Trader Joe's Spicy Honey Sauce

So there's this viral protein bowl thing Sonia told me about the other day. Apparently, it's all the rage on TikTok and all the TikTok ripoffs like YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels and the young fitness gurus love it for its high nutritional value and low carbs and flavor. It involves lean ground beef, avocado, sweet potato, cottage cheese, and hot honey.

When she first listed the ingredients, I was kinda like: "You just named five things that don't go together in any way whatsoever." And she was just like: "They all say it's good and I wanna try it." You know me, I'll try just about anything once. So she made it and we tried it and it's just amazingly good.

She heated the beef on the stove top and spiced it up with some taco seasoning. The sweet potatoes received some garlic powder, paprika, sea salt and olive oil before roasting at 400° for about a half hour. Then you stick it all in a bowl with roughly equal quadrants of the above-mentioned beef and sweet potato, cottage cheese, and avocado. You'll have a beautiful white, brown, green, and orange mosaic of flavors. And then it all gets topped with Mike's Hot Honey, Bees Knees, or Trader Joe's Spicy Honey Sauce...or Trader Joe's Organic Spicy Honey Sauce.

Of course you can make a vegetarian version by omitting the beef...or a vegan version by omitting the beef and cottage cheese. Or you could sub tofu for the animal products. Whatever floats your boat.

It's creamy, salty, savory, sweet, and a little spicy. If anything, I wish it were a tad spicier. And by that, I mean I wish this spicy honey were spicier. It's got a little kick, for sure, but I could go a notch or two higher on the spice-o-meter.

The organic spicy honey is three bucks. This product is five bucks. Yes, you read that right. The organic product is cheaper than the non-organic product. Go figure. I guess it's because there's more sauce in this 12 oz bottle as opposed to only 8 in the other one. This product is definitely currently available—generally speaking, of course. Not sure about the organic version.

Sonia and I would buy again. Kosher. It was on an end cap at our TJ's last time we went, but it'll probably wind up with the other condiments. Do not refrigerate, even after opening. It is real honey, after all. Sonia gives Trader Joe's Spicy Honey Sauce eight and a half stars. I'll throw out eight out of ten.

Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Maple Brown Butter Almonds

These almonds remind me a lot of Trader Joe's Cinnamon Sugar Almonds in terms of texture, the quality of the nuts, and the thickness of the candy coating. If anything, the overall flavor is just a tad richer here, boasting sweet maple and rich brown butter. It's quite satisfying.

I'd heard nothing but good things online about this snack, and no wonder. They're really much more tasty than you might assume by just glancing at the packaging. The buttery maple candy flavor brings just the right amount of pizzazz to the snack, turning ordinary whole almonds into something that could quell even the strongest of sweet tooths.

The sea salt on these nuts combines with the rich butteriness in a way that reminds me of Trader Joe's Salted Maple Ice Cream. Yes, the flavor is that indulgent. It's not a far cry from what you'd get if you took Trader Joe's Butter with Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup and sautéed almonds in it.

They're delicious on their own, but they'd work great for baking applications also. As is, I think they're a little too big to serve as an ice cream or yogurt topping, but you could always chop them up in a food processor and toss them in with your favorite creamy dessert.

$3.99 for the 8 oz resealable bag. Kosher. Would buy again. I give Trader Joe's Maple Brown Butter Almonds eight and a half out of ten stars. Sonia gives them nine out of ten.

Bottom line: 8.75 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Soup

So I guess people were using Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce as a base for soup and really loving it. Word on the street is that TJ's heard about it and developed their own soup inspired by the pasta sauce by the same name. Don't confuse the red creamy autumnal pasta sauce with Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Alfredo Sauce. That stuff was weird and bland but I'm pretty sure it's not around anymore.

At any rate, this soup is tomato-based, but it's also bursting with big chunks of butternut squash, onions, celery, and carrots. There's pumpkin puree and butternut squash puree, too. Garlic, parsley, rosemary, and sage help round out the flavor profile and yield a surprisingly tasty, hearty soup.

