Traderjoes.com quotes the beginning of The Big Lebowski in its write-up for this product. I tried to recreate Sam Elliott's epic voice over from the Coen brothers film to the best of my ability in the video review below, so be sure to check it out and hit like and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Fun fact: I wrote my media studies final thesis on The Big Lebowski back around 1999. It was about how the film didn't have any real message or purpose and I argued that it didn't need one. It was super deep and philosophical but I don't have a copy of it anymore so you'll just have to take my word for it.
For those of you unfamiliar, the main character in the film goes by "The Dude." Apparently, it was the inspiration for this cookie. The palm trees behind the confection suggest a Mediterranean climate similar to Los Angeles, which serves as the setting for the film.
But enough about quirky late 90s cinema. How's the cookie? Well, the frosted parts are actually harder than the unfrosted parts, making them extraordinarily rigid. The taste is honestly better than I expected. It's very traditional gingerbread. It's sweet and spicy but not too strong on either count.
As long as you're not expecting anything too soft or extravagant, you probably won't be too disappointed with Trader Joe's Gingerbread Dude Cookie. It dunks fairly well. $2.99 for the very large four serving gingerbread cookie. Product of South Africa. Sonia and I give the product six out of ten stars for the food factor. Just so we don't come off too grinchy, we'll throw out a separate score for the novelty and cuteness factor. El Duderino would make an excellent stocking stuffer.
It strikes me that these could be considered autumnal breakfast fare just as easily as holiday breakfast fare, but judging by the time of their release, I think we'll go with the latter, at least for now. I mean technically it is still fall, but it sure feels like winter around here. Berries and nuts are great in any season. And not only do these muffins flaunt the delicious flavors of cranberries and pecans, but there's also maple syrup and brown sugar in the mix, too.
They taste and feel significantly better when warmed for a spell. You could toss them in a toaster oven if you've got one handy, but we just put them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Add a dab of butter, and you've got yourself a tasty breakfast.
The muffins are quite large. In several instances, Sonia and I split a single muffin for a mid-day snack. For breakfast, a single muffin is more than enough for one person in most cases. There's a good bit of the titular fruits and nuts in the mix. The bread is sweet but not over the top sugary. The streusel topping makes the head of the muffin just a tad more indulgent and dessert-ish than the rest of the product.
Texture-wise, these are very similar to the multitude of other four-packs of muffins we've seen from Trader Joe's throughout the years. And like some of those others, there is just a hint of grittiness or coarseness in the breading. That's really my only complaint. I think I like the texture of Trader Joe's gluten free muffins just a tad better than the texture of these glutenful ones.
$5.49 for four muffins. Kosher. Would buy again. Sonia gives Trader Joe's Cranberry Pecan Muffins eight out of ten stars. I'll go with seven and a half out of ten.
