpkin. No apple. No butternut squash. No haunted barnyard spices. Just...donuts. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe we need a little normalcy amidst all the pumpkin spice chaos.
Either way, they’re tasty, they’ve got a really nice texture, and they’re certainly worth picking up if you like this type of donut. They just don’t feel particularly Trader Joe’s-esque. Sonia and I will both go with seven and a half stars on Trader Joe's Cinnamon Powdered Sugar Mini Donuts.
Bottom line: 7.5 out of 10.