We heated ours on the stovetop and made just over half the jar for our video review. We both enjoyed it quite a bit. It's savory and a little sweet—nowhere near as sweet as Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bisque, to be sure. It tastes "harvesty," if that's even a word. It should be. "Harvestacular" might be more accurate.

It's surprisingly chunky, filling, and none of the veggies were particularly stringy, which is always a plus. We'll easily finish the jar in a day or so, just the two of us. It's finally soup season here in the Upper Midwest, and cooler temperatures always put Sonia and me in the mood for dishes exactly like this one.

$4.99 for the 25 oz reusable glass mason jar. Would buy again. This is the best fall soup we've seen from Trader Joe's since the Harvest Chili we looked at seven years ago. Nine out of ten stars from Sonia for Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Soup. I'll give it eight out of ten.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Risotto

We're looking at another authentic Italian import today. This time, it's butternut squash risotto. It's actually the second butternut squash risotto product we've reviewed from Trader Joe's, the first being a low carb riced cauliflower version from five years ago.

Like its predecessor, this risotto has real butternut squash, cheese, and Italian spices. It's nice and creamy, smooth, and savory, too. We think the overall flavor is stronger with this product since it's got real rice in it.

The sauce blend seems a bit better in this instance, as well, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's just because it's truly Italian. It feels thicker, creamier, and cheesier.

We ate ours with some arugula to give it a bit of extra texture. The flavors worked well together, too. The nuttiness of the greens complemented the cheesiness of the risotto and gave the dish a nice earthy undertone. We're quite sure it would go great with chicken or fish or pork if that's your thing. It would make a fine side dish or even a standalone meal.

We heated it on the stovetop, but the microwave is fair game, too. Instructions say to heat on medium for 6-7 minutes. Ours took 15-16 minutes. Hey, it's still much faster than making it from scratch.

$4.49 for a pound of imported risotto. Product of Italy. Found in the frozen section. We'd both buy it again. Sonia gives Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Risotto eight and a half out of ten stars. I'll go with seven and a half on this one.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Sweet Cinnamon Filled Korean Pancakes

Nate's Notes: This review was originally published on September 22, 2021. We're bumping it because we did a short video review, which is now embedded at the bottom of the post. This product is only available seasonally at Trader Joe's during the fall time. We like it a lot and we've repurchased it just about every year for the past four years. It's back for the 2025 season as of the time of re-publishing—but probably won't be around for long. Also, the price has increased to $4.49.

Bro...do you even hotteok?

Can't say I can, because I just learned the word tonight when prepping some Trader Joe's Sweet Cinnamon Filled Korean Pancakes. Lol..."Korean pancakes." Call 'em what they are, TJ's. Hotteok. Granted, yes, I along with likely 80% or more of shoppers wouldn't know what that means at first glance, but I'm always down for a little culinary education. Apparently hotteok is a popular Korean street food, filled with all sorts of stuff, in, well, more or less a pancake form. Never saw or heard of them before as I've never been to Korea and that's not much Korean influence around the 'burgh that'd make something even as tasty and tantalizing like this readily available. 

All that to say, heck yeah, Trader Joe's sweet cinnamon filled Korean pancakes are pretty good.

Let's take another second to be clear here: I am not qualified in any way, shape or form to claim these as authentic or close to the real thing or for them to even be half as good. I'd actually be fairly and pleasantly surprised if they were. I'm judging these pancakes simply on their own merits, including costing $3ish bucks for 4 of them, and heating them from frozen on my stovetop for just a few minutes. So take as you will.

All that being said, yum. Let's start with the dough. It's delicious and pretty unique for my experience. Even heating right from frozen, with no butter or oil or anything used, the outside gets all browned and crispy and a touch greasy, just like a good comfort food should. Love it. Further in, it's not quite a mochi-esque bite, but in some ways it's close as it's a little chewy but also soft and moist and gooey and oozing out warmth. Looking over ingredients, there's all sorts of stuff in the dough - wheat, sweet potato, rice flour - that come together well into a soft, lightly sweet cake. 

