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.
Trader Joe's offered these same fruit bars over fourteen years ago. They even had the same wrappers, same colors, and similar, if not identical, ingredients. I'm not sure which flavors they had back then, but we were fortunate enough to snag Apple Raspberry and Apple Wild Berry for a blog post in 2011. Pretty sure we'd had them a few times before we got around to reviewing them so many years ago.
And now, they're back! After a lengthy hiatus, Trader Joe's has these same Organic Apple _____ <---- "insert random other fruit name here" type fruit bars once again. They're certified organic and they're only 49¢ a piece. Talk about a blast from the past.
This time we picked up five different flavors. Organic Sour Apple Watermelon, which I'm pretty sure is brand new, Apple Blueberry, Apple Strawberry, Apple Raspberry, and Apple Wildberry. Yes, "Wild Berry" was two words in 2011 and is now a single compound word in 2025. Go figure. My spell checker prefers the two word version. Maybe it just needs a system update.
Raspberry and Wildberry are both good vaguely berry-esque flavors. They're sweet and fruity and we'd buy 'em again for sure. Strawberry and Blueberry are even better. There's no mistaking the flavor of either one. They taste distinctly like their eponymous berries. Strawberry is the sweetest of those four flavors by a good bit.
And the Sour Apple Watermelon? It is simply divine. It's super sweet and simultaneously super sour. It's got a bold, bright taste and the same soft, moist texture of the other fruit wraps. It honestly tastes like sour candy, but there's nothing in it but fruit juices, pectin, and malic acid. We would buy that flavor by the dozen.
Score-wise, there's a bit of a hierarchy with this one. Sour Apple Watermelon will get top marks, landing squarely in The Pantheon. Strawberry and Blueberry will get "really darn good" status, and finally Raspberry and Wildberry will get a "not bad" score.
