These waffles are individually wrapped in cellophane. I didn't see that coming. I figured they'd all be sitting in a plastic tray. They're fairly soft and moist and I guess the individual wrapping is meant to keep them that way.
You can eat them straight from the wrapper in the manner of a cookie, or you can remove them from their packaging, toss them into the toaster, add a bit of syrup or what have you, and eat them like miniature waffles. We've tried them both ways and both are pretty tasty.
Of course the convenience factor is a little higher when you're just snacking on them out of the little baggie, but the indulgence factor is higher when you heat them and add some fixins. We're eager to try them with some vanilla ice cream on top.
They're a tad sticky. I guess it's the "pearl sugar" on them. They're also a bit oily and buttery, too, even before adding any toppings—they do indeed contain both egg and butter. They're nice and sweet, dense and slightly chewy.
The waffles are shelf stable for a couple months. They do come with a "best by" sticker despite being individually wrapped. They'd probably just get a little stale if you let them hang around too long, but for most of you, that won't be a problem.
$3.99 for six waffles, imported from Belgium. Pretty good value. Would probably buy again. Sonia will go with eight out of ten stars for Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liège Waffles with Pearl Sugar. I'll throw out seven and a half stars.
Passion fruit and raspberry? That sounds interesting. Add to it some rolled oats, rice syrup, and sugar, and we probably have another tasty Trader Joe's granola on our hands. There have been so many throughout the years, it's hard to keep track of what we've reviewed and what we haven't, what's still available and what's been discontinued...
"Passion fruit puree" is the third ingredient here. It gives the big crunchy oat clusters a faint citrusy sweetness and a bit of a tang. Passion fruit and raspberry are both sweet and tart, so this cereal is quite tangy. It's almost bordering on too tangy for my taste, honestly.
Like most cereals of this kind, the dried raspberries are far and few between. That first bowl I poured in the pic only had two actual raspberries in it. I grabbed a third out of the bag just for the sake of the photo.
This just isn't my thing, personally. Sour cereal is just not something I'm craving, like, ever. For that reason, I think it works a little better as a yogurt topping than a traditional bowl of cereal with milk, but that's just me. There's quite a bit of sugar in this product, too, so I'd probably reach for something like cake or ice cream before I'd reach for this product again.
I know this granola has its following. Plenty of positive reviews out there in cyberspace if that's what you're looking for. Plus, unfortunately, negative reviews never go viral or do very well on social media, which sucks for the traffic on this blog.
I gotta be honest, though. This granola is okay, but I wouldn't buy it again. By all means, if you disagree, let us know in the comments. Tell us why you like it. Six and a half out of ten stars from me for Trader Joe's Passion Fruit Granola with Dried Raspberries. Sonia will go with an even six.
