Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Cremes

Peppermint is seasonally appropriate this time of year, and I must admit it pairs up pretty well with chocolate. Still, it's never been my personal favorite. I'm usually underwhelmed by peppermint and chocolate combos, with a few notable exceptions, namely: Bittersweet Mint ice cream from the Berkey Creamery, and Trader Joe's Peppermint Hot Chocolate in the big green tin that's been available around the holidays for quite some time now.

Here's the part where I tell you I like milk chocolate more than dark chocolate and you look down on me and think about clicking over to another review. But you can't say I don't give it chance after chance after chance. I mean half of Trader Joe's offerings are slathered in dark chocolate. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Maybe even occasionally I'll admit dark chocolate works better than milk chocolate for certain applications.

I think I'd still like to try a milk chocolate version of these, but dark chocolate gets the job done. They're more minty than chocolatey by my estimation, thanks to not only a generous glob of peppermint creme in their centers but also the little candy bits all over their outsides. Certain specimens seemed fatter than others, and those seemed to have a tad more minty creme in their middles than the flatter ones.

I was wondering what exactly "peppermint creme" would look and taste like. It's pretty much a dead ringer for the stuff that's in the middle of a York Peppermint Patty. I might even go out on a limb and say that if you like Peppermint Patties and dark chocolate, you'll enjoy these most definitely. The creamy center is our favorite part of the candy by far. Still, I'll tire of them after two or three pieces, but they were fun to try and would be something I'd keep in the back of my mind as a stocking stuffer or a contribution to an under $5 white elephant party or something like that.

$3.99 for 15 peppermint cremes. Kosher. Put me down for seven out of ten stars for Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Cremes. I might have gone with something higher if it had been milk chocolate. Sonia will go with seven out of ten as well, stating that they would have gotten an eight but that the candy cane bits hurt her teeth.

Bottom line: 7 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Coffee Panna Cotta

Dang. No wonder they want you to take that stuff out of the little cup and turn it upside down. It looks just like Fancy Feast sitting in there. Not particularly appetizing.

It wasn't quite the flavor extravaganza we were hoping it was, but it tastes a lot better than it looks. Coffee flavored, but not over the top. Sweet, but honestly it could have been a bit sweeter. Sonia wanted the syrup to be a lot thicker and wouldn't have minded more of it.

That's why I think it's better to eat it straight out of the cup. You don't lose any of the sauce that way. The presentation isn't nearly as nice, but unless you're trying to impress somebody, there's really no reason to flip it over and have the dark brown liquid slide all over your plate.

There was a peach and blueberry panna cotta at Trader Joe's years and years ago. Sonia and I both liked that one better than this one. I thought for sure the beautiful wifey would favor this one, but no. She agrees the fruit flavors worked better. She thinks maybe a true espresso panna cotta might be good with heavier coffee undertones and more sugar. She prefers good old Mexican flan to this stuff.

$3.49 for two single serving cups, found in the refrigerated section. It's not bad, but we probably wouldn't buy again. Italian-inspired, but not imported from Italy. Seven out of ten stars from both of us on Trader Joe's Coffee Panna Cotta.

Bottom line: 7 out of 10.