Orange, pumpkin, apple and cinnamon: Trader Joe’s elevates the Halloween season with items that embody the essence of fall, most notably in their snacks and treats. In Southern California where cold days are few and far between, these treats are a way to absorb the fall and taste the changing seasons, but what snacks are truly standouts? What treats are delicious and visually appealing?
1. Halloween Joe-Joe’s Cookies
First, let’s kick off with a personal favorite, a sweet treat that lives on our shelves throughout the entire month: Halloween Joe-Joe’s Cookies.
A bit more simple, Trader Joe’s Halloween Joe-Joe’s Cookies are a tasty alternative to a much loved Oreo. Just like Halloween Oreos, these treats are a spin on Trader Joe’s classic Joe-Joe’s Chocolate & Vanilla Creme Sandwich Cookies, with orange dyed filling and smiling pumpkins on the face of the cookie.
To compare the two very similar cookies, let’s first consider taste. Seemingly, an Oreo cookie has more cream while the Trader Joe’s cookie has more cookie. Also, according to each ingredient label, the Trader Joe’s cookie uses beta carotene to dye its cream orange while Oreo uses Yellow 5 Lake and Yellow 6 Lake. From a purely sense standpoint, the Trader Joe’s cookie has a softer texture while the Oreo crumbles more in your mouth, so truthfully, it’s a matter of what you seek in your cookie.
Really, the two cookies are quite similar: they both have ghost imprinted cookies, they both have orange dyed cream and they both leave you craving more. If you’re already in Trader Joe’s and craving Oreos, then the Halloween Joe-Joe’s are the way, and at the cheap price of only $4.49 in comparison to Oreos $9.99.
Rating: 7/10
Now, with a consistent favorite out of the way, here’s a detailed ranking of other Trader Joe’s treats to spice up your fall:
2. Ghosts & Bats Crispy Potato Snacks
Trader Joe’s version of a Halloween potato chip, Ghosts & Bats Crispy Potato Snacks, is by far one of the most bland and disappointing items Trader Joe’s released in their fall line-up. The texture is similar to a Pringle: incredibly airy and basically tasteless with very minimal salt.
Though the item is considered a healthy alternative to other potato chips, the taste is not worth the caloric trade-off. One benefit to the chips is the cute presentation, a bat shaped chip with a ghost face, but some of the chips are a bit deformed. In that way, the only aspect of the snack that is truly “Halloween,” is the shape, which does not always translate well.
If someone is looking for a healthy chip alternative, the Ghosts & Bats Crispy Potato Snacks are not the most exciting choice.
Rating: 1.5/10
3. Pumpkin Spiced Teeny Tiny Pretzels
This fall, Trader Joe’s stocked their shelves with Pumpkin Spiced Teeny Tiny Pretzels with a yogurt flavored coating and spiced pumpkin seeds on the outside. This item actually seems to be a replacement for their older product that cannot be found in stores anymore: Pumpkin Spice Pretzel Slims. According to the blog “What’s Good at Trader Joe’s,” it seems that these predecessors were a thinner, less pretzel-oriented treat, but in essence, had the same taste.
The yogurt coating on the outside of the pretzel tastes strongly of white chocolate, which results in a prevalent sweetness that blends with the saltiness of the pumpkin seeds. Even so, these pretzels are almost too pumpkin spice-y, with an extremely strong smell. In terms of presentation, the pretzels look messy and the coating has an odd beige shade, which disappoints in comparison to Trader Joe’s other fall treats.
As someone who is a bit tired of pumpkin spice flavoring and overwhelmed by the candle-like smell of this snack, I would not eat it again, but for shoppers looking for a bite-sized Bath and Body Works candle, Pumpkin Spiced Teen Tiny Pretzels are perfect.
Rating: 3/10
4. Pumpkin Spice Joe-Joe’s Sandwich Cookies
Perhaps one of the most popular Trader Joe’s items, the Pumpkin Spice Joe-Joe’s Sandwich Cookies were amongst some of the sweetest items on this list. The presentation was consistent across each cookie with a simple yogurt coating surrounding an Oreo-like cookie sandwich with pumpkin flavoring. Similar to the Pumpkin Spiced Teeny Tiny Pretzels, these treats smelled strongly of pumpkin spice, perhaps at a level that may sicken some tasters.
Each cookie is quite big, slightly larger than a quarter, which makes the sweetest a bit overwhelming. With that, the cookies are hard to snack on because of how big they are, so one cookie can be filling enough. Then again, the uniqueness stood out, showing more commitment to fall theming than say a Halloween oreo that simply has orange colored vanilla filling.
Granted, with how sweet the cookie is, it’s really only viable to eat one at a time. For those who crave an instant hit of pumpkin spice and really have a sweet tooth, this is the perfect treat for you.
