Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs

parent co.: Trader Joe's

net wt.: 3.8 oz.

qty.: 3

country: united states

description: three milk chocolate eggs, each with a natural peanut butter center

another unexpected treat from b.paul: chocolate peanut butter eggs - one of my favorite candy combos (along with chocolate and hazelnut, of course). naturally, one would expect these to be similar to Reese's peanut butter eggs, and they are, to a point. the package makes a point (several times, as a matter of fact) of telling us that these eggs contain natural peanut butter filling, just peanuts and nothing else. that is definitely a good thing in several respects. it has a rich, roasted peanut flavor; a nice smooth yet grainy texture; and an excellent earthy aftertaste (possibly due to the fact that there's no salt added). the slight grit in the filling goes wonderfully with the creaminess of the milk chocolate. here is a situation where i think the milk chocolate is preferable to dark; the bitterness of the dark might clash with the peanut butter. these are pretty hefty eggs, almost 1.5 oz. apiece, but they aren't overly sweet so they're manageable. a nice alternative to Reese's (that isn't Palmer's, because Palmer's sucks). (more photos)

rating: 7

ingredients: milk chocolate (cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, chocolate liquor, nonfat dry milk, butter oil, soy lecithin [an emulsifier], vanilla extract), peanut butter (peanuts), coconut oil

allergen information: contains milk, soy peanuts, coconut. may contain traces of other tree nuts.

Trader Joe's Bunny Gummy Tummies

parent co.: Trader Joe's

net wt.: 7 oz.

qty.: 30-35

country: united states

description: soft candy with natural strawberry, orange, lemon and blackberry flavors

b.paul brought these home from TJ's, much to my surprise and delight. it seems that they've decided to expand their Gummy Tummy line to incorporate all the major holidays. i've had the regular Gummy Tummies and the Lovey Gummy Tummies, as well as the Ghoulie Gummy Tummies but these Bunny Gummy Tummies are a new addition. the flavors included here are orange, strawberry, lemon and blackberry. the original gummies include strawberry and the halloween gummies have orange and blackberry, so the lemon is the only "new" flavor here. the first noticeable difference in these is the fact that they're opaque whereas the previous gummy tummies have all been translucent. i'd guess this is to give them a pastel look for easter. as far as taste goes, the actual gummies do seem to have a yogurty taste which is a very nice contrast to the tangy liquid filling. the blackberry is probably my favorite, it definitely has the most yogurt flavor - it seems that only the liquid is blackberry flavored as the gummi itself tastes like straight up yogurt. the strawberry also has a strong yogurt taste; the filling is identical to the original strawberry gummies - sweet and tangy with a berry aftertaste. i'd say that orange has the most zazz, it's very tangy, almost mouth-puckeringly so, and it has a slight bitterness to it reminiscent of orange peels. the lemon was surprisingly good, not overpowering, yet tart and sweet. i didn't get the furniture polish taste that so often accompanies lemon candies, and it was probably the least tart of the bunch. it was also the most prevalent flavor in the package, by far. these are definitely a step up from the Lovey Gummies as far as flavor and filling (the hearts have so little filling it's almost hard to tell it's there), and i also like them a bit better than the halloween version. i think the original might still be my favorite, but these are definitely giving them a run for their money. i'm quite fond of the creaminess and i can't wait to see what other holiday gummies Trader Joe's will come up with.

more photos

rating: 9

ingredients: glucose syrup, sugar, water, animal gelatin, modified corn starch, citric acid, pectin, natural flavors (strawberry, orange, lemon, blackberry), glazing agent (vegetable oil [palm kernel, coconut], carnauba wax), fruit and vegetable color (aronia juice concentrate, elderberry juice concentrate, curcumin, paprika extract, anthocyanins), titanium dioxide (for color), wheat starch

allergy information: contains wheat

Valentine's Day 2010: Part 1

there weren't nearly as many candies for Valentine's Day as i had anticipated. whether that's due to a rise in health consciousness, or possibly because Valentine's Day falls on a weekend this year (supposedly people rely less on candy-related gifts and focus more on going out), i do not know. either way, here is a selection of what i came across.

these Lovey Gummy Tummies from Trader Joe's are a cute take on the classic Gummy Tummies. i wasn't that excited about them, partially because i hadn't heard great things and partially because they are cherry flavored, but i was kind of hoping for them to be unexpectedly good. too bad they're not. the gummi isn't that bad, there's a distinct cherry flavor and they are the right amount of chewy. the gooey inside is where these are lacking. each piece is a pretty good size (roughly the size of a quarter), yet there's only a little dot of liquid inside. i definitely wish there was more in there, that's why i like the penguins with their super-gooey tummies. so far none of the seasonal variations have lived up to the penguins, which is so sad considering how good those are.

rating: 4

i was so happy when i saw Milk Chocolate Strawberryfrom Ferrara Chocolate. since i just reviewed the Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Orange, i thought this was a great follow up, not to mention that it's marketed for Valentine's Day with cute imprints on each wedge with little sayings and pictures. there are quite a few differences between this and the TJ's orange. first of all the flavor, obviously this tastes like strawberry as opposed to orange, but i think the chocolate is actually quite good. there is a slight dairy taste to it which i like; it doesn't have the tang that Hershey's milk chocolate has. the strawberry flavor is prevalent but it doesn't outshine the chocolate. i also think this orange broke a little easier, but there are so many factors to take into account with the smashing that it's hard to say that one orange is better than another. regardless, i definitely prefer this chocolate orange to the Trader Joe's brand.

