While Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles are imported from Belgium, these Brioche Style Pancakes are imported from France. For four bucks, you get eight small shelf-stable pancakes wrapped up two by two in little cellophane packs.
If anything, these pancakes taste even more like fresh-baked breakfast fare than their waffley counterparts...and we like those waffles quite a bit. To be clear, none of these products truly compare to fresh homemade flapjacks, but considering the convenience factor, they're very much worth a pick-up.
Straight from the package, the texture of these pancakes is surprisingly soft and fluffy. They don't feel or taste stale in any way. Toss 'em in your toaster for a spell for an even nicer mouthfeel. The warmth wakes up the wheaty goodness even more, too. They're sweet enough that I wasn't even tempted to slather them with syrup, but they're not over-the-top sugary, either.
One drawback: they've got canola oil. I really feel like it's just a matter of time before there's a big enough outcry that Trader Joe's will be forced to avoid seed oils altogether, just like they avoid artificial colors and HFCS. I'm not going to lead the charge on that one, but plenty of readers have spoken out that they won't buy any products with seed oils. I respect that.
But enough about the ingredients label. At the end of the day, these are little French pancakes, and there's something inherently delightful about having a couple of 'em warm and fluffy on your plate in a matter of minutes. No mixing bowls, no measuring cups, no pancake batter mysteriously ending up on the floor. Just pancakes. Sometimes that's all you really need.
$3.99 for four servings of two pancakes each. Product of France. Would buy again, although we wouldn't mind a version without canola oil. Seven and a half stars from this guy for Trader Joe's Brioche Style Pancakes. The beautiful wifey will go with eight out of ten.
Bottom line: 7.75 out of 10.
Ryan Hall says September is going to be abnormally hot for most of the USA. If you're like Sonia and me that means it's still tropical popsicle season. Apple, pumpkin, and sweet potato can wait a few more weeks until the air gets a bit cooler. But if you're one of those poor, misguided individuals that just has to get your PSL on the moment the kids are back at school, then sit back, relax, and click play on our Ultimate Fall Foods Playlist on YouTube. Or take a gander at some classic written reviews of fall stuff—much of which has already returned to Trader Joe's—right here on our blog.
For the rest of you, we're here to tell you that Trader Joe's Pineapple Coconut Bars are refreshing and tasty, and they've got pretty decent ingredients and non-threatening nutritionals. At just 90 calories per bar, I'd say they're worth checking out.
They're pretty pineapple forward. That might be our biggest complaint. The coconut cream gets overshadowed by the pineapple juice concentrate in the flavor profile. Sonia wishes there were coconut shavings throughout the bar to add more coconut flavor and some texture. I don't disagree.
The coconut adds a nice thickness to the texture and a greater level of creaminess than I expected. These are not just frozen juice popsicles. They're sweet and smooth, and they really hit the spot for any "beat-the-heat" type situation. I just wish the actual coconut flavor were there in a bigger way. It's not really a piña colada vibe. It's more like PINEAPPLE with a whisper of coconut cream.
There is something undeniably satisfying about eating a frozen treat when it's 95 degrees outside and the humidity is doing its best to turn you into a damp towel. These are particularly good for that kind of weather because they're not so heavy or rich that you feel like you've made a terrible mistake halfway through eating one. Grab a couple, sit outside, and pretend you're on a tropical island instead of standing in your backyard watching your neighbor mow his lawn.
Sonia and I would both buy Trader Joe's Pineapple Coconut Bars again. $3.79 for six individually-wrapped popsicles. Gluten free. Kosher. Vegan. I'll throw out eight stars once again. The beautiful wifey will spring for eight and a half.
Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.
