It is finally fall! With the new season comes many new delicious (and not-so-delicious) items at Trader Joe’s. With a large array of fall options available this season, such as new items mentioned by an interviewed crew member including: pumpkin sheet cake, maple and pumpkin butter, and pumpkin bread loaf, it is important to make sure that you make smart purchases. The items I sampled should act as a guide to where you put your pocketbook this holiday period. Remember, act fast, because according to a Trader Joe’s employee, “The fall items start leaving at the end of October or in early November as the Thanksgiving items start coming in.”
The 9 items I sampled consisted of: the Pumpkin Spice Mini Sheet Cake, Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli, Pumpkin Spice & Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix, Maple Sea Salt Popcorn, Danish Kringle, Pumpkin Spice Teeny Tiny Pretzels, Salted Maple Ice Cream, Pumpkin Ice Cream, and Teeny Tiny Apple Pies. I was most excited for the Pumpkin Spice Mini Sheet Cake, because as per the member I interviewed, the top 3 best selling items have been the Pumpkin Sheet Cake, Fall Leaf Tortilla Chips and the Maple Sea Salt Popcorn.
The best item out of the products I sampled was the Pumpkin Spice Mini Sheet Cake. It was so addicting and I kept wanting to go back for more. My mom agreed, calling it, “one of the best desserts she ever had” and the Trader Joe’s crew member I interviewed said it was a “…best-selling item and would not stay on the shelves for long.” A definite 10/10.
Another popular item I sampled was the Maple Sea Salt Popcorn. This popcorn was nice with a strong maple flavor and a nice kick of salt. However, it did not blow me out of the water and I do not feel the urge to buy it again. I would rate it a 7/10.
An item I will be repurchasing was the Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli, it had a nice smooth texture and nice chewy pumpkin filling, prompting my gracious 9/10 rating. In addition, the Pumpkin Spice Teeny Tiny Pretzels were a perfect snack. Bite-sized and topped with a perfect spice arrangement: 8/10. Furthermore, I enjoyed the salted maple ice cream, as the maple flavor flowed through each bite and there was the perfect amount of salt, so I rated it an 8/10. Finally, even though I did not think the Pumpkin Ice Cream was anything special because the pumpkin flavor did not stand out, my brother had a different opinion and loved the ice cream, polishing off the whole container. Personally, I gave it a 7/10.
Some items I would not recommend are the Pumpkin Spice & Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix, Danish Kringle, and the Teeny Tiny Apple Pies. The taste of the Pumpkin Spice & Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix was predictable and not worth the price. In addition, the Danish Kringle was very messy and smooshed in the box before I managed to arrive at home. Finally, the teeny tiny apple pies were solid but had a strong apple flavor I did not enjoy (however, this is biased as I am not an apple person).
That is my review of some of the best fall items at Trader Joe’s this fall. I hope this will help direct you the next time you are craving a Trader Joe’s fall snack!