Rating: 4/10
5. Harvest Chocolate Collection
While a staple in Trader Joe’s Fall selection, the Harvest Chocolate Collection is forgettable. Its only saving grace is its presentation. Each chocolate piece is intricately molded to represent the best of fall – browning leaves, pumpkins, walnuts and more. It’s perfect for a centerpiece for a thanksgiving meal or a fall cocktail party. Despite its sophisticated appearance, it tastes like any regular chocolate.
While Trader Joe’s boasts the collection’s flavor variety, everything tastes like sugar. No amount of hazelnut or caramel feeling will offset that – they just make the chocolate heavier. If anything, the sugar just cements why every two pieces of chocolate equates to 160 calories. Even the dark chocolate tasted the same as the rest of the collection, without a balanced hint of bitterness. It’s a shame how something so beautiful fails to offer anything new.
That being said, it is still decently good quality chocolate for its price. Each bite is guaranteed to be packed with rich, dense flavor. If you’re a sweet tooth looking for a quick fix but you do not want to settle for basic Halloween candy, this will suffice.
Rating: 6.5/10
6. Wicked Good Chocolates
Trader Joes’ Wicked Good Mini Chocolate Bars offer shoppers a variety of mini sweets. Overall, the chocolate bars had a pleasing texture, some with a wafer crunch and others with a caramel pull. All of the bars were quite sweet, but with their bite-sized shape, the bars are easy to snack on. Each bar looks quite clean and similar but lacks uniqueness to its appearance like some of Trader Joe’s more ornate chocolate sweets. Similarly, many of the bars feel like a copy of popular chocolate brands like Milky Way or 100 Grand Bar.
Since there are multiple chocolates in the package, each has been ranked from lowest to highest: Nougat & Caramel, Caramel & Wafer, Peanut & Caramel and Nougat Chocolate Bar. Texture, smell, taste and appearance were all factored into ranking these chocolate bars. The Nougat Chocolate Bar has the smoothest texture and a blended taste that the other bars lacked, providing a cohesive and tasty bite.
The variety obtained in a single pack provides each taster with a new experience.
Rating: 7.5/10
7. All Butter Apple Shortbread
The All Butter Apple Shortbread from last year’s selection comes back strong, keeping their beautiful apple inlay with the nostalgic taste of jam-filled cookies. The cookies use a light shortbread base with specs of apple scattered across it, keeping a natural sweetness to every satisfying snap.
However, if you’re candied-out from Halloween, this cookie is not your saving grace. Despite the deceptive “All Butter” title, this cookie is sugar through and through. Not even its aftertaste has a hint of salt.. Though it does still melt in your mouth if you’re looking for that creamy finish.
While the cookie is rather simple in presentation compared to standouts like the Harvest Chocolate Collection or the Ghost Bats, it’s the perfect addition to charcuterie board layouts at Sunday brunch. Just imagine the cold afternoon sun breaking through autumn leaves, and you have a cup of warm, bitter tea and a side of shortbread in hand – a lovely thought. It isn’t perfect, but the All Butter Apple Shortbread is a strong contender to be a Fall pantry staple.
Rating: 8/10
8. Pumpkin & Spice Brioche Style Liège Waffles
The Pumpkin & Spice Brioche Waffles were a sleeper hit, hiding rich, spiced flavor underneath a familiar dish. Upon opening the box, we were hit with a strong cinnamon, sugar and homemade pastry scent, perfectly encapsulating the fall atmosphere.
Each bite was sweet, but not overwhelmingly so, with the real star being the pumpkin base, with speckles of cinnamon adorning every square. With each waffle being individually packaged, this is a great on-the-go breakfast, especially when toasted on a cold autumn morning.
With all that flavor, they can be quite heavy. The waffles feel more like a meal than a snack you reach for often. However, with a warm, bitter tea to juxtapose its intensity, these waffles are great for days you need a little moment to yourself.
Rating: 8/10
9. Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies
These are Trader Joe’s version of classic animal crackers, with a nostalgic snap to each bite but with a much needed pumpkin twist. The Petite Pumpkin Spiced Cookies’ flavor is reminiscent of the Pumpkin Spice Joe-Joe’s Sandwich Cookies, but not as overwhelmingly sweet, as the thinner coat of frosting matches nicely with the biscuit base.
They aren’t unique by any means, but they are a comfort snack everyone can love. They are perfect for late nights studying, or movie nights next to salty, buttered popcorn. They did not invent the wheel, but they defined what a good fall snack should be: tasty, moreish, with a hint of autumn spice.
Be careful not to get carried away! While they may look tiny, every four cookies add up to 130 calories. You’ll probably sugar-crash faster than you can leave your desk if you are deciding to pull an all-nighter with these by your side. Still, if you do give in, we can not blame you.
Rating: 9.5/10