Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Trader Joe’s Chocolate Covered Gingersnaps

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered GingersnapsI was tickled when I spied this tin of Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Covered Gingersnaps last week.

When I was in Pennsylvania visiting my brother he took me to the Lancaster County Farmers Market as one of the stops on a candy adventure. There I found Nancy’s Candy Corner (not really a corner as it was in a center aisle). This vendor has everything covered in chocolate. Their specialty seemed to be pretzels. Pretzels dipped in chocolate. Pretzels dipped in chocolate and then rolled in things (toffee chips, chocolate chips, Oreo bits, sprinkles). Lots and lots of pretzel options. There were more traditional options like peanut butter straws. I bought a variety including some Milk and Dark chocolate covered German Spice Cookies.

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They were fabulous. The cookies were dense and crunchy, the chocolate was sweet and creamy and then they were gone.

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered GingersnapsThis is why I was so pleased to see these at Trader Joe’s, something I could buy locally, even if only temporarily. At 5.99 for the 10 ounce tin, it was one of the pricier confectionery items I’ve bought at Trader Joe’s lately.

The decription on the bottom of the tin makes my mouth water.

Molasses, ginger, cloves and vanilla ... these aromatic ingredients are the hallmark of gingersnap cookies. We’ve taken it one step further by gliding tiny gingersnap cookies with dark chocolate. For a sophisticated treat that mixes the creamy richness of chocolate with crunchy, spicy cookies.

Inside was a cellophane bag of shiny chocolate nuggets:

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They smell of cloves, cinnamon and chocolate.

The pieces are irregular, ranging in size from a garbanzo bean to a hazelnut in the shell. The chocolate coating is glossy.

The chocolate is creamy and sweet, really has a silky mouthfeel. The spices of the cookie are overpowering, so the chocolate flavors aren’t as forward, but the texture makes a huge contribution here.

The cookies are fabulous. The woodsy molasses sets the stage for the immediate clove flavor and then the warming spices really kick in. I found they warmed my throat after two or three with both a gingery kick as well as a black pepper burn.

Trader Joe’s doesn’t have clearance sales after the holidays, so there’s no way to get these cheap or regularly. I can only hope they’ll sell them in the little tubs all year round and I don’t have to create a collection of these tins.

Related Candies

  1. Starbucks Chocolate: Eggnog Latte Truffles
  2. Molasses Pops
  3. Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bites
  4. Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses
  5. Darrell Lea Licorice & Ginger
  6. Ethel Holiday Assortment
Name: Dark Chocolate Covered Gingersnaps
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Trader Joe's
Place Purchased: Trader Joe's (Silverlake)
Price: $5.99
Size: 10 ounces
Calories per ounce: 135
Categories: Chocolate, Ginger, Cookie, United States, Trader Joe's, Christmas

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:43 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I saw these at my local TJ’s and wondered about them.  After reading this, I will be sure to snatch some up when I go tomorrow!  If they made dark chocolate covered Triple Ginger Snaps, I’d be in heaven…

    Comment by Maggi on 12/18/08 at 3:51 am #
  2. These sound yummy - I am going to look for them when I go to TJ’s today. 
    BTW Maggi, why don’t you try making your own choc covered triple ginger snaps?  I plan on making choc. covered vanilla Joe-Joes for my husband as a Christmas present.  I think they will be awesome.

    Comment by candyann on 12/18/08 at 4:50 am #
  3. I was eyeing those Gingersnaps last night! Instead I went for the chocolate covered ginger pieces. I may have to rethink another visit.

    Comment by Cocoazilla on 12/18/08 at 5:50 am #
  4. I saw these gingersnaps on Saturday and almost bought them to send to my nieces, but settled on something else instead. Now I’m regretting that decision, but alas, the box has been shipped. I guess I’ll have to buy some for myself, all in the name of research for future gifts! :^)

    Comment by Tricia on 12/22/08 at 11:08 am #
  5. I got a tin of the TJ’s bits for $2.99 (at least, that’s what they were labeled on the shelf), so maybe they don’t have a “sale” per se but do mark things down after the holidays. They are wonderful—more like Lebkuchen than gingersnaps, with the strong clove and pepper flavors, but exactly what I want in a Christmas confection.

    My only beef is with the packaging. Although the tin is small, the little cellophane bag inside is half its size, which is not a very impressive gift presentation. The branding is printed right on the tin, so it can’t be easily reused. I’d prefer these in the normal TJ’s tub or in a larger, more impressive gift package.

    Comment by JR on 12/29/08 at 7:19 am #
  6. Trader Joe’s won’t be selling this as a seasonal item this year. Any alternative suggestions?

    Comment by Kim on 11/10/09 at 5:11 am #
  7. These look like the same thing - has anyone tried them?

    http://ginger-dev.evil-server.iluminada.com/special-edition-seasonal/cocoa-snaps.html

    Comment by emi s. on 1/01/10 at 8:03 am #
  8. Here’s another picture, where someone bit into one - this is what made me think they’re the same thing:

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Eb8-OdAfhxg/SztYLPiDODI/AAAAAAAACXc/USt9IgRsCKw/s1600-h/DSC06807.JPG

    Comment by emi s. on 1/01/10 at 8:05 am #
  9. Cybele's avatar

    Emi - I think you’re onto something there! They do look the same and I think I’ve seen Ginger People candy at Trader Joe’s before.

    I’ll do some digging and see if I can get a hold of these Cocoa Snaps and give them a try.

    Comment by Cybele on 1/01/10 at 8:11 am #
  10. I saw them on a friend’s blog - she said she bought them at Whole Foods (but on the East Coast). It’s too bad they’re seasonal & it’s the end of the season, I’m going to keep an eye out for them too, I loved the TJ ones.

    Comment by emi s. on 1/01/10 at 8:14 am #
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