New seasons mark new opportunities for Trader Joe’s to release themed treats. No matter the holiday, this grocery store never fails to come up with creative snacks. With Valentine’s Day creeping up, and my love for Trader Joe’s ready to strike on any occasion, I’ve tried four of the 12 sweet snacks they have to offer this year.
Heart Shaped Macarons- $5.49
As a big fan of the year-round, six-flavor macarons, I knew these weren’t going to disappoint.
This special includes two different types of macarons in a box of eight: vanilla crème with a strawberry center and raspberry crème.
Both had soft cookies that melt in your mouth, with extremely flavorful fillings sandwiched inside. However, the fillings were thick and over piped, which took away from the lightness that macarons usually have.
Although I could see a dot of the jelly center, I couldn’t taste much strawberry in the vanilla crème macaron. The vanilla flavor shone through, but if they’re being marketed with strawberry, I would’ve liked to know it was there without looking at the box.
But the display of this macaron did a great job of insinuating those flavors: a beige cookie with pink sugar sprinkles and a beige filling with a dark red center.
The raspberry macaron had a tart filling that was a perfect contrast to the sweet cookie and kept the dessert from tasting artificial. It was beautifully displayed with a light pink cookie and a magenta filling.
Even with their cons, these macarons are delicious, picturesque and perfect for that upcoming Galentine’s party.
Mini Dark Chocolate Heart Cookies- $3.99
These chocolate-covered shortbread cookies are the most average of these snacks, but they still fulfill that chocolate craving.
Thin and crunchy, these cookies are addictive and easy to eat. The chocolate covering isn’t heavy on the cookie, and the heart shape and pink-and-white sprinkles added a nice Valentine’s flair.
The shortbread cookies inside are dark chocolate as well, which surprised and disappointed me at first. I would’ve liked it to be something other than chocolate, like a vanilla or a berry flavor to adhere to the Valentine’s theme.
Though it was unexpected, the amount of dark chocolate grew on me. These heart cookies aren’t nauseatingly sweet and are something that even those who aren’t huge fans of chocolate would enjoy. This snack could easily become a staple on the Trader Joe’s shelves, especially after being tweaked for different holidays.
Raspberry Mousse Cakes- $3.99
As someone who’s typically not a fan of fruits in baked goods, these are my favorite treat of the Valentine’s specials.
These mini cakes come in packs of six and are coated with a thin layer of pastel pink icing. The green leaf made from icing makes me think the goal was to have the dessert resemble a raspberry, but it fails in its ability to do so.
These cakes are the perfect, two-bite size. The first half contains the mousse with shredded raspberry, followed by a yellow, vanilla sponge cake.
The mousse is tart, and any amount more than half would’ve overpowered the dessert. The sponge underneath, not too dense and dry, provides a perfect juxtaposition to the creaminess of the mousse, creating a wonderful balance to round out it out.
Gummy X’s and O’s- $3.49
These soft, X and O shaped gummies have made a comeback from last year and are a Valentine’s spin-off of their Scandinavian Swimmers.
All three gummy flavors were subtle and never gave me a stomachache or toothache in ways that popular gummies like Sour Patch and Trolli might.
The main issue with these gummies isn’t the taste or texture but the lack of information on the packaging. There is no label on the bag saying what the three flavors are, only the three colors of the gummies guide you to a conclusion before eating.
Even after eating all three, I still don’t have a concrete idea on what each flavor was. But a rough internet search and quick sweep of the ingredients list led me to some guesses.
Assuming the light pink one was strawberry, it was my least favorite because of it’s bad aftertaste. While it’s less sickening, the flavor was too subtle and could barely be picked up on after one gummy.
The dark red gummies tasted like a healthier version of the red Swedish Fish candies, which are flavored to taste like Lingonberry, a fruit native to Sweden. These gummies had the most flavor and were way better than Swedish Fish. It’s a shame there were only three in my bag.
The clear gummies were clear winners. The flavor resembled a blend of citrus fruits like tangerines, lemons and grapefruits, and they had a refreshing taste because of this. This flavor as opposed to another berry was a unique choice, provided variety and would be a great segway into a new blend of gummies for the summer.
Though this snack was my least favorite overall, the flavors blend together perfectly in a handful, and the lack of food dye makes this a healthier gummy alternative.
