You know a grocery store is doing something right when stopping by to see its seasonal offerings becomes part of your holiday plans. Every year, I send my sister the Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Joe-Joes (basically, Oreos with crunchy peppermint bits in the crème, packaged in a pretty box), and I look forward to perusing the aisles and seeing what’s new. This year, it’s another wonderful combination of seeing some classics and discovering products on their inaugural rollout. Here are my picks for this year’s Holiday Trader Joe’s treats!
1. Petit Fours Mousse Cakes
Decadent? Oh my God, yes. These nine French pastries (which Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer publication describes as small cakes arising out taking advantage of residual heat in the ovens once the big cakes are done, circa 1700s) are each about two or three bites each and so rich that maybe you’d want to stop at three bites anyway. But probably not! Within one package, there are three kinds of cakes: chocolate ones layered with chocolate mousse and covered in a dark chocolate coating, vanilla ones layered with vanilla mousse and covered in a vanilla coating topped with pearl sugar, and—this is the best part—chocolate cakes layered with coffee mousse and covered in mocha coating and topped with bits of dark chocolate. Smelling salts, anyone? I believe I’ve swooned.
2. Cocoa Truffles Collection
Speaking of France, where many important desserts come from, this collection of truffles is crafted in France and exported to us. There are four flavors: fizzy (which sounds like a pop rocks situation), popcorn, cookie and raspberry. Each is wrapped in color-coded foil, so you know which one you’re getting, and there are roughly 24 in each package.
3. O’Nog
Egg nog is an important part of some people’s holiday observances, but if you aren’t into the egg part of it, the vegan O’Nog is a non-dairy oat beverage. It has the same nutmeg and ginger flavors and the same repository for ample pours of rum, but non-chicken related.
4. Organic Peeled and Cooked Chestnuts
These are supposed to be roasted on an open fire, but close enough! The chestnuts were harvested in Ardèche, France, and shelled by hand, steamed and vaccuum sealed to come to the U.S. A suggested way to prepare them is to add a pound of roasted brussels sprouts and sauté them in olive oil.
5. Peppermint Mini Marshmallows
A delightful pastel pink, these marshmallows turn normal hot cocoa into a minty holiday drink. Or make Santa’s version of a s’more with them. They are flavored with peppermint oil and colored with vegetable juice, so they are vegan, gluten-free, and kosher! Win-win-win. An alternative is the dark chocolate-dipped candy cane marshmallows, which take things to a whole other level.
6. Potato Pancakes aka Latkes
I adore these latkes year round—pop them in the air fryer and in five minutes they are fragrant and crispy, just right for adorning with applesauce and sour cream. For those celebrating Hanukkah, these kosher-certified latkes provide an easy way to eat delicious, traditional Jewish food.
7. Holiday Vegetable Hash
Here’s an easy dinner: roast this vegan collection of vegetables, open a bottle of wine, and presto! The hash is made of diced butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red onions, and celery, spiced with rosemary, parsley, and sage. You could also add some broth and get a nice soup going.
8. Chocolate Chip Poffertjes
I was trying to add more savory things to this list, but my head got turned by all the sweets. Clara and the Nutcracker Prince don’t bother visiting the Land of Savories, after all. These poffertjes (mini pancake puffs) are made in the Netherlands and you can microwave them and serve them with butter and powdered sugar or maple syrup, just as if they were pancakes.
9. Chạo Tôm: Vietnamese Shrimp Skewers
A brand new item this year, these shrimp skewers are made of minced, fried, seasoned shrimp and vegetables wrapped around—wait for it, this is what makes it a holiday food—a sweet, chewy section of sugarcane. You’ll have visions of them dancing around your head after you first eat the savory part and then chew on the sweet sugarcane afterward. The box of 8 comes with a dipping sauce, so you can keep re-upping the sugarcane, but don’t double dip; that puts you on the naughty list.
10. Festive Chaos of Gummy Candy
These are just some wild and strange gummies made for Trader Joe’s by a French confectioner (again with the French! I think someone flew to Paris to see Notre Dame reopen and called it a business trip). They’re mostly in holiday shapes like trees, holly, snowmen, and ornaments...but then, you’ll also find mustaches, tennis sneakers, and soda bottles. It works! A bowl of them looks like clumps of stained glass, so just start humming Christmas carols and embracing the chaos.