Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

A few months ago I received an e-mail from one of our readers asking us to review the Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups. At that time, we didn't have a Trade Joe's, but in the meantime, they finally built one in our state. Yes, some of you have more than one in your city, but in fly-over country specialty retail stores are a bit sparse.  Last weekend, we decided to