The cinnamon reservoir is pretty fantastic too. I mean, it's a lot of cinnamon. Be careful that stuff is ridiculously hot and stays that way for longer than expected. The cinnamon adds a great spice bite that complements the dough really well, making these compact cakes have more punch than expected. 

Still, adding a little ice cream or whipped cream or something like that to just really fill it out? That'd be worthy of hashtagging a #chefskiss all over this. 

Delicious. We love 'em and I'm glad we got a second bag that I'm already looking forward to busting open. Authentic? Maybe, maybe not...if you know, tell me. But I'm glad that TJ's has introduced me to this particular chunk of the culinary world, and I know I'll be seeking out the real deal if I ever get the chance. Eight and a half stars on Trader Joe's Sweet Cinnamon Filled Korean Pancakes, aka Hotteok.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Crustless Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches

Trader Joe's Uncrustables. That's clearly what we've got here. Not the first time TJ's latched on to a popular food concept and developed their own store brand variety of it. Probably won't be the last. Let's see how they stack up to the leading brand.

Let the duel begin. Big Joe's offering comes out swinging with the certified "vegan" label right on the box. Not sure what might be in the Smuckers product that would deny its vegan status, but it is not considered officially vegan. I think it's because their sandwiches are processed on the same equipment as the Chocolate Uncrustables which contain some dairy.

Price: Smuckers Uncrustables are showing $4.39 for the four pack at all retailers in my area as of the time of composing this review, while TJ's product is $3.79. You might get a coupon deal or a BOGO once in a while with the name brand, but on a day to day basis, Trader Joe's wins again.

Variety: There's only one flavor of Trader Joe's Crustless Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Sandwiches. Smuckers offers not only strawberry, but also grape, raspberry, honey, and the previously-mentioned chocolate hazelnut variety. I think they might have a couple new flavors, too. Round 3 goes to Mr. Smucker.

Peanut Butteriness: I like TJ's product on this count. It's a very rich, wholesome peanutty flavor. It feels and tastes more natural than the leading brand. There's also an extra gram of protein in Joe's Crustless PB&Js. I'll give this round to Trader Joe.

Jam/Jelly: There's not enough strawberry jam in this sandwich. I'm okay with a PB&J that heavily favors the PB element, but folks who want a sweeter jelly situation might lean towards classic Uncrustables. The judges favor Smuckers on this go around.

Bread: Both products offer similar white bread made with unbleached enriched wheat flour. Neither Sonia nor I think either product has a significant advantage over the other in this instance. This round is a draw.

The net weight of Trader Joe's product is 8.89 oz as compared to only 8 oz in the case of the Uncrustables four pack. So not only are TJ's crustless sandwiches cheaper, but they're actually slightly larger than their competition.

No knockouts. No disqualifications. Just a good, clean fight. And with that, we'll turn to the judges. By a narrow but unanimous decision, Trader Joe's product wins the bout.

Sonia and I would both buy this product again, found in the frozen section. Thaw for 2 hours in fridge or 1 hour at room temperature to prepare. We'll probably buy Smuckers Uncrustables again, too, since they're available pretty much everywhere and we appreciate the different flavors. We both give Trader Joe's Crustless Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches eight and a half out of ten stars.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Harvest Vegetable Hash Egg Bites

I like eggs, but I usually have to be in the mood for eggs. Sonia, on the other hand, could eat eggs three times a day, every day. I was brought up with scrambled eggs most of the time. I went through a dippy egg phase when I got a little older. Now I'm used to the beautiful wifey's egg bites which generally contain spinach, onions, and peppers—and she uses the yolks.

