Trader Joe's Mango Pineapple Pico de Gallo Salsa

Quickie for today: more or less what we have here is some traditional pico de gallo but with little mango and pineapple pieces tossed into the mix.

It's sweeter than regular pico, but it's not as sweet as you might expect. Despite some jalapeño pieces, it's not very spicy at all. It's a very light flavor.

This is a nice refreshing salsa with a tropical twist for chip dipping on a hot day, or it would go great with fish tacos, shrimp tacos, or even chicken tacos. At ten calories per serving, the nutritionals are perfect for summer snacking, too.

$3.99 in the refrigerated section. Would buy again. Sonia and I will go with eight and a quarter stars out of ten on Trader Joe's Mango Pineapple Pico de Gallo Salsa.

Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Raspberry, Vanilla & Blueberry Macarons

Not to be confused with macaroons, the macaron is a French sandwich cookie made with egg white, almond flour, sugar, and some creamy or fruity filling. We've seen a bunch of different macaron offerings from Trader Joe's steadily over the course of this blog's tenure. One highlight: the pumpkin macarons. Those are probably still our favorite (although we haven't had them in many years. Let's hope they didn't change suppliers or recipes or anything like that) but these would have to be a close second.

Preparation: you simply thaw the entire pack at room temperature for an hour or in the fridge for four hours. Pro tip: actually let them thaw the whole hour. As much as I love cold desserts and iced treats, the flavors of these macarons hit just a little nicer when they're fully unfrozen.

The blueberry flavor was our favorite by a pretty solid margin, the raspberry our second favorite, and vanilla—though not bad by any means—fell in third. The fruity flavors actually tasted like their namesake berries thanks to the inclusion of actual raspberry and blueberry puree. There's apple in there, too, since apple tends to just lend sweetness and rarely overshadows the tart intensity of something like blueberry or raspberry.

The vanilla cookies tasted nuttier and creamier than their fruit-based counterparts but perhaps not quite as sweet or indulgent somehow. Again, nothing to complain about, but if I had the opportunity to buy a dozen blueberry macarons all by themselves, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Texture-wise, like most good macarons, these were meringue-esque but also soft and slightly chewy. You could feel the almond meal, too, but they never came across as gritty or unpleasant in any way. Very pleasant mouthfeel.

$5.99 for 12 macarons. Product of France. We'd give the blueberry flavor nine out of ten stars. The raspberry and vanilla flavors would get eight and a halfs and eights, respectively. So, in the end, averaging all three scores, both Sonia and I would give Trader Jacques' <ahem> Trader Joe's Raspberry, Vanilla & Blueberry Macarons eight and a half out of ten stars. Would buy again.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Crispy Jalapeño Pieces

Crispy jalapeños? Are they a topping? Or are they a snack? Trader Joe's is quick to let us know that they're whatever you want them to be. I mean, Sonia and I like spicy foods, but I don't think we or a whole lot of other people would be content simply noshing on these crispy critters straight from the bag.

Yeah, they're jalapeños, so they're hot. I mean, they're not Carolina Reaper hot, but that spice builds up on the tongue if you gobble down more than just a handful of these babies. You might be tempted to, however, because they're pretty tasty. They're lightly battered and slightly oily but there's plenty of jalapeño flavor. There's a nice crunch in each bite, too.

Certain pieces are much bigger than others. Some specimens look and feel like they might be a whole dehydrated jalapeño pepper and others seem to be little more than crumbs. They're quite versatile and add a bit of flavor and texture to everything from soup to sandwiches, salads to pizza.

Plus, they're imported from the land of jalapeños, Mexi...wait. What? Thailand? Who ever heard of a Thai jalapeño? Anyway, Sonia and I both agree Thai jalapeños aren't bad.

$2.99 for the resealable bag. Imported from Thailand. Would buy again. We'll go with eight out of ten stars for Trader Joe's Crispy Jalapeño Pieces.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

A few months back, we looked at Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups for the very first time. They're just about as classic as it gets. The only product I can think of that might rival them in terms of enduring the test of time and maintaining a place in Trader Joe's candy aisle might be these happy morsels. I've only had them once before—and that was many years ago. I'm excited to try them again and see if they're as good as I remember.

About a hundred Dubai chocolate type fads will come and go while these peanut butter cups just sit quietly on their shelf outlasting and outshining and standing the test of time year after year, decade after decade. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against Dubai chocolate. Pistachio and chocolate is almost as stellar a combo as peanut butter and chocolate.

