It’s gonna be May (ahahaha, any excuse to use that pun) and I’m sliding in at the last possible second with a handful of Trader Joe’s Food Finds from this month! Honestly, Trader Joe’s has been ramping up with all sorts of new items this spring and I have been a sucker for buying most of them…are we surprised? Per usual, I managed to grab some sweet snacks, some salty snacks, and some dessert items. #creatureofhabit But, we have actually tried all 7 of the new items I purchased as of now!
So, what’s new at Trader Joe’s this month?
Holy cow, if you are a salty snack lover, you need these Cheese & Truffle Flavored Fancy Cheese Crunchies ($3.49) in your life. For starters, they have the exact same consistency as Cheetos, but the flavor is less artificial and much fancier. The flavor profile is a mix of parmesan, white cheddar, and truffle. They are divine and seriously addictive. Go get them now!
Trader Joe’s tends to be a bit hit or miss for me with their gummies. They did me dirty with the Tangy Turtles and the Cinna-Dragons, but I love the Penguin gummies so much that I’m always willing to try new ones. These Spring Gummies ($3.49) are a hit for sure! They come in fun pink, green, and yellow spring shapes like flowers, bees, and butterflies. The flavors are fruity and tropical, and the texture is nice and soft and not too sticky. Fun fact: if you take a green bee and turn it upside down, it looks like Baby Yoda! š
Talk about another hit or miss item at Trader Joe’s. I love the maple flavored popcorn in the fall SO much, but I’ve had some unfortunate popcorn experiences. Yet, I keep coming back for more! This bag of Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn ($2.29) looked so fun, and since popcorn is one of Gary’s favorite snacks, I figured this would be a good buy. Ugh, I couldn’t stand it! To me it tasted like a combo of tabasco sauce and bbq sauce…not a fan! The good news is that Gary doesn’t mind it so it wasn’t a total waste. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it, though!
Springle Jangle sounds familiar right? Well, it’s because in the winter, Trader Joe’s has delicious tins of Jingle Jangle, full of festive chocolatey goodness. Well, they adapted it, downsized it, changed the colors a bit, and released it as Springle Jangle ($3.99) this season! It’s still chocolatey goodness, but with some seasonal colors. Total win in my book!
This Caramel Washed Gouda Cheese ($11.99/lb) is definitely in my top 5 cheeses. It’s only aged 5 months, so it isn’t nearly as hard as some of the other aged gouda’s that Trader joe’s sells. I will say that I don’t taste a “caramel wash” really at all, but this cheese is the perfect taste and consistency to have with crackers on a charcuterie board. I highly recommend it!
We consumed at least two pints of the When Life Gives you Lemons Ice Cream ($3.49) this month! In short, it tastes like a lemon bar in ice cream form. It’s sweet and tart and refreshing all at once. I loved the swirls of lemon curd and the crunchy shortbread bits. It is just SO good! It’s still in the freezer section for now, but I have a feeling it won’t be there for long. Be sure to get it while you can!
My parents actually told me about these Portuguese Custard Tarts ($2.99). When they went to Portugal, they said that these were to die for, so we were all excited to see that Trader Joe’s has them as a seasonal item. They have several methods of cooking – microwave, air fryer, and oven. Since I avoid heating up the house with our oven at all costs, we microwaved a couple yesterday for the first time. They were pretty good, but I can tell that they will be much better when cooked in the oven. The flaky filo dough will be flakier and the shell on top of the custard will be more defined. One of these days we’ll pop a few in the oven. For now, they’re not on my must have list, but that certainly could change!
Alright, that’s all for this month! Can’t wait to see what Trader Joe’s has in store for the month of May! Wishing you all a fabulous weekend š
xoxo
Jennifer