rating: 8


the last item on today's post are these Peeps Chocolate Mousse Bears. while i've never been a huge fan of Peeps, i thought i'd give these a try. the chocolate mousse flavor sounds interesting, perhaps it will help to mute the overpoweringly sugary taste of the regular Peeps. as soon as i opened the package a strong scent of cocoa wafted out. it reminds me of Nestle Quik in a can. makes sense since the chocolate mousse flavor comes almost completely from cocoa powder (plus a few natural and artificial flavors). i really like the little tray they come in, and i also like the way they are all stuck together at the hands so they look like those little accordion-style cutouts. although they smell strongly of cocoa, they don't really taste any different than the way i remember regular Peeps tasting, with the exception of a slight chocolate milk aftertaste. i have to say that i really don't dislike these at all. they aren't quite as puffy as classic Peeps; i think i prefer the flatness of these bears. side note, as the package has informed me, these are gluten free. so that's pretty cool.

view the individual slices here

rating: 6

i'll be out of town for the week without internet access, so i'll post the remainder of my Valentine's Day haul (and maybe some others that i find on my journey!) when i return. hopefully i'll get it up in time for the actual holiday...

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Orange

as i'm sure i've mentioned before, i'm a big fan of the chocolate/orange combination. and i have always loved the chocolate oranges for whatever reason - they're fun to smash, they taste delicious, and really, there's a lot of chocolate in those giant oranges. i mean jeezer, it's a solid ball of chocolate and it weighs over 6 oz., that's almost half a pound! i used to love getting Terry's Oranges at big lots (only 99 cents, what?!), and they were definitely my first foray into the world of flavored chocolate that didn't taste like fruity butts. so really, what i'm saying is that chocolate oranges are what made me love orange-flavored chocolate. for some reason i haven't thought about chocolate oranges in awhile, but when i saw this at Trader Joe's, it brought back fond memories of whacking and unwrapping. while some other brands have many different flavors of oranges, i only saw these available in dark or milk chocolate, so i went for the dark (of course). the packaging is nearly identical to the Florida Tropics orange; even the individual slices have the same (or extremely similar) imprints on them.

there's no clever saying on these, just a seal keeping the orange foil closed that says something unimaginative that i can't even remember. the thing that can be annoying about chocolate oranges is that they don't always have a clean break. i haven't really paid enough attention to know if the cleanness varies according to brand, but this one definitely did not break very easily, or evenly. there is a nice, mild citrus scent when you open it. the chocolate itself is pretty good but it had a slight waxiness to it, which is a little disconcerting; the orange flavor is apparent but not overpowering. as i said before, it's been awhile since i've eaten one, but i remember them being much better, which leads me to believe that this is not as good as the others i've tried. in order to prove that, i will be getting some of the other brands and reviewing them shortly. until then...

rating: 5

Trader Joe's Gummy Tummies

i love, love, love these gummy tummies. they are the perfect gummi, and the juicy filling in the tummies is delicious, they have a delicious burst when you bite into them. kind of like gushers, only not gross. they come in three flavors: cherry, lime and strawberry; all three flavors taste pretty much like their fruits (i could tell the difference between the cherry and strawberry, at least). i'm generally not a fan of cherry flavoring, but here it isn't too phony or overwhelming, very subtle. i also like it that these don't have any artificial coloring in them, only natural fruit and vegetable colors. around halloween they have a creep-crawly version of these which is not as good. i don't know why they don't just use these ones and package them as ghosts. i think that would work. maybe i'll write a letter...

rating: 9

Trader Joe's PB&J Bar

my hopes for this candy were, perhaps, too high. chocolate, peanut butter and raspberry?! delicious. also, there are potato chips in there. yes, potato chips. i love this concept because anytime i make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, i have to put chips on it. potato chips are a favorite, but corn chips also work nicely. now here is my dilemma: what i expected was a bar of peanut butter filled with delicious swirls of raspberry jam, smothered in chocolate (both milk and dark), then rolled in crunchy potato chips. sounds delectable, does it not? too bad that what i got was a bar of peanut butter with a smidgen of raspberry jam layered on the bottom, not to mention the chips are most certainly not on the outside, they are inside. it still makes for a nice texture, i love having little crunchies in my chocolate. i think that the milk chocolate here is in the center part, with the peanut butter; the whole bar is covered in dark chocolate. the flavor of the bar as a whole is quite good, the dark chocolate is smooth and the inside peanut butter portion isn't too crumbly or chalky. it doesn't have as much of a creaminess to is as i had expected, but then again, i suppose i wasn't sure what to expect. overall i really do like this, i just have a hard time dismissing my preconceived notions of it.

rating: 6

Trader Joe's Macadamia Popcorn Clusters

apparently tj's used to carry a chocolate drizzle caramel corn, and a cranberry variety, but this is all that they have at the store by my house. not a problem, this is great caramel corn. it's buttery, light and delicious. the caramel isn't too much, it's just the right amount of sweetness. the macadamias are great here too, they're so fatty and delicious but not too crunchy. fyi: macadamias contain the highest amount of monounsaturated fat (that's the good kind) of any nut. i like that.

rating: 8

Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Delights

thank god for these little bits of hazelnut heaven. after the disappointing hazelnut Dagoba bar, this is just what i needed. these are really similar to Ferrero Rocher. there's a hazelnut in the middle, surrounded by some kind of hazelnut-chocolate paste, and then on top of that is a wafery coating (i guess that is the praline) dipped in chocolate and then more chopped hazelnuts. it is delicious. the only real difference here is that the outer shell on these seems to be a bit less fragile than the shell of the Ferrero Rocher, and also i think that the cream/paste inside is pastier than the Ferrero. theirs is more creamy like nutella. but these are so good, i've been waiting for them for awhile; it was worth it.

rating: 9