I prefer whole eggs over egg whites, but even still, I'll give Trader Joe's Harvest Vegetable Hash Egg White Bites the thumbs up. Cottage cheese in eggs was strange to me when I first encountered it, but I've grown to love the combo. Throw in some veggie chunks like sweet potato and butternut squash, a few spices like rosemary and sage, and finally add some asiago cheese to the mix, and you've got a pretty tasty breakfast.

At $3.79 for two, these egg white bites are about two full dollars cheaper than the comparable Starsucks offering. They're still not exactly cheap, but for a good amount of wholesome protein that's not only palatable but super convenient and easy to prepare, it's not a bad value at all.

One minute in the microwave, let stand one minute, and that's it. Sonia and I ate our first two bites on camera in the video review below. I got the "harvest vegetable hash" confused with the "holiday vegetable hash" we reviewed last year. They're both similar concepts. I suppose they just changed the name so they could roll this product out with the fervent foray of fall foods. Fair enough.

Sonia likes this product a tad more than I do, but we'd both buy again in the end. Gluten free. They'll apparently last in the fridge for nearly two months. I give Trader Joe's Harvest Vegetable Hash Egg White Bites eight out of ten stars. Put the beautiful wifey down for eight and a half.

Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Chicken & Bone Broth Dog Treats

This little pack of dog treats has a lot going for it: it's got real chicken as the top ingredient, it contains dried bone broth, it's resealable, and the treats are soft and tiny—perfect for our small senior dogs.

Our puppers Alfred and Sadie turned 13 years old last month. They're in pretty good shape for their age, but they aren't as active as they used to be, so we have to be a bit more choosy about what treats we give them. Oat flour and rice flour are the second and third ingredients, respectively, and I understand there are different schools of thought about giving dogs grains and flours. Some say dogs should avoid grains as much as possible. Others say whole grains are a good source of dietary fiber.

Fortunately, we'll only be giving them a couple of these treats each day, so such a small amount of flour won't really affect them either way. The product even specifies on the bag that these are dog treats as opposed to dog food. They shouldn't represent more than ten percent of your dog's daily calorie intake.

Bone broth contains collagen, which is perfect for helping older dogs maintain healthy fur, skin, and joints. It can also boost their digestive and immune systems. It's even known to detoxify the liver.

The doggies seem to like taste of the treats well enough. Anything with chicken is usually a hit with them. There's even molasses in these mini morsels. Bonus points for being chewy and bite-sized even for our chihuahua-mix mutts.

$3.99 for the 6 oz resealable bag, found in the pet section. Would buy again. Alfred and Sadie give these treats eight out of ten paw prints.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Honey Crisp Apple Cinnamon Greek Yogurt

I assumed that both Sonia and I would enjoy this product—that we'd like it but not love it, that I'd be a little more critical of it than she would be, and that she'd do most of the raving and I'd do most of the ranting. Well, I was right about the first part.

We both give this product a thumbs up in the end, but I'm the one doing it a bit more enthusiastically. Yes, yes, it has a lot of added sugar. It has exactly double the added sugar of the product we looked at last week: Icelandic Style Skyr Yogurt. The thing is: this product tastes like dessert to me while the skyr tastes like something I'd eat just because it's healthy. This offering still has the beneficial live yogurt cultures AND I would actually eat this product voluntarily on a regular basis. I might even eat it in place of something more indulgent, like ice cream.

To me, it's that good. It has enough sweetness—both from 10 grams of added sugar as well as the natural sweetness of Honeycrisp apples—to counterbalance the intrinsic tartness of Greek yogurt. It's "sweet and sour" in a way I never thought would work but somehow does. There's a fair amount of cinnamon and generous quantities of apple bits throughout it in my opinion, though the beautiful wifey thought it could use more of both.

The texture is thick like any other Greek yogurt. You can see and feel the Honeycrisp apple in the product, and to a lesser degree, you can feel the faint grit of the cinnamon. It's a very nice mouthfeel overall.

