Trader Joe’s turns into a holiday snack playground every winter. New items show up, returning favorites fill the shelves and suddenly every other product is covered in peppermint.
I picked up a mix of seasonal treats and sat down with a six person tasting panel made up of friends and family to see which ones are worth grabbing or should stay on the shelf.
10. Lebkuchen Cookies:
These are German spiced gingerbread cookies with a thin edible wafer on the bottom. The wafer absolutely ruined it. It tasted like paper and gave the whole cookie this weird, soft texture that nobody could get behind.
The flavor itself wasn’t terrible, but the texture made it impossible to enjoy. One person compared it to a fruitcake that has been sitting around since last Christmas. No one finished theirs. Easy last place.
9. Peppermint Bark:
This is your classic dark chocolate and white chocolate peppermint bark, and I wanted to love it so badly, but it was just not good.
It was way too thick, weirdly hard to bite or break, and the peppermint completely took over. Instead of balancing the chocolate, it just overwhelmed everything. Even the peppermint bark lovers in the group were not into it.
8. Sleigh Ride Cookies:
These are small crunchy shortbread-style cookies coated in peppermint white chocolate with crushed candy cane pieces. This was the most dramatic split in the room.
Some people liked the super dry, crunchy texture and thought it tasted festive. Others said it tasted like a dog treat.
I personally thought the flavor was confusing and the dryness did not help. Ratings went from two out of ten to nine out of ten. Total hit or miss.
7. Scandinavian Tidings:
These are holiday-shaped gummies that are basically Scandinavian Swimmers in festive forms like Christmas trees, stars, ornaments and bells. They tasted exactly like Swedish Fish. Sweet, chewy and totally fine, but nothing special. Everyone agreed they were good, just not exciting enough to rank any higher.
6. Dark Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Marshmallows:
These peppermint marshmallows dipped in dark chocolate were fun and definitely tasty. They were soft, bouncy, and had a nice mint flavor with the chocolate adding a bit of richness.
Even the marshmallow haters in the group admitted they liked them more than expected. They landed here because everything above them stood out more.
5. Candy Cane Chocolate Wafer Cookies (Batons):
These are long rolled wafer cookies filled with peppermint creme. They took a second to appreciate because everything else we tried was so much sweeter, but once we came back to them with a clean palate, they were actually super refreshing and minty.
The crisp texture and sharp peppermint flavor make them satisfying without feeling too heavy.
4. Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joes:
These are peppermint Oreo type cookies dipped in thick dark chocolate with crushed peppermint pieces. They were good but definitely heavy.
It is not that the peppermint is too strong, it is just a lot happening at once with the cookie plus all the chocolate and peppermint on top.
Most of us liked them, but none of us were able to finish one. If that already sounds like a lot to you, the regular Peppermint Joe Joes might be a better choice.
3. Mini Peppermint Meringues:
These tiny peppermint meringues were one of my personal favorites. I already love meringues, and these are small, crisp, and minty in the best way.
I kept reaching for them without thinking. The panel was mixed, but even the people who were not obsessed said the texture was fun and light. A very solid top four pick.
2. Jingle Jangle:
Trader Joe’s famous holiday mix of chocolate covered pretzels, popcorn clusters, peppermint bits and candy pieces lives up to the hype.
It is chocolatey, crunchy and perfectly balanced, with tons of different textures that somehow work together. Almost everyone loved it and several people tried to steal the tin. It is festive, fun and consistently great.
1. Peppermint Pretzel Slims:
These flat pretzel crisps coated in creamy peppermint flavored white chocolate were the clear winner. The salty sweet balance is perfect, the crunch is unmatched and the peppermint flavor does not overwhelm anything.
Every single person at the table liked them and several people said they were easily number one. If you buy one seasonal snack from Trader Joe’s this year, make it this.
If you want to try a few holiday snacks yourself, I would start with the ones our panel actually loved. The Peppermint Pretzel Slims, Jingle Jangle and the Mini Peppermint Meringues were easily the standouts.
They are fun to snack on while studying for finals, and they also make great treats to bring home to your family for the holidays. The seasonal section can be a hit or miss, but those three are absolutely worth the purchase.