These have been out for a few months now and the beautiful wifey and I thought they might be a nice pick-me-up on this gloomy autumn morning drenched in November rain. Ah, November Rain is such a good song, isn't it? GNR was never even really my thing, but that track is just classic. Did I ever tell you guys about the time I saw Velvet Revolver do a free show in a parking lot in Hollyweird right after work? It was pretty cool...but I'm getting off topic now. Some of you want to hear about food.
Trader Joe's Hot Fudge Sundae In a Handful Almonds are quite good. High quality, plump, meaty almonds are the base for this sweet snack. They're covered in a white confectionery coating. It really does vaguely capture the essence of a hot fudge sundae. There are notes of vanilla and cocoa, and there's even some cherry flavor.
In fact, there are two varieties of nuts in the bag: brown ones that taste primarily like cocoa and red ones that taste like maraschino cherries. I think the red ones kinda look like kidney beans. The brown ones outnumber the reds by a pretty good margin. That makes sense. It's not like you're getting a cherry in every single bite of a hot fudge sundae.
By that same token, I would have been even more impressed if they'd done three flavors of almonds. One could be white and taste like vanilla to represent the ice cream. Then they'd also have brown for chocolate and red for cherries. But hey, now I'm nitpicking. There is a vanilla essence underneath everything and it tastes pretty darn good.
I wouldn't exactly call myself a huge candy coated nut aficionado, but there's something delightfully nostalgic about taking a classic ice cream parlor staple and translating it into a portable, crunchable snack. You pop a couple into your mouth while watching the mist roll over the lawn, and suddenly the day feels just a tiny bit brighter—or at least a little more indulgent.
$4.29 for the 8 oz resealable bag. Kosher. Available for a limited time only. Would buy again. Sonia gives Trader Joe's Hot Fudge Sundae in a handful! Confectionery Coated Almonds eight and a half out of ten stars. I'll go with eight yet again.
Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.
Growing up in south central Pennsylvania, there was an applesauce factory right behind my elementary school. We'd frequently smell the sweet appley fragrances while playing kickball or swinging on the swing set at recess. It was owned and operated by Knouse Foods, one of the biggest players in the applesauce industry nationwide and a big employer in my hometown.
Interestingly enough, this applesauce is apparently sourced in PA. Right on the back of each box, it states that the product has been given the seal of approval by Pennsylvania Certified Organic. My hometown was known for its peach and apple orchards, as well as applesauce. It's quite possible the apples used in this product originated from those very orchards I drove past hundreds of times growing up.
At any rate, we've already reviewed Trader Joe's Organic Apple Banana Fruit Sauce Crushers. We liked that product quite a bit. Not only did the banana puree add some complexity to the flavor of the sauce, it made it a tad thicker, too. In nine years, the price of the product has only gone up 30 cents from $2.69 to $2.99 for four squeezable pouches—same price as all the other flavors. Not too shabby. That banana flavor still stands as one of my favorites, but let's take a look at all these other varieties, too, and see where they stand in comparison.
Trader Joe's Organic Apple Cinnamon Fruit Sauce Crushers are my favorite flavor of all. They've got that same wholesome organic apple flavor that all the others have, but there's a generous blast of cinnamon along with it. It's sweet, cinnamony, and quite refreshing. Sonia doesn't like it quite as much and thinks the cinnamon is a tad overdone. She'd give it something like a seven and a half and I'd give it an eight and a half.
Bottom line: 8 out of 10.
I think Trader Joe's Organic Apple Strawberry Fruit Sauce Crushers are my next favorite. The apple and strawberry blend together very nicely. The subtly tart berry flavor balances the sweetness of the apples well, although I wouldn't have minded more strawberry flavor in the mix.
Bottom line: 8 out of 10.
Did I say apple strawberry was my next favorite? I meant Trader Joe's Apple Mango Fruit Sauce Crushers were my next favorite. I mean strawberry. I mean mango. Ah, well, they're both about the same I guess but the mango flavor is a little more exotic. Sonia likes this one best of all, so her high score will give this one the highest average score. The apple mango fruit sauce crusher is applesauce with a nice tropical twist.
Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.
Next up, Trader Joe's Organic Apple Fruit Sauce Crushers. Now that we've established that you can mix other fruits in with the applesauce, regular old applesauce suddenly becomes kinda boring, don't you think? At least put some honey or nutmeg or brown sugar in there. Apple watermelon sauce might be nice. Apple blueberry is missing from the collection. Uhm, apple peach sauce, anyone? But seriously, though, this one's just fine if you want plain applesauce.
Bottom line: 7.5 out of 10.
And finally, Trader Joe's Organic Apple Carrot Fruit Sauce Crushers. This was just as gross as I thought it might be. No, no, no, just no. They might as well have mixed dirt in with the poor applesauce. I'm sure some people like it. I've had fruit smoothies where they snuck in some carrot puree that were palatable enough. Not here. I like carrots just fine to nibble on or cooked carrots as a side dish, but I don't like carrot flavored applesauce. Would not buy again.
Bottom line: 5 out of 10.
If we missed any flavors, please feel free to notify us in the comments. Which fruit sauce crusher flavor is your favorite?