At 99¢ for the 5.3 oz cup, it's definitely among the least expensive yogurt products I've come across in a while. Kosher. I'd definitely buy it again and Sonia would possibly consider a repurchase. Eight and half stars from me for Trader Joe's Honey Crisp Apple Cinnamon Greek Yogurt. The beautiful wifey gives it seven and a half stars.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese Bites

If Trader Joe's Mac & Cheese Bites had an illegitimate lovechild with Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese, it would undoubtedly be called Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese Bites and it would look and taste a whole lot like this product. Four bucks. From frozen to ready in ten minutes in the air fryer at 400°F.

The outsides of the bites are nice and crispy, but their insides are warm, cheesy, and soft. There's a surprising amount of actual butternut squash in the product. It's accompanied by a subtle spice blend including onion, garlic, nutmeg, and sage. There's cheddar and gouda cheeses, and the whole effect is very creamy. Once they've cooled down, the little spheres are stable enough that you can eat them with your hands despite their supple, gooey centers.

Butternut squash isn't an intense flavor in and of itself. The overall effect is comforting but the flavor isn't particularly pungent. I'm still trying to figure out what that red dipping sauce is on the cover art for this package. At first, I thought it looked like chunky salsa. The wifey thinks it's tomato sauce. That probably makes more sense.

I did try the bites with some pasta sauce, and it worked quite well. I think they would have gone with tomato soup or tomato bisque even better. A little hot sauce like Tapatio or Texas Pete wouldn't hurt either. Sonia liked them on their own sans fixins.

Limited time fall product. We would both buy Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese Bites again next year. Nine out of ten stars from the beautiful wifey. I'll go with eight out of ten.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Bread

Sonia has gotten me into sourdough. It's so much better for your gut than regular bread. After you get used to it, you miss that tangy taste if you go back to a normal loaf. Even when used for sandwiches, paired with soup, or turned into croutons for a salad, sourdough is superior in almost every way.

That said, this product isn't very sour at all. You can't taste that typical sourdough starter like you can in the really good stuff. I guess they didn't want to make it too sour since the tartness might detract from the apple cinnamon sweetness they were going for as well.

There are little pieces of apple all through the bread. They lend a nice wholesome harvesty vibe. There's some brown sugar sweetness in the background, which is nice. It's not too extreme. If anything, I almost wish it were a tad sweeter. This is definitely not a dessert bread.

But that can be a good thing. It's more versatile that way. Sonia made a turkey and brie sandwich with hers and really enjoyed it. She said it works way better than regular bread for that type of application.

She also made French toast which worked far better than I imagined it would. You don't really think of apple cinnamon going with eggs necessarily, but the whole concoction was surprisingly delicious, with or without maple syrup. I was just fine toasting a slice or two, adding butter, and munching on them the old-fashioned way, too. Of course, it's quite convenient that they're already sliced. Some sourdough you have to cut yourself.

It's about five bucks for just over a pound of bread, found with the baked goods. Product of Canada. Sonia would buy again. She gives Trader Joe's Sliced Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Bread eight and a half out of ten stars. Put me down for seven and a half on this one.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Lavash Flatbread

Nate's Notes: Penned by former contributor Russ, this review was originally posted March 29, 2011. This product disappeared for some time circa 2016 and then reappeared recently. The packaging is slightly different, they've added "Whole Wheat" to the title, and unsurprisingly the price has increased. It's still a great product and Sonia and I don't have much to add or subtract from the original article, so we've simply updated the pictures and bumped the post for our 2025 audience. Take note the original publishing was 329 and it's being re-posted on 923. Spooky.

Am I wrong, but there's something to be said for good, cheap carbs, right?

