The Most Underrated Trader Joe's Holiday Desserts
No holiday season is complete without a trip or twelve to Trader Joe's. Year-round, you know the quirky grocery store is good for its classic try-before-you-die faves, like Mandarin Orange Chicken and that famously low-priced "Two Buck Chuck" vino. But around the holidays, Trader Joe's gets especially festive.
The December flyer on their website is filled with seasonal offerings like bacon-wrapped porchetta, gift sets stocked with fan-favorite spices like their Everything But the Bagel Seasoning, and a Wintry Blend Coffee sure to help dial in all those cozy Christmas vibes. Trader Joe's holiday desserts are a special kind of wonderful though and, frankly, some don't get all the love they truly deserve. We're looking beyond the Speculoos Cookie Butter and Jingle Jangle this time and focusing on the most underrated holiday desserts from Trader Joe's that definitely belong in your little red shopping cart this season.
Trader Joe's Stroopwafel Cake Baking Mix
Trader Joe's is no fool. They know some of us live and die for a Stroopwafel, which is why they made a cake mix based on the cinnamon-laced, caramel-stuffed, cookie-waffle concoction. What's confusing, though, is that we're not seeing Trader Joe's Stroopwafel Cake Baking Mix on every news feed and Instagram post this season.
Trader Joe's website explains the mix is a DIY kit that comes in a giftable jar, which displays all the dry ingredients needed to make this heavenly dessert. All you or the giftees on your list have to do is add butter, eggs, and water to create a cake reminiscent of Trader Joe's traditional Stroopwafels and perfect for serving up as the sweet end to any holiday meal. We did spy this baking mix on Instagramer @traderjoespro's account, along with a tasty tip from commenter @darlajean125 who said she used the mix to make cupcakes and topped them with buttercream icing. If that doesn't win the holidays, we don't know what does.
Trader Joe's Baton Lover's Quartet
Wafer cookie-lovers, unite. This season, Trader Joe's unveiled a new version of their classic cocoa, lemon, and pumpkin-flavored Baton wafer cookies, updating them with all new flavors for the holidays. You may think there's nothing to see here, it's just a wafer cookie with some filling. But Trader Joe's went above and beyond by fancying-up the cookie flavors too. The 16 oz. Baton Lover's Quartet features a chocolate wafer cookie wrapped around a cookies-and-cream filling, an orange-flavored cookie stuffed with chocolatey orange filling, a classic tan-colored cookie shell wrapped around a hazelnut filling, and a cute pink cookie shell stuffed with cocoa-flavored filling. So Christmasy!
Instagram user @traderjoesaficionado featured these cookies in a post with the caption, "Baton Lovers Quartet! A holiday tin of 4 different flavored batons. Perfect to have around during the holidays." More than one follower gave this underrated desert its due via multiple heart-eye emojis in the comments. We're inclined to agree with @ealie4, though, who announced, "There goes my summer bod." But, hey, it's the holidays – who really cares about calories, right?
Trader Joe's Edel-Marzipanstollen
Ok, yes – this is a German version of a fruitcake (per Daring Gourmet). And yes, we are well aware of fruitcake's sorry reputation. But, just hear us out – this one is different and totally worthy of a spot on this list of underrated Trader Joe's desserts. A Trader Joe's employee claims, "The Marzipanstollen is basically like a fruit cake with an almond filling and powdered sugar. [It's] fairly underrated I think because a lot of people aren't that into fruit cakes. Typically fruit cake is dry and not that great, but with its almond filling, this one is juicy and sugary. The nougat-y filling helps the texture. It really makes for a nice combination," (via Refinery29). One mention of the word "nougat-y" and we're sold, thank you very much.
This Christmas-y cake has several five-star reviews on Trader Joe's Reviews, with one commenter claiming, "This is so good and so addicting! I wish I could get this all year round! Great with coffee!" It might be time to cut fruitcake some slack and give this dessert a try.
Trader Joe's Peppermint Flavor Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones
Trader Joe's cake and cookie game is strong this season, but their Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones really can't be beat. Fans go crazy for the traditional chocolate-dipped vanilla flavor but, this time of year, TJ's comes out with a peppermint version that is seriously under-appreciated.
Instagrammer @traderjoesobsessed posted a picture of the peppermint cones when they first appeared in her store and captioned it, "My favorite time of the year is when the Peppermint Chocolate Hold the Cones are here! They are so delicious and the perfect size for kids and adults." @traderjoesfanatic quickly commented, "My fave! I bought 4 boxes yesterday," which lets you know these cones may not remain an underdog for long. According to Trader Joe's website, these sweet, creamy treats are basically Christmas in a cone. The crispy chocolate sugar cones are filled with peppermint ice cream and they're topped with a chocolatey coating, making for the perfect, pint-sized holiday dessert.
We're not saying to skip your Trader Joe's Belgian Cookie Collection and Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe's this season – they definitely belong on your list. But add these underrated desserts to your holiday haul and your season is sure to be just that much sweeter!