This looks like an April Fools’ Day joke, but I assure you it’s not. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)
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The latest in a line of premium single-sleeve coated Joe-Joe cookies from the best grocery house brand in the game; chocolate sandwich cookies with coffee creme in a dark chocolate and coffee coating.
It should come as no surprise — these are awesome. The first thing I notice upon close inspection are the little specs of espresso bean within the drizzle, and the flavor comes through swimmingly. There’s no doubt that these are chocolate-forward, but a bold espresso flavor pops in pretty prominently right after the bittersweet and creamy dark chocolate coating finishes up its opening flourish. The cookie is very crunchy, almost to a fault in that it threatens to explode and crumble everywhere if you’re not careful enough. Luckily, I am a professional.
These dunked and drizzled cookies remind me a lot of a chocolate-covered espresso bean but with reverse ratios of coffee to chocolate. The stronger components are chocolaty sweet — the dark chocolate coating and the wafer cookie — but there’s no denying the presence of ground coffee in the creme and drizzle that gives it that bold bean-adjacent flavor. They’re excellent.
In 2017 Trader Joe’s beat Nabisco to the punch and released Mocha Joe-Joe’s mere months before the Limited Edition Dunkin Donuts Mocha Oreo debuted. Both were solid cookies, but the Joe-Joe edged out the Oreo just a bit, largely thanks to its bold and authentic coffee flavor. Six years later, TJ’s still hangs its hat on that coffee intensity, and the extra layer of chocolate is a higher quality than anything Nabisco has ever rolled out.
Trader Joe’s Coffee & Dark Chocolate Joe-Joe’s are not for those who aren’t into the true flavor of coffee, but they’re not reserved for those (like myself) who prefer their coffee black either. They have a brilliant balance of in-your-face-taste and creamy satisfaction that will leave most, if not all, coffee drinkers pleased with their purchase.
Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: 6.8 Ounces
Purchased at: Trader Joe’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cookie, 24g) 120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.
Welcome back, Reese’s Crunchy! Welcome back, Reese’s Creamy! (Spotted by Allison H at Sheetz.)
If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.
I wonder what a strawberry lemonade sandwich cookie would taste like, Oreo. You’ve done three different strawberry flavors and already have lemon creme. So why not put them together? Sorry, Great Value Twist & Shout Strawberry Creme Sandwich Cookies. I’m sure you’re decent, but it seems as if Oreo has lost its creativity, and I want it to get back its groove. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)
Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream is greater than Lay’s Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips, and it’s my favorite potato chip. If I see a bag of the Lay’s version at a gathering, I sigh and then think that the person who was in charge of bringing chips should no longer have that responsibility from now on. Sure, same company, same seasoning, but the Ruffles variety is better tasting for some reason, and if given a choice between the two, I’d choose the Ruffles 100 times out of 100.
Is it the r-r-ridges? Probably.
So I wondered if ridges would make these Ruffles Double Crunch Salt & Vinegar chips superior to original Lay’s Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, a go-to variety whenever I come across a regular Lay’s sale. Of course, Double Crunch’s ridges are significantly more profound than regular Ruffles, but I thought that depth might still have the same effect that it does with the cheddar and sour cream seasoning. However, that was not the case.
Look, I’m not going to lie. I ate the entire bag within 24 hours and didn’t regret one moment of it, even those moments when my wife gave me the I-wanted-to-try-those-but-can’t-now-because-someone-forgot-how-to-share look. But something about them makes them taste slightly less enticing than regular Lay’s Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, which I’d pick over these Ruffles 100 times out of 100.
Is it the r-r-ridges? Probably.
I don’t know if those deep waves hold more seasoning, but when I bite into these, there are short savory bursts that have a slightly different salty to vinegary ratio than the Lay’s variety. And once those bursts fade, what’s left is more potato-y, which is probably the thicker chip’s fault. With the regular Lay’s, that salty and tangy seasoning lingers longer. Plus, that lingering makes my lower mouth tingle, which I oddly enjoy. I don’t know what that sensation is. Puckering? Putting my salivary glands on overdrive? My taste buds clapping? Whatever it is, I didn’t experience it with these.
Again, Ruffles Double Crunch Salt & Vinegar chips are pretty good, but I’d rather have the regular Lay’s version. Of course, my preference for them may change someday if Frito-Lay puts its salt and vinegar seasoning on regular Ruffles in the US. (It was available in Canada, which makes me even more jealous of our friends up north with its All Dressed and ketchup-flavored chips.)
Purchased Price: $4.50
Size: 7.25 oz bag
Purchased at: Times Supermarket
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 10 chips) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.