Probably the most famous cheap carb is the beloved Ramen noodle package. Well, "beloved" might be a stretch, but it's a pretty universal experience for college kids to subsist on them for long stretches of time. I certainly was one of them. My sophomore year, I sincerely doubt I went a day without a meal that involved either Ramen or leftover pizza from the dinner shift at Papa John's. It certainly helped that they were 10 for a buck at the local grocery shop. Some nights I'd eat two packages, other nights I'd mix in some frozen veggies and maybe make a piece of chicken. But man, all the Ramen ... I don't know how I didn't die from malnutrition. Once I was really, truly, ineffably sick of them, my grandmother came to the rescue and sent me a Ramen noodle cookbook. I had no idea about all the different possible uses for Ramen ... all the different stir-fries and noodle-based dishes, and even things like salads and pizza (using the noodles as a crust). That kept me going on them throughout the rest of my college years until I could finally routinely afford better starchy goods, like shells and cheese.

flatbread pizza with chicken, spinach, onions, and apizza gouda

Anyways, I love me some carbs. I could never be a legit vegetarian because I like meat waaay too much, and Dr. Atkins and I would never be dietary BFFs because he'd be slapping bagels out of my hands way too often. And the more ways I can use a single form of carb (like the Ramen noodles) the better.

That's why I like Trader Joe's Lavash so much. It's a pretty simple product, it's just a legal-document sized ( 9.5 x 13) rectangle of rather plain baked dough. But, like the package says, this is some fairly versatile stuff, and there's a lot of it. The first time Sandy and I broke it out, we used it as a crust for a thin crust basil pesto pizza. It was good enough that we've used it a couple more times as a crust since then. When baked, it gets really crispy and crackery when the sides and corners get browned and curled up. I'd definitely recommend if using it for a pizza, let it bake for a little while longer than you'd figure otherwise as the middle can get a little sogged down with sauce, etc, but rebounds nicely if given the proper oven lovin' time. 

But that's not the only good use of the lavash. I've made a breakfast wrap or two with it, and it held up with the eggs and cheese well. Sandy's taken it to work a couple times and used it like a tortilla with some rice and beans, and reported satisfactory results. The great thing is, there's six of them in a package ($2.19 for 6 in 2011—$2.99 for 4 in 2025) so there's plenty of it with which to experiment. I'd imagine they'd be pretty good cut and baked to munch on like a pita chip, or maybe even buttered, sugared, and cinnamoned, then cut into strips and baked for a dessert. Or maybe make some garlic breadsticks out of them in a similar fashion ... the possibilities may be endless.

The form of the lavash is pretty pliable, too. We tend to keep bread in the fridge to extend the shelf life some. I just wolfed down the last two-week old half-sheet remnant a few minutes ago, and it was as soft, floury, and flexible as the first time we used it. I could literally bend it any which way, and it wasn't stiffened enough to crack or break. Yet, it easily rips in a straight-enough line if you ask it to. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed overall.

Sandy gives it a 4.5 overall. "Mmm ... carbs ... it's good and it works. Not much else to be said," she says. Considering that I find myself craving a lavash-crust pizza once or twice a week, I'm inclined to be in the same ballpark. Part of me wishes it had a bit more flavor, like some sesame or poppy seeds mixed in (that's pretty common in Middle Eastern countries, from where this was inspired), but its plainness lends itself better to the overall versatility to use it to make it part of something of your own creation. Sounds like a 4.5 to me as well.

Bottom line: 9 out of 10 Golden Spoons.

Trader Joe's Cinnamon Sugar Cashews

I've eaten cashews pretty regularly since I was a kid. Never ever thought, "hey I wish they'd slather these nuts in cinnamon and sugar and sell them that way in a big tub." Almonds, yeah. Pecans, sure. Candied peanuts, you betcha. But not only did I not desire a sugared cashew, I really didn't even think it would work even after hearing about this product.

But it totally works. And I'm not saying Trader Joe's cinnamon sugar cashews are the first candy-ified cashews in existence. I'm just saying I never heard of anything like this until TJ's rolled out this seasonal product last year.

