Trader Joe's Chocolate Treats

Trader Joe's has cool stuff and it changes all the time. So some of these might be there if you go one time and not be there another time. But that's okay - it's all part of the fun! The people who work there are so fun and friendly - if you haven't been in a Trader Joe's yet - you should go - it's fun to shop there and they have cool, funky stuff. Let's check out some of their treats:

These dark chocolate covered caramels are delish. They are the chewy kind, the kind I really like:

This is a good, solid caramel. The best in the world, no. But damn good - yes. I have nothing bad to say about these babies.

Now, Joe's Almond in the Coconut is sent straight from heaven:

What makes them so good is revealed in the autopsy:

How brilliant is that? The almonds are chopped up and put in with the coconut! (Not like Almond Joy with one lone almond sitting up on top - this is SO much better! Why didn't anyone think of this before now?) The coconut is moist and delicious - these are fabulous!!!

Not so fabulous, but appealing to health nuts:

If you really like edamame (roasted soybeans), you'll probably love these. And they really aren't bad, I'd just rather have peanuts or almonds or raisins or cashews or pecans or blueberries or JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE covered in chocolate.

Speaking of almonds - look at these two variations:

The first ones are sprinkled with sea salt and turbinando sugar and they are incredible!!!!

No, I didn't know what the heck turbinado sugar was, but Wikipedia does:

Turbinado sugar, also known as turbinated sugar, is made from sugar cane extract. It is produced by crushing freshly cut sugar cane; the juice obtained is evaporated by heat, then crystallized. The crystals are spun in a centrifuge, or turbine (thus the name), to remove excess moisture, resulting in the characteristic large, light brown crystals.[1][2][3]
Turbinado sugar is similar in appearance to brown sugar but paler, with larger crystals, and in general the two can be exchanged freely in recipes. Turbinado sugar differs from refined white sugar in that it is obtained or crystallized from the initial pressing of sugar cane.

So basically, these almonds are coated in dark chocolate, then sprinkled with sea salt and big hunks of brown sugar. They are amazing and delicious and different. YUMMY!!

The second set are also dipped in dark chocolate, but are then then rolled in black cocoa. They too are very good, although I really like the first ones better. The cocoa they are rolled in makes them extra chocolaty but in a more sophisticated way than just chocolate covered almonds. They are very, very good. The only drawback is the the dark cocoa powder gets all over everything! But there's something kind of fun about that. It looks like toner - no one would guess it's really chocolate.

Now you know there would have to be some peanut butter treats! These are milk chocolate covered mini peanut butter crackers:

These were not bad, but they were not my favorite. In fact, I could take or leave these. I think they were too crackery and not peanut buttery enough. But you all know I have peanut butter issues. Hell, let's face it - George Washington Carver is my dealer and peanut butter is my crack.

And that's why I could not stop eating these - OMG they are good!!!!! (Notice this package is the largest of all and is empty.)

These give Reese's a serious run for the money. Look at that delicious, oozing, creamy peanut butter! They literally melt in your mouth. If you get nothing else at Trader Joe's get these. However, do not blame me when you can't stop eating them. Blame George.

Trader Joe's is a great lesson in retailing - give people cool stuff, make it of high quality, and make shopping a fun, funky experience. They don't really compete with traditional grocery stores or health food stores because they are so unique. It's fun - you deserve some fun - get thee to a Trader Joe's. Or just sit around and be miserable - the choice is yours.