Trader Joe's Maple Ginger Cookie Swirl Ice Cream

Too much maple. Too little ginger and cookie.

Fix that, Trader Joe's, then we'll talk.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Peanut Butter Light Ice Cream

This is just so-so ice cream, not especially rich or creamy. Then there's the additional problem that peanut butter just isn't a good flavor to put in ice cream. This would be better as plain chocolate.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Neapolitan Joe-Joe's Ice Cream

I had a peculiar reaction to this product.

I made myself an ice cream cone (using Trader Joe's perfect waffle cones). While eating it, I kept wishing the ice cream were different: more strawberry ice cream (they're stingy with it), and more fudge pieces (also scarce). But then I finished it, and had an intense craving for more. So I made a second ice cream cone, and devoured that. The next night I made a third, which emptied the carton, so when I had eaten that cone and again wanted a second, I couldn't indulge.

The peculiar reaction, then, is that I love it while wanting them to change it quite substantially. I cannot explain this.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. I'm rather taken by it.

Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's Cookies & Cream Light Ice Cream

This product is part of an industry-wide trend toward "healthier" ice creams, with more protein, less fat, and fewer calories. See here for a Consumer Reports article on the subject.

This new Trader Joe's offering is just so-so. The flavors are on the dull/weak side. The texture is not especially creamy.

It was rock-hard straight out of my freezer. But it softened up enough for scooping after being left out on the counter for 10 minutes.


Will I buy it again? 

No--it's not good enough to bother with.

Trader Joe's Ube Purple Yam Flavored Ice Cream

I had never heard of ube until pictures of this new flavor of TJ's ice cream started showing up on Twitter. Apparently ube is a big thing in the Philippines.

The ice cream is very pretty. From its color, you'd expect it to be a dark-cherry flavor, or maybe blackberry. Nope. It weirdly tastes familiar, but not close enough to anything that I can name a specific flavor relative for comparison. Trader Joe's introduction to the product mentions similarity to coconut, vanilla, and pistachio. I don't think any of those is quite right--but neither is anything else. Comparisons fail me. I guess you'll just have to try it for yourself.

I liked it. So did Nina, though she was as stymied as I was in coming up with a specific point of reference.


Will I buy it again? 

Well, TJ's describes it as a "limited-edition" item, and I hear that it's already gone, so there's not really a decision to make here. If they bring it back in a year or so, yes, I'd buy another pint for the novelty value, even though it's not among my favorites.

Swell Mint Chip Ice Cream

I found this at Trader Joe's just a day or two after having read this Consumer Reports article on the recent proliferation of allegedly more healthful ice creams, with lower fat, lower sugar, and/or higher protein. Swell's offerings were not among the 13 they rated, however.

I didn't much care for this. It had a pervasive off-note that I think must have been from the added whey protein. Why would you ruin perfectly good ice cream that way? The whole concept of eating ice cream for protein content is just dopey--especially if it compromises the primary purpose of eating ice cream, which is for sheer enjoyment.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Mini Stroopwafel Ice Cream Sandwiches

Yes, they're good. But no, they're not as amazing as people on social media seem to think.

You have to look closely to see, but the waffles are each filled with caramel, in addition to the ice cream being caramel-flavored. I thought that was the best part, but Nina thought it was too much.

The "salted" portion of the "salted caramel" is pretty understated, and they might have been even better if it were more prominent.


Will I buy it again? 

No. Enjoyable, but there are many other desserts and ice creams that I like better. Well worth trying at least once, though, for the novelty.

Trader Joe's Gelato--Pistachio

Nina bought this. I tried a little bit at her house. I'm just not a fan of pistachio, which is why I didn't buy it for myself. This didn't change my mind. But Nina says it's the best pistachio ice cream she's ever had, and she's not prone to making such declarations lightly. So if you like pistachio ice cream, you might want to give this a try.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Gelato--Caramel Cookie Crunch

This is a new product line at Trader Joe's. So far there are just two flavors available, this one and pistachio. I would guess that more are coming.

