Trader Joe's Granola Butter

Full disclosure: I've never had granola butter before trying this product. So I won't be comparing it to other brands of granola butter, I'll just be analyzing it for what it is and maybe comparing it to all the other fine spreadable butters from Trader Joe's and elsewhere. It sounds interesting enough.

As expected, it does indeed taste like oats, which are the number one ingredient in the product. There are subtle hints of brown sugar, maple, and vanilla, just like the jar says. It's mostly smooth, texture-wise. I'd say it's on par with speculoos cookie butter in terms of grittiness. It's a fine grit. Not too intrusive. It's like a pureed granola cereal. It's a little sweet, but honestly I think I might have preferred it a little sweeter. I do enjoy it with a drizzle of honey more than just by itself.

My main issue with granola butter is that it's a grain...and you're spreading it on another grain. Sure, you can drizzle it over ice cream or yogurt. You can use it as a fruit dip. But most applications for butters and spreads like this involve toast or waffles or bagels or what have you.

It's not a bad product at all. I think I just prefer good, old-fashioned peanut butter in the end. If I'm looking for something more indulgent, Trader Joe's Cookie Butter will do the trick—or any other brand like Biscoff or whatever your fave happens to be. I'd take Trader Joe's Peanut Butter with Honey, Trader Joe's Almond Butter, Trader Joe's Cashew Butter, or even Trader Joe's Mixed Nut Butter over this granola butter. But that's just me.

Sonia likes Trader Joe's Granola Butter a bit more than I do, but even she's not a big fan of putting it on toast or other bread products. She's fine with it heated up and drizzled on her yogurt parfait with frozen berries, walnuts, and pecans. I'll admit it's pretty tasty that way.

$5.49 for the 12 oz jar. Gluten free. Vegan. Kosher. It's not my thing, but don't let this review stop you from trying it. It is a bit cheaper than most other granola butter products I've seen out there from other brands and the ingredients are high quality, so I won't shaft it too badly in the score department. I give Trader Joe's Granola Butter six out of ten stars. Sonia will go with seven out of ten.

Sonia's score: 7 out of 10.

Nathan's score: 6 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Mini Apple Danish Pastries

If you spent any part of your formative years burning the roof of your mouth on a McDonald’s apple pie in the back seat of a station wagon, allow us to introduce you to their sophisticated European cousin. Imported straight from France, Trader Joe’s Mini Apple Danish Pastries deliver a heavy dose of nostalgia—except with actual buttery, flaky layers instead of deep-fried cardboard pocket energy.

At $4.99 for a bag of eight mini pastries, these ready-to-bake treats hit that sweet spot between casual weekend breakfast and "I spent three hours laminating dough from scratch." Bake them up for 25 minutes at 350°F, and your kitchen instantly smells like an autumnal wonderland.

The crust bakes up delightfully golden and crisp, cradling a rich, sweet apple filling. Right off the bat, both Sonia and I picked up on distinct, cozy notes of cinnamon and brown sugar. Here’s the plot twist: neither cinnamon nor brown sugar actually appears on the ingredients list. Are they stealthily hiding under the vague umbrella of "natural flavors"? Quite possibly. What does show up on the panel is caramel, which explains the warm, deep sweetness that ties the whole filling together.

A quick word of warning for fellow remote TJ’s travelers: because our nearest store isn't exactly right around the corner, our bag suffered a bit of a thaw-and-refreeze situation on the long trek home. A few of our mini pastries ended up fused together like sugary, pastry-bound soulmates. They still baked up fine, but keep those cooler bags handy if you’ve got a long drive ahead of you. It's ridiculous enough you should totally watch our video review just to have a laugh at the ginormous wad of apple danish.

These are a huge step up from drive-thru pies—fancier, flakier, and genuinely delicious. Since they’re a seasonal, limited time offering, you’ll want to grab a bag before they vanish for the season. We’d definitely buy Trader Joe's Mini Apple Danish Pastries again next fall. Eight out of ten stars from both Sonia and me.

Bottom Line: 8 out of 10.