In the tradition of other great Trader Joe's brand loaves, here we have the long-awaited, coveted pumpkin loaf. We've seen Pancake Bread, Banana Bread, and Gingerbread Loaf in very similar packages throughout the years. Without further loafing around, let's take a look at the product at hand.
It's got those typical pumpkin spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and clove. It's a nice, dense, bready treat. Our specimen was a tad dry—a full day before the "best by" date on the sticker—but certainly not to the point of inedibility.
The crystallized "spiced sugar topping" is a nice touch. It's slightly crunchy and adds some interesting texture. The rest of the loaf is much softer, but it's also very crumbly—to the point where placing a slice in a regular toaster is pretty much out of the question. A toaster oven, on the other hand, is a great option for warming.
We found heating the slices greatly helped wake up all the flavors and allowed butter and other toppings to melt into the product and help offset any dryness. Even 12-15 seconds in the microwave did the trick.
We tried the loaf topped with the recently-reviewed Apple Pie Spread, and it was absolutely delicious that way if you want something ridiculously sweet and indulgent. Plain butter or plain cream cheese worked just fine, too.
Compared to Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Mini Sheet Cake, Sonia and I both found this offering wanting just a tad. It can be fixed up quite nicely, but it's not as good on its own. $4.99 for the eight serving loaf, found in the baked goods section. Probably would opt for other pumpkin treats before repurchasing this one. Seven out of ten stars from me for Trader Joe's Pumpkin Loaf. The beautiful wifey will go with seven and a half.
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.
