What’s fall if not an excuse to sip on pumpkin flavor lattes and snack on apple-themed pastries? The fall foliage in Evanston is finally in full blast, and peak fall is upon us just in time for Trader Joe’s brand new assortment of fall-themed goods.
Did TJ’s understand the assignment when it comes to fall flavors? In order to find out, my roommate and I took a trip to the Evanston location and picked up some items to try for ourselves. The options were pretty much endless, but we attempted to pick a broad assortment. While yumminess was the number one thing that we based our ratings upon, we also took into consideration the price, the amount of time we had to eat the food before it expired and the ease of preparation, among other things.
- Dry Roasted Maple Almonds – 6/10
In terms of bang for your buck, these almonds do not disappoint. The big issue that I had with them was their lack of rich maple flavor. The maple seems like an afterthought—they tasted like regular unsalted almonds. That being said, I don’t think that I would buy them again but they were still a yummy, healthy snack.
- Glazed Vanilla Bean Scones – 5/10
While these scones were a super filling snack and by no means bad, they got a mediocre rating due to the fact that the best-by date was two days after purchase. If I wanted scones that had to be eaten immediately, I would have just one at a local coffee shop. They were also on the drier side, but that is to be expected with a scone. All in all they weren’t for me—but they weren’t bad either.
- Toffee Chips – 10/10
While these toffee treats aren’t technically limited edition, I felt that they still fit the fall theme and are absolutely too delicious to leave out of this roundup. The bite-sized toffee chunks come in two mouth-watering flavors: milk and dark chocolate. I would consider them to be absolutely perfect—they have the correct ratio of toffee to chocolate, they are sugary but not sickenly sweet and unlike some of the other snacks on this list, they don’t expire or get stale super quickly.
- Microwavable Maple Protein Muffin – 4/10
If you are looking for something that resembles a muffin, then look away—this is not the snack for you. The pumpkin flavor was on point tho, and the hot, gooey dough hit the spot in a pinch, so I can’t complain. I microwaved the muffin for ten seconds longer than the recommended time and the batter was still not fully cooked, but it tasted good and that’s all that matters, right?
- Pumpkin Ginger Mini Hold the Cone! Ice Cream – 9.5/10
The fall-themed edition of this Trader Joe’s classic did not disappoint. As always they were the perfect poppable size and were full of yummy pumpkin flavor without being overwhelming. Do I like them better than the OG vanilla and chocolate ones? Probably not. I would definitely repurchase them though because they are unique in that most fall treats aren’t cold, and ice cream is a must all year long in my opinion.
Take this as your sign to run (not walk!) to Trader Joe’s and get yourself some fall goodies before they are gone for good!