‘Tis the season to try seasonal food full of pumpkin spice, apple, and cinnamon. Trader Joe’s has one of the best selections of seasonal treats, as they provide a wide variety of choices.   

At Trader Joe’s, we bought four of their fall items. The first dessert we tried was the Halloween Joe Joe’s cookies ($3.99). This is Trader Joe’s take on a classic Oreo. The design of the cookies was cute, emulating a pumpkin jack-o’lantern. However, don’t let this design fool you because these don’t include any pumpkin flavor. The chocolate cookie part was bland, almost like cardboard, but the vanilla bean cream was sweet and delicious. There was also plenty of frosting which made up for the lack of flavor of the cookie. 3/5 paws.

Next, we tried the chocolate mousse pumpkins ($3.99). They were velvety chocolate cakes layered with silky mousse. These cakes were shaped like pumpkins covered in bright orange, which made them appealing. After taking a bite, the first thing we noticed was how sweet it tasted. However, the small size makes the powerful sugary taste tolerable. The boring chocolate flavor contrasted with the fall look. 3.5/5 paws.

Then we tasted the pumpkin blondie brownie ($4.99). The taste was warm, with a classic pumpkin flavor accompanied by a hint of cinnamon. They had the perfect amount of glaze; however, we did not like the texture of the blondies. The addition of pecans and white chocolate chips added too many aspects to the texture. The white chocolate chips were necessary because they added another flavor layer. However, the pecans were not because we were looking for a soft, chewy blondie which would have been achieved without the pecans. 4/5 paws.

Lastly, the apple cider donuts ($4.49) exceeded our expectations. The combination of the old fashioned donut flavor paired with apple cider made these donuts extraordinary. The cinnamon sugar mixture on the outside along with the apple cider flavor, created an ideal amount of sweetness. The texture was thick and perfectly dense, leaving us very pleased. 5/5 paws.

Overall, the cookies and mouse cakes were our least favorite, while the apple cider donuts took first place. We definitely want to try more of their fall items, as these ones intrigued us. Trader Joe’s is located 25 N. LaGrange Rd. and is open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. If you go, make sure to get the apple cider donuts!