Fans Are Losing It Over The Return Of Trader Joe's Candy Cane-Flavored Cookies

Back in August, we saw swathes of people waiting with bated breath for the return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Starbucks. Now, with November almost halfway gone, fans of Trader Joe's might have been growing anxious to find a box of Candy Cane Joe-Joes, a private-label version of candy cane Oreos. These have been a seasonal item for at least a decade, as evidenced by a 2012 review by Brand Eating in which the author stated that they try to snag a box each year. The cookies are popular enough popularity to have a fan-created Facebook page with 3,000 followers.

So, when Trader Joe's List, an unaffiliated Instagram account, posted a photo of the box, people raved. As of this writing, the news has been liked well over 6,000 times. "IT'S BACK," Trader Joe's List wrote in all caps. "YESSSS I LOVE THESE!!" a user enthused. "I hope they have the chocolate covered ones again this year." Another admitted, "I have no control. These are just. Yum." "I need these!!!!" declared a third.

Buy them now or make do at home

The enthusiasm for Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joes is such that you should prepare for a duel to the death every time you pass the desserts during a shopping trip. Well, perhaps people's love for them is not that extreme, but boxes will probably vanish from Trader Joe's shelves quicker than toilet paper in March 2020. The comments made under a Facebook photo showing someone's "first box of the season" give an indication of how quickly these will be bought up. "There are 3 boxes in my kitchen right now!" one claimed. Another shared that they "[will have] to buy a half dozen boxes or so and stick 'em my currently mostly empty freezer." So, don't dawdle.

If you do happen to be beaten by the hordes of fans, though, you don't need to despair. The food blog Not Without Salt devised a recipe to replicate the Joe-Joes after the blogger foolishly only bought a single box. All you need are baking essentials like baking soda, unsweetened cocoa, and unsalted butter with the obvious addition of peppermint flavorings. You make and bake the cookies, and the filling ingredients are combined in a mixer. If that sounds like too much, though, you might want to stop reading and begin shopping. The fans won't wait.