They're big whole cashews with a generous dusting of sugar and cinnamon. They're not over-the-top sweet but they sure feel fancier than your typical cashews. There's brown sugar and honey notes in the background, and of course the cinnamon flavor is significant. It blends with cashew nuts so much better than I ever imagined.

Traderjoes.com says to serve them alongside the seasonal Toscano cheese. Shoot. We didn't pick that one up this year, but I'm starting to wish we did. Meh. We'll have no problem finishing our candied cashews straight from the tub by themselves.

Six bucks for the 10 oz tub with resealable plastic lid. Available for a limited time in the fall. Product of Thailand. Would buy again. Sonia and I both give Trader Joe's Cinnamon Sugar Cashews with Honey & Brown Sugar eight out of ten stars.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Maple Leaf Ice Cream Sandwiches

Pumpkins, apples, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash all get harvested in the autumn. So it's logical that they're considered fall foods. Maple syrup is harvested around March. So...why we eat maple stuff at this time of year, I'm not really sure. Maybe it's the whole leaf association..? We think maple, we think trees, we think leaves, we think fall..? Gemini says it's because it pairs well with "squash, cinnamon, pumpkin, and baked goods." Fair enough.

All I know is that if TJ's rolls out a seasonal product, we race to grab it and review it regardless of when it's harvested, because no doubt these puppies will be gone in a matter of weeks, if not sooner. Pretty sure this is the very first year for this particular product. Think I would've remembered it if it had been around previously.

We've got ourselves a product of Canada here. That does not shock me for any reason. It's about four bucks for four little ice cream sandwiches, and they're pretty darn good. They're nice and mapley, but not overly so—containing real maple syrup in both the ice cream and the cookies. They're creamy, milky, and buttery too.

There's a brown sugar sweetness that accompanies the maple flavor. It works. The breading is soft and lightly sweet and does nothing to interfere with the great maplicious flavor of the treats. There's very little if anything in the way of miscellaneous fall spices. It's just maple, maple, and more maple with a hint of brown sugar.

Complaints? The sandwiches are quite small for the price. I wish they were a tad bigger. Could be worse, I suppose. Some grocery prices are getting ridiculous these days. Some folks might want even more maple taste, but I liked the flavor just fine as is.

Sonia and I would both buy these little kosher leaf-shaped desserts again. I'll go with eight and a half stars out of ten for Trader Joe's Maple Leaf Ice Cream Sandwiches. The beautiful wifey will throw out nine out of ten.

Bottom line: 8.75 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Sweet Ripe Plantains

Long ago, I hung out with some folks from São Paulo, Brazil pretty frequently. They loved telling us about how life was different in Brazil and exposing us to their cuisine and culture. We went to a few different Brazilian restaurants together, and the most common type of platter we'd encounter was a simple dish with a grilled meat of some kind, rice, either beans or a small salad, and finally fried plantains. In contrast to, say your typical Mexican food for example, there were very few sauces, salsas, and cheeses. Everything tasted remarkably clean and fresh.

Around the same time, I discovered Cuban cuisine. Lo and behold, nearly every Cuban dish I tried came with a side of extremely similar fried plantains. Apparently, they're quite common in most cuisines in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and even Africa. With such a huge portion of the world enjoying a specific side dish with such regularity, it's a wonder it never really caught on in the US.

In the same way you might serve sweet potatoes with turkey and stuffing, Sonia made a delicious platter of sautéed chicken seasoned with Trader Joe's Cuban Style Citrusy Garlic Blend, white rice, black beans, and these sweet ripe plantains. From frozen, she simply fried them in a little olive oil for a few minutes on each side. They were quite tasty—among the best plantains I've ever had.

The texture was soft and a little starchy, very similar to a raw banana. The flavor was surprisingly sweet, with no added sugars. The only ingredients in this offering are plantains and palm oil. They complemented our savory sides and gave the whole dish a wonderful natural sweetness.