If you want our take on Trader Joe's Dubai Chocolate, we'll have one soon enough. Until then, everybody and her sister has put up a TikTok vid explaining why Trader Joe's four dollar Dubai chocolate isn't as good as the $80 version they had while partying with the Kardashians but it's still pretty good.

Know what else is pretty good? These milk chocolate peanut butter cups. For six bucks, you get a pound of milk chocolate and peanut butter goodness. Each one is just about exactly the size of one of Reese's miniatures—a great bite-sized snack. Or, if you're like me, you bite them in half and get two little bites out of each one. They've got the perfect peanut butter to chocolate ratio, and neither element is overly sweet or overly bitter. It's just nutty chocolatey bliss in every cup.

Sonia likes them a lot, too. She's a bigger fan of dark chocolate than I am, so she gave the dark chocolate peanut butter cups a slightly higher score than I did. But even she has to admit that the milk chocolate peanut butter cup is a timeless combo that's hard to beat. We both agree that they're just a tad bit better than the reigning champ Reese's. That's saying a lot.

$5.99 for the resealable tub. Kosher. Would buy again. Sonia and I will each throw out eight and a half out of ten stars for Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Rolled Oats & Chocolate Chips Fiberful Granola Bars

Let's face it: granola bars are boring. Ones that advertise how much fiber content they have are even more boring. Sure, there's always some mention of peanut butter or chocolate or honey or something else to make them sound moderately exciting, but in the end, they're rarely memorable or tasty enough that they can truly compete with a full-fledged candy bar.

That said, Trader Joe's granola bars are rarely awful. We've seen our fair share over the past decade and a half on this blog—in the ballpark of a few dozen different varieties, at a quick glance. Just off the top of my head, one of the few truly notable selections would be the ABC Bars. I'm pretty sure they're still available. We've definitely purchased those more than once. We're on the hunt for another product along those lines: something healthy, hearty, convenient, and tasty enough that it'll keep you from reaching for anything more indulgent or diet-derailing.

Trader Joe's Rolled Oats & Chocolate Chips Fiberful Granola Bars are not only filling, but they taste surprisingly good, too. They're dense, chewy, and rather than tasting like cardboard with a few chocolate pieces tossed in as an afterthought, they're more like chocolate bars with just a faint grittiness to them that attests to their fiber content. Apparently, they were recently reformulated by the supplier and are now smaller than their predecessors and have a slightly different taste. Many say they prefer the old flavor, others say they enjoy the new version more. I couldn't tell you because I never tried the old formula.

There's plenty of oats in the mix. If you're not a fan of oats, you might wanna sit this one out. But really, as far as fiber-rich snacks go, these are quite palatable. Boasting nearly a third of your daily fiber intake in each bar, they're just as filling as you'd expect them to be. These are ideal as a mid-day pick-me-up type snack.

$2.99 for five bars. Kosher. Would buy again. Seven and a half stars a piece from Sonia and me for Trader Joe's Fiberful Granola Bars, Rolled Oats and Chocolate Chip flavor. Let us know if you tried the old formula and how you like this one in comparison.

Bottom line: 7.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Pesto Sauce

Here's yet another non-traditional pesto from Trader Joe's. And it's yet another winner in our book. We've got a red pepper base that provides a nice pasty texture and bell pepper flavor. Then we've got pecorino romano cheese for some rich tang and earthiness. Throw almonds and a winning spice blend into the mix and you're looking at a very unique and tasty spread/sauce.

Sonia made some fettuccine pasta with beef meatballs and cheese—see video below. It was scrump-dilly. Any drawbacks? This product isn't as thin as marinara sauce, so it doesn't always coat as well. It's more of a chunky paste rather than a liquid. I wish it had just a bit of heat or spice.

Also, Sonia and I basically polished off the whole jar in a single sitting. They should sell a larger container, although we must admit this small one (9.8 oz) is a great sample size if you just want to taste and experiment with the product before committing to anything larger.

As well as it worked as a pasta sauce, I think I appreciated it even more as a spread on sourdough toast. I could taste all the ingredients quite well. The onion, garlic, basil, and paprika worked great with any savory, salty food. Any veggie and meat combo would be worth trying this with.

$3.99 for the jar. Product of Italy. Organic. Would buy again. Sonia and I will both go with eight and a half out of ten stars on Trader Joe's Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Pesto Sauce.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.