Can you believe it’s been a full year of Trader Joe’s Food Finds?? It has been so fun sharing the latest and greatest in the world of Trader Joe’s with you! This December, I’m sticking strictly to holiday/seasonal items, but last year I reviewed a wider variety of items. Be sure to check it out my Trader Joe’s Food Finds – December 2020 for some OG holiday items (we’re talking Jingle Jangle, Mini Gingerbread People, etc.)
Even after purchasing an absurd number of holiday items the last two years, it is wild to think that I haven’t even made a dent in all of the December goodness at Trader Joe’s! If you’re in need of some last minute stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, or treats for your holiday spread, there is still a fair amount of seasonal items stock at my local store, so it’s worth taking a look at yours too!
Let’s Start with my Peppermint Preview!
Peppermint Flavored Hold the Cone ($3.29) – Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is one of my all-time favorite flavors, so I was so excited to see this seasonal flavor in the frozen case! Since we’ve had SO many other treats this season, I haven’t tried them yet, but if they’re as good as the chocolate chip ones, I know we’ll be pleased!
Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s Ice Cream ($2.99) – If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know I’m a sucker for a new ice cream flavor. Especially when it comes in a pint size, it’s low risk. The only risk is running out of it when it’s too darn delicious! This ice cream is definitely in my top 3 of all time from Trader Joe’s! I love the Joe-Joe’s pieces, the peppermint flavor isn’t too overpowering, and every single bite has a bit of vanilla, chocolate, and peppermint. It is perfection in a pint. Our store has been out of them for weeks already, but if you still see them at your store, stock up!
Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix ($3.99) – Hallelujah! I have finally found a cookie mix at Trader Joe’s that we really enjoy! These were super easy to whip up with a stick of butter and an egg. When I took them out of the oven, I will admit that I was concerned because they kind of looked like pancakes. I typically prefer heartier/thicker cookies! Even though these ones spread out more than I expected, and they were on the thinner side, they weren’t hard at all. They were a soft and chewy mix of peppermint cookie with white and milk chocolate chunks throughout. I’ll definitely grab another one of these to have on hand next year!
Candy Cane Joe Joe’s ($2.99) – A Trader Joe’s classic! Delicious chocolate sandwich cookies with bits of candy cane in the filling…yes please! I especially appreciate that these don’t taste overly artificial. They’re a perfect snack for a holiday movie night, or a festive addition to a holiday charcuterie board.
Peppermint Pretzel Slims ($2.99) – Holy cow, by some miracle I haven’t opened this bag yet either! It looks like Christmas will be carrying on into 2022 in the Peiffer household. These are a favorite of mine year after year. Give me all of the sweet and salty combos. Pretzel thins + white chocolate + peppermint = heaven. It’s that simple.
So what else did I get this month?
It’s truly impossible to not get wild with sweets at Trader Joe’s this time of year (even more than usual). These Peppermint Brownies with White Chocolate Chips and White Ganache Drizzle ($3.99) screamed my name! Unfortunately, they were a disappointment for me. The brownies were a bit too dry/crumbly and the peppermint flavor was extremely overpowering. It honestly tasted like I was eating toothpaste at times. I definitely would suggest passing on these ones.
These Mini Chocolate Mousse Presents ($3.49) were just too adorable to pass up. They seemed very similar (if not the same as) the egg shaped ones I got around Easter. Again, they did not disappoint! I especially like putting these in the refrigerator to get the mousse nice and cold. They would look so cute next to a place card at a festive holiday meal…just be careful to keep them away from heat so they don’t melt everywhere!
And I’m back to being cookie crazy! How pretty and festive are these Decked Out Tree Cookies ($2.99)?!? Again, we just have way too many cookies in this house to possibly consume them all at once, so these ones haven’t been opened quite yet. In my opinion, these would be the perfect cookies to bring to a potluck or holiday gathering. No matter what they taste like, they’re sure to bring some holiday cheer!
Finally something slightly savory! The Sweet & Salty Snack Mix ($3.99) looked like another perfect snack for a holiday movie night. It has peanut butter pretzels, chocolate covered caramel corn, chocolate covered potato chips (yes, you read that correctly), and peanuts. I think I like the idea of this snack mix more than the mix itself. It was just a bit too heavy on the peanuts for me, and it was a bit messy to eat with chocolate melting on my fingers all the time. It wasn’t bad by any means, but with so many other options out there, I’ll probably pass on this next time.
Speaking of disappointments…I’m so sad to report that this Winter Wassail Punch ($3.99) is not very good. Gary is an avid juice drinker. He will drink juice with any meal, next to any food. We go through it by the gallon! This bottle has been open in our fridge for over a week. Not a good sign! At first, this punch tastes a bit like cider…there are noticeable hints of cloves and other spices. But then, once you finish drinking it, the aftertaste is just straight up weird. Not good. Bleh. I had high hopes for this one, but we’ll stick to our Spiced Cider and Sparkling Cider in future years!
Last but not least, here’s a fun hostess gift/stocking stuffer idea! We haven’t tried these Boozy Little Chocolate Truffles ($6.99) yet, but we’re definitely gifting some this week! I thought the price was really reasonable and the box is already festive, so there’s no need to even wrap them. That’s a win in my book!
Phew, are your teeth rotten just from reading about all of these sugary treats? Fun fact, at the white elephant gift exchange for my work this year, I came home with a huge basket full of even more Trader Joe’s holiday items! It must have been fate 🙂
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, between the last two years I’ve hardly made a dent in the holiday goodness at Trader Joe’s. There are so many festive items on end caps, above the frozen food section, and near the checkout lines. And, Trader Joe’s has really been stepping up their game with non-food items for the holidays as well. I picked up a cute wool trivet for only $4.99 the other day! I’ve seen olive wood bowls and cutting boards, aprons, candles, garland, and more over the last month or so!
As we wrap up 2021, I hope you’ve enjoyed checking out my monthly Trader Joe’s Food Finds! Perhaps next year I’ll keep track and do a Top 10 list for the whole year 🙂
From our home to yours, Gary and I wish you a happy, healthy, and cozy holiday season with lots of yummy food!
xoxo
Jennifer