Trader Joe's Strawberry & Vanilla Yogurt Pretzels

Vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate cake. Vanilla and chocolate pudding. Why are the first two flavors of everything vanilla and chocolate? And furthermore, why is strawberry so often the third? Of all the myriad fruits on the planet, why strawberry? I guess at Trader Joe's, mango and pumpkin get more than their fair share of representation, but lately we've seen an atypical overrepresentation of strawberry products, too.

That's cool with me. Strawberry is a fine fruit. In many cases, I prefer it over plain vanilla or chocolate. I guess we haven't seen stand-alone "vanilla" pretzels per se, but aren't "yogurt covered pretzels" really just vanilla-flavored? I guess they use the phrase "yogurt candy" because it sounds healthier and more appetizing than "sugary vanilla goo."

Well, here we have miniature pretzels coated in sugary strawberry & vanilla goo, and they're scrump-dilly-icious. In the eloquent words of my beautiful wife Sonia, "They're probably the best pretzels I've had...covered-wise...in something."

I think she added the "covered-wise" part to clarify that they're not better than fresh-baked soft pretzels, but as far as crunchy little dealies that come from a resealable bag, they are indeed among the finest she's ever sampled. I'd be inclined to agree with that assessment.

I actually wish they'd have gone straight strawberry and skipped the vanilla part. The strawberry flavor is most definitely perceivable, but I'd prefer more fruity tang and less generic sweetness. Still, these treats are unique and highly noshable.

The pretzels are described as "teeny tiny" on the bag. I guess they are even smaller than the typical "mini" pretzel. These are like mini-mini. Fine by me. Easier to shovel them into my mouth. MOAR strawberry pretzels! <gurgle>

$2.99 for the 7 oz bag. Four and a half stars from Sonia. Four from me.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate Half Coated Rice Cake Thins

There's pretty much only word that comes to mind when it comes to rice cakes, and it's this: BOOOOORRRRRRRRRRIIIINNNNNGGGG. 

That's not meant to be taken offensively, actually. I happen to like rice cakes. But I also like painting trim, sitting on my porch for hours, and baseball, so apparently I have an affinity for boring things. Rice cakes are just kinda plain...nutritious-ish, sure...but kinda tasteless and bland...so boring. Gotta add something to them to liven them up a bit. 

Not bad idea here with Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate Half Coated Rice Cake Thins. Now there's a mouthful of a name. 

Now these hombres are t-h-i-n thin. Maybe a quarter inch at most? Probably thinner. But also way crispier and less airy and Styrofoamy then the usual rice discus. It's kinda a fun texture, especially by rice cake standards. It's almost like a regular rice cake, squared and compressed. I dig. 

Add a half dip of dark chocolate though? Now it's a party. 

It's about the same usual TJ's Belgian dark chocolate-y goodness used in nearly all their dark choc products. I'm gonna guess it's between 65% and 72%. There's still enough sugar to add a tinge of sweetness without being overly bitter, and a smidge of creaminess to help soften it up. The chocolate itself seems to add a lot of balance to the grainy goodness of the rice cake, with one side left exposed so as to not overwhelm or be too decadent. 

But still, true to the rice cake roots, a little something more seems needed.

Slather on a dab of your nut butter of choice? Sure, that'd be awesome. Probably some other toppings too! But really, I'd be happy with just a little sea salt sprinkled atop - not a lot - but just enough to pair well with the rice and dark chocolate as somewhat of a bridge between the two.

But yeah, these chocolate dipped rice cake thins are surprisingly decent, and went down the hatch pretty quickly in our household with assistance from all eligible memebers, without complaint. 

I think they were $1.99? Correct me if i'm wrong. Decent snack and one we'll be sure to grab again, lest we get too bored with te current rotation. I'd say between my lovely bride and I we'd give them a seven overall. 

Bottom line: Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate Half Coated Rice Cake Thins: 7 out of 10 Golden Spoons

Trader Joe's Ube Tea Cookies

Ah, ube. We meet again. It's "the popular purple tuber from the Philippines," according to the back of the box. That's about as good a summary as I could ever come up with. In fact, I don't think I knew ube was from the Philippines, specifically. You learn something new every time you read the spiel on the back of a Trader Joe's product.

You might even pick up a new vocabulary word or two. This box employs the use of the word "toothsome." Nice. Haven't heard that word in a while. But how are the cookies, you ask?

Toothsome enough, I suppose. I guess I should preface this post by saying I'm not really a tea cookie guy. Tea cookies tend to be dry as a rule, and that's why they need to be paired with a beverage. 

I'd prefer soft, moist, fluffy, fresh-baked ube whoopie pies or something like that. But you know, as they say, if wishes were buttercakes, beggars would bite.

As these cookies stand, they're buttery, crumbly, and sweet. There's almost too much powdered sugar in the equation. The ube adds a nice, rich root vegetable flair to an otherwise run-of-the-mill tea cookie experience. 

Taste-wise, though similar in flavor, I don't think I'd put them on par with, say Ube Ice Cream or Ube Waffles, but they're another admirable foray into the realm of violet Asian veggie themed dessert foods, as only Trader Joe's can pull off, or likely even attempt.

If you're into ube a lot, or you don't mind crumbly, powdery shortbread cookies, I say give 'em a whirl. Three stars from me. Four from Sonia.

Bottom line: 7 out of 10.