The texture is first-rate, extremely smooth and creamy. I liked both the caramel and the cookie flavors, though I didn't think they worked particularly well together. Not a clash, exactly, but also not a successful, harmonious pairing.

As I was eating it, I kept thinking that this texture would work much better with a single flavor, especially a fruit like strawberry or raspberry. I hope those are coming, because they should be fabulous.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Proyo Low Fat Ice Cream--Chocolate Chip Cookie Batter

I first encountered the Halo Top brand of ice cream in July while in Utah visiting family, which seems to be the thing that set off a trend for protein-enriched ice cream. And now Trader Joe's is selling this competitor.

According to this story, this is a limited-time distribution. The manufacturer is rebranding to a different name (good call; Proyo is stupid, and sounds like it's yogurt rather than ice cream), and TJ's snapped up their remaining stock of the old name. However, TJ's has a history of doing trial balloons of other-branded products, then, if they're successful, bringing them back labeled with the Trader Joe's name. So if in a year or so there's suddenly a Trader Joe's high-protein ice cream line, that will be what happened.

I didn't notice anything weird about the Halo Top ice cream. But this Proyo had a definite off note, and I'm pretty sure it was from the added protein, which comes in the form of whey. I finished it all, but I didn't love it.

There's also this truth: Nobody buys or eats ice cream as a source of protein. I suppose the Mars company could make vitamin-infused M&Ms, but why?


Will I buy it again? 

No whey, José.

Trader Joe's Organic Vanilla Fudge Chip Ice Cream

This is basically your standard vanilla/chocolate-chip ice cream, except that the chips are bits of fudge. Even in frozen ice cream, they stay softer than traditional chocolate chips, which is a nice textural surprise.


Will I buy it again? 

I doubt it. I liked it just fine, but not enough to be a top choice.

Trader Joe's Old Fashioned Waffle Cones

These are very nearly perfect. They taste as good as most of the ones you'll get at an ice-cream shop. They're reasonably sturdy--almost no premature breaking or crumbling, and they don't get soggy from contact with the ice cream. They're not strong enough that you can shove whole scoops of ice cream down into them and expect them to hold up. But with just a little care--dropping small dabs of ice cream in first, then gradually increasing, until you're ready to top the whole thing with a big round scoop on top--you can end up with the satisfaction of a genuinely filled cone, with no significant voids inside.

The packaging is a problem; they come nestled in a big polystyrene clamshell. But I suppose if they didn't, I'd be complaining that several of the cones were broken when I opened the box. As it is, they were perfectly protected.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes, at least once in a while. It's been years, maybe decades, since I bought ice-cream cones at a store. I suppose that's because I had found them disappointing. I just got used to eating my ice cream from a bowl. Now that I've had half of a box of these new ones from TJ's, I'm reminded how both the flavor and the form factor of a good cone enhance my enjoyment of ice cream. On the other hand, 12 is a lot of cones for a guy living alone to get through before they go stale, so I don't think I'll be keeping a supply on hand all the time. But I'll say this: I see no reason to buy any other cones now. These are the best you'll find in any store. They are Top Ten List material, even if the number in a package means they'll be a rare purchase for this single dude.

Trader Joe's Mint Chip Ice Cream

I love this. It's the best mint/chocolate chip ice cream I've ever had. The mint and chocolate are better balanced than in most, with generous chips. I love that they don't bother tinting the ice cream green, as most do. It's one of my favorite TJ's ice creams.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. I'm adding it to my Top Ten list.

Trader Joe's Golden Caramel Swirl In French Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Creams

If I just dip my spoon in and eat this, I like it. But if I compare it with what I expected it to be from the product name, description, and package images, I'm disappointed.

The ice cream doesn't strike me as a "super premium"--not by a long shot. Neither the chocolate nor the vanilla is particularly rich in flavor.

But the most disappointing thing is the lack of caramel, which was what I was most looking forward to--the feature that I thought would set this apart from other chocolate/vanilla combos. I've had two servings of three scoops each, and in only two or three bites was there enough caramel for me to be able to detect its presence, visually and/or by taste.

