I did something recently that I swore I’d never do: I moved to a place with no Trader Joe’s. To the TJ uninitiated, this may seem like no big deal. But for those of you who have enjoyed TJ’s amazing food, drink, and CANDY (at even more amazing low prices), you understand my loss and dismay. So please join me in bidding a fond farewell to three of my all time favorite TJ candies.
Milk Chocolate Clouds: Behold the chocolate, caramel, pecan glory that is the Trader Joe’s Milk Chocolate Cloud. Honestly, these are better than any other turtles I’ve ever had. The caramel is buttery and chewy, but doesn’t stick to your teeth. You can fully taste the sweet pecans and somehow they still retain some of their crunch. And, to top it all off: the milk chocolate is sooooo good. Unlike some milk chocolate, it’s not too sweet and is plenty chocolaty. And they don’t skimp on anything: each cloud is jam-packed with chocolate, caramel, nutty gooey goodness. Ah bliss!
Darrell Lea Strawberry Licorice: I know not everyone likes licorice, but just look at this yummy lusciousness. While Australia’s Darrell Lea Strawberry Licorice isn’t a Trader Joe’s brand candy, TJ was the only local place that carried it where I used to live. The good news is that I can get this online, but the bad news is it costs about 3x more than it did at TJ. This licorice is soft and chewy, and it’s not waxy at all. It does stick to your teeth a wee bit, but it’s so good I don’t care. It has a sweet, light strawberry flavor and none of that plastic flavor you get with some licorice. It’s also ridiculously addictive – the more I eat, the more I want to eat. I ate my very last pieces as I wrote this and I’m already going through withdrawal.
Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bites: I’m not sure if the Trader Joe’s dark chocolate pretzel bites are supposed to count as a snack or a candy, but to me they’re a candy. I love that they are bite sized – something about eating small bits of candy ups the fun factor for me. Even though these are just a bit bigger than a peanut M&M, they manage to pack a lot of flavor into such a small package. The dark chocolate coating is made of good dark chocolate – rich, earthy, and strong. The pretzels are crunchy and they have salt! So you get sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy, all in one wee bite. And bonus: they sprinkle round sugar beads on top so you get a nonpareil effect. Double bonus: sometimes several pretzel balls stick together so you get to eat 2 or 3 at a time. To die for!
I’m already missing Trader Joe’s. A lot. While I get to have new candy adventures in my new city, I still long for my TJ faves. Thank heavens for care packages!
Buy Darrell Lea Licorice Online:
- at Amazon.com
Target now carries the Darrell Lea Soft Eating Licorice in strawberry and black varieties. The strawberry is awesome. I’m not sure how it compares to the twist variety. I’ll have to look for those at TJ.
November 25th, 2008 at 2:25 amHi I am new to your blog and I just wanted to say how much I’m loving it
November 25th, 2008 at 5:21 am@ Josh: Thanks for the heads up about Target! I’ll be checking that out soon.
@Sorina: Welcome to Candy Addict! Thanks for your kind words – I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. This is a fun community and I enjoy reading what everyone else writes as much as I enjoy writing.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:23 pmI’ve never been to Trader Joe’s and never knew I was missing anything….until now. Thanks a lot, Cadence! *sniff sniff*
November 25th, 2008 at 1:31 pmI miss Trader Joe’s too! I especially like their truffles.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:39 pmaww… i feel you! and whole foods really doesn’t provide the same quality. there is a local chocolate factory a few blocks from my house; perhaps we should peruse some time for “research” and see if we can find a suitable replacement (if not, there’s a target a few blocks away)
November 25th, 2008 at 9:55 pmI shamed myself today by eating an entire tub of the mini peanut butter cups from TJs.
November 26th, 2008 at 12:32 am