As the holiday season approaches and Mariah Carey defrosts, we have only one thing on our minds: Trader Joe’s limited-edition holiday items.
Given that we are college students who live in dorm rooms, we love Trader Joe’s easy frozen meals and classic snacks. This, combined with our love of the holiday season, led us to count down the days until the holiday snacks appeared on the shelves. We could not wait to indulge in the classic flavors we all know and love, such as peppermint, gingerbread and nutmeg, to put us in the festive spirit.
With this in mind, we put together a list of Trader Joe’s holiday items that we tested according to the criteria of taste and overall holiday aesthetic to determine if they are worth the buy.
Trader Joe’s Egg Nog
Price: $3.49
Taste: 7.5/10
Holiday aesthetic: 10/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
We couldn’t name a more nostalgic drink than eggnog. It even smells like Christmas, perhaps making it the quintessential holiday beverage. Trader Joe’s eggnog impressed us with its smooth and sweet qualities, perfectly embodying what eggnog should be. Bonus: we think it would taste amazing in coffee.
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe’s
Price: $4.79
Taste: 7/10
Holiday aesthetic: 9/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
These Oreo-like cookies certainly pack the holiday punch that you seek in December. While we appreciated that these cookies were not overly sweet, we wish they had more peppermint flavor inside. That being said, these cookies may be small, but they are extremely rich and the perfect treat for the season. They may not have the most peppermint flavor in comparison to other snacks in this haul, but they are definitely worth the buy if you are craving a chocolate-y option.
Trader Joe’s Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars
Price: $3.99
Taste: 6.5/10
Holiday aesthetic: 5/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
As far as “snackability” goes, these mini dark chocolate stars are definitely at the top of the list. The stars are perfectly crispy and have a lighter taste than a lot of the other items we tried. While these stars are not very sweet and we wouldn’t say they put us in the holiday mood, we found ourselves snacking on them throughout the review. If you need an easy snack in your dorm room to get you through finals, these are for you.
Trader Joe’s Traditional Latkes
Price: $3.29
Taste: 9/10
Holiday aesthetic: 9/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
Growing up in Jewish households, we both knew we needed to add Trader Joe’s latkes to this list, and they did not disappoint. Slightly crunchy on the outside and warm on the inside, the latkes made for a perfectly nostalgic and delicious meal. We would recommend heating them in a toaster, not a microwave. While we didn’t have any toppings with us for our taste-test, we would suggest serving with applesauce or sour cream.
Trader Joe’s Peppermint Bark
Price: $12.99
Taste: 9/10
Holiday aesthetic: 10/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
To be completely honest, we came into this one a bit biased. We have been longtime fans of Trader Joe’s peppermint bark and were very excited to add this to our list. While we believe it could be a little bit thinner, the ratio of dark to white chocolate is perfect. Overall, peppermint bark is a classic treat, and we think it would make a great gift for others this holiday season.
Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Snaps
Price: $4.49
Taste: 5/10
Holiday aesthetic: 2/10
Worth the buy? No 🙁
While we really enjoyed branching out from the peppermint flavors of many of these items and trying these ginger snaps, they unfortunately did not meet our expectations. Overall, the aesthetic of the packaging and the cookies themselves were not very festive for the holiday season. However, we believe they would pair well with coffee because they are flakey and light.
Trader Joe’s Mini Peppermint Meringues
Price: $2.99
Taste: 6.5/10
Holiday aesthetic: 8/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
While we understand that meringue may not be for everyone, these mini peppermint meringues are an absolute yes for anyone who likes the traditional version of the cookie. These sweet little bites have a perfect amount of peppermint sprinkled about. We suggest curling up with a cup of hot cocoa and these meringues to get into the holiday spirit.
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Cremes
Price: $3.99
Taste: 8/10
Holiday aesthetic: 9/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
These chocolate-covered peppermint cremes packed a flavorful punch and reminded us of a York peppermint patty. The patties were a little sticky and hard to eat, but they tasted great and looked very festive with the sprinkled peppermint bits on top.
Trader Joe’s Non-Dairy Oat Creamer Gingerbread
Price: $1.99
Taste: 9/10
Holiday aesthetic: 8/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
As coffee lovers, we had to try the gingerbread creamer, and it was a huge success. From the cute cartoon on the container to the perfectly balanced and smooth creamer inside, this was a huge success. The creamer itself is made with oat milk, so it’s not too sweet and is perfectly balanced when in coffee. This creamer will warm you up with holiday cheer!
Trader Joe’s English Toffee Bites
Price: $1.49
Taste: 7/10
Holiday aesthetic: 8/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
While this list is heavy on peppermint and gingerbread flavor profiles, these toffee bites are a nice deviation from traditional flavors while still putting us in the holiday spirit. The bites have a good nutty flavor, and their crunch makes them fun to eat. While the serving size was on the smaller side, we found it the perfect amount of toffee to snack on while getting cozy and watching Christmas movies.
Trader Joe’s Jingle Jangle Pretzel Twists
Price: $3.99
Taste: 7/10
Holiday aesthetic: 3/10
Worth the buy? Yes!
The Jingle Jangle Pretzel Twists are peanut butter-coated pretzels sprinkled with treats similar to Oreos and M&M’s. While there is a lot going on, the pretzel twists are deliciously flavorful and crunchy. Other than their cute and festive name, the Jingle Jangle Pretzel Twists were not the holiday aesthetic we were looking for — neither in flavor nor packaging.
Trader Joe’s Astounding Multi-Flavor Joe-Joes
Price: $8.49
Taste: 6/10
Holiday aesthetic: 6.5/10
Worth the buy? No 🙁
The Astounding Multi-Flavor Joe-Joes are an assortment of flavors of Trader Joe’s classic Joe-Joe cookies. The flavors included ginger, peppermint, chocolate and peanut butter. While we enjoyed the variety, we recommend sticking to the peppermint Joe-Joes if you are looking for a holiday treat. Despite not being our favorite, the variety of this assortment would serve as a great holiday gift.
As the year comes to a close, don’t miss out on the goodies that Trader Joe’s has to offer. From peppermint cheer to gingerbread goodness, your local Trader Joe’s has you covered. While we highly recommend the eggnog, peppermint bark and latkes, you will have to try the treats yourself to find your favorite.