It appears that I am not alone in this criticism. The good folks at the "What's Good at Trader Joe's" blog described the same problem nearly six years ago. The fact that TJ's has done nothing to improve the product since then goes to show you the immense influence we bloggers have over the company....


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter Ice Cream

I've still never bought Trader Joe's cookie butter, in any of its many varieties. The reason is simple: I'm pretty sure I would love it, and one jar after another would vanish from my cupboard, only to reappear on my abdomen.

This ice cream confirms my impression. The substrate is just your everyday vanilla ice cream. But swirled throughout is delicious cookie butter. I quickly found myself enjoying each bite in direct proportion to how much cookie butter any particular spoonful contained.


Will I buy it again? 

No. The only thing I liked about it was the stuff swirled in. The only thing worse than sitting down and eating a jar of cookie butter is eating a quart of mediocre ice cream to get at the swirls of cookie butter it contains.

Trader Joe's Hold The Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones--Peppermint Flavored

I've previously described two other versions of this same basic product: vanilla and pumpkin-ginger. But these are the best yet. These are what the evolution of the idea was always leading to. They are the Platonic ideal of mini ice cream cones. The combination of chocolate cones plus chocolate coating perfectly balances the peppermint ice cream.

I ate four (half the box) in one sitting, and had to restrain myself from polishing off the rest.

They're so good, I'm adding them to my Top Ten list.

I assume that this is a limited-time seasonal item, so get 'em while you can.


Will I buy it again? 

Heading to the store today for a refill.

Trader Joe's Vanilla Ice Cream Bon Bons With Chocolate Cookie Crust

Yah, they're as good as they look.


Will I buy it again? 

Probably not. Not because I didn't like them, but because my expanding waistline can't handle them.

Trader Joe's Mini Hold The Cone! Ice Cream Cones--Pumpkin Ginger

This is a new and presumably seasonal item. It's the same form factor as the vanilla ones I tried a few months ago.

These didn't have the physical problem of the cone texture that those did--probably because they weren't subjected to the freezer problems that that box faced.

The pumpkin-ginger ice cream is very nice. I wasn't as pleased with the "confectionery coating," but I suppose it's a necessity to keep a bunch of these things neat and tidy in a box. Uncovered ice cream would get messy.


Will I buy it again? 

No. Nice to try once, but that's enough.

Trader Joe's Hold The Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones--Vanilla

As you can see, this is a box of eight miniature ice cream cones with chocolate coating. They're small enough that Nina and I each ate four of them in one sitting after dinner.

I thought they were OK, but not great. They were most spoiled by soggy cones. The box itself was kind of warped (as you can see above if you look closely), apparently by water. I suspect that they underwent some thawing/refreezing at some point, either in transport to the store or after I had purchased them. So the soggy cone thing might be a problem unique to this box, rather than being intrinsic to how the product is manufactured.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes, at least once, to clear up that soggy cone question. And Nina liked them more than I did, so I know they'll be a hit for another dessert.

Trader Joe's Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches

When I lived in Minnesota in the 1990s and early 2000s, I remember frequently buying ice cream sandwiches from a convenience store near my house, and they were the best I've had--huge, completely decadent. I no longer remember the brand name.

These from Trader Joe's come close. They are, I believe, the second-best ice cream sandwiches I've ever had--and it's possible that if I compared them directly against the ones I'm remembering, instead of against a decade-old memory of the same, I'd judge them to be the best.

In any event, they're essentially perfect. I honestly can't think of a thing I'd ask TJ's to change about them. The size, thickness, texture, sweetness, ratio of the components--they're all exactly right.

When I was buying them, the TJ's cashier commented that they were the best ice cream sandwiches in the world. I'm used to the TJ's cashiers talking up random items, and I don't put much stock in their salesmanship. But for once, he may not have been exaggerating, at least not much.

By about the third bite of my first of these four, I knew they were headed to my Top Ten list. They're that good.


Will I buy it again? 

I'm already on my second box. May they never be discontinued.