$2.49 for the 6 serving bag, found in the frozen section. Kosher. Product of Honduras. Sonia and I would both buy again. I'll throw out a solid eight out of ten stars for Trader Joe's Sweet Ripe Plantains. The beautiful wifey will go with nine out of ten.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Parsley Crackers

This isn't the biggest box of crackers in the universe, to be sure, but at five plus ounces it ain't the smallest either. It's imported all the way from Italy, as a good many of Trader Joe's products are. I'm just saying, have you seen the price of a box of crackers lately? And I'm not talking fancy, top-of-the-line crackers for rich people that you'd find on a charcuterie board at the Met Gala or a rare vintage wine auction. I'm talking regular old water crackers or butter crackers.

They're easily more than double the price of these Italian imports. At $1.49, these parsley crackers are, if nothing else, a great bargain. One side is mostly dark green, infused with a significant amount of parsley flavor. I might even dare say they taste more like parsley than actual parsley tastes like parsley. That is to say, parsley by itself doesn't exactly pack a wallop in the flavor department. And while these crackers aren't a stellar snack just in and of themselves by my estimation, they do have a pleasant, salty, savory, herbaceous essence. I guess they taste as much or more like garlic as they do parsley, but that's just fine by me.

They go great with feta cheese. Olives, artichoke, egg, tuna, or any kind of canned fish really would work well with these crackers. Most cheeses would go great with them. Soups? I can't really think of a soup I wouldn't try these with.

There's a dense, crisp breadiness to these snacks. Texture-wise, they kind of remind me of certain pita crackers I've had. Along those lines, I think they'd go great with hummus or any other Middle Eastern type condiment.

The best crackers we've sampled from Trader Joe's in a great while, or maybe ever, were the Green Olive Flats, also imported from Italy. Those were just about double the price of these inexpensive morsels. I think I still prefer the texture and flavor of those olive flats, but these parsley crackers are quite decent, too.

If you're looking for something a little different for your next get-together or party, keep these in mind. Sonia and I would both buy them again. They're versatile, crunchy, and very inexpensive. Buck and a half for the 5.28 oz box. Product of Italy. Sonia will throw out eight and a half stars. I'll go with seven and a half out of ten.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin & Spice Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix

Prior to 2025, the only flavor of snickerdoodle I'd had was, you know, snickerdoodle-flavored snickerdoodles—cinnamon and sugar. Earlier this summer, we checked out Trader Joe's Strawberry Doodle Cookies, a product I didn't expect to work at all but was pleasantly surprised with.

I guess pumpkin spice isn't too far a cry from a classic snickerdoodle, since both flavors typically contain sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove or cardamom. Trader Joe's even threw in some actual autumn squash in the form of pumpkin powder for just a hint of harvestiness. It's balanced out by all the aforementioned spices and the nice soft breadiness of the cookies.

To prepare, you simply combine the mix with an egg, milk, and a stick of butter. Then you form the batter into little balls which then get rolled in the separate "sugar and spice mix." Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375°F and you've got about 22 pumpkin spice snickerdoodles.

Sonia and I both enjoyed the fresh-baked cookies quite a bit, and they're still scrumptious even after they've cooled down and solidified. We tried them for the first time live on camera, and you should totally watch, like, and comment on the YouTube video embedded below. <hint, hint>

The cookies are slightly crunchy on the outside thanks to the crystals of sugar and cinnamon. They're soft and chewy on the inside. We found the pumpkin spice level to be just about right here. We'd both buy this product again.

I kind of wanted to call them "pumpersnickle cookies." But then I Googled "pumpersnickle" and the Urban Dictionary entry for that word made me reconsider.

If it's not back on shelves at your local Trader Joe's now, it should be by the first or second week of September. $3.99 for the 17.57 oz box. Kosher. Eight and a half out of ten stars from Sonia. Eight out of ten stars from me for Trader Joe's Pumpkin & Spice Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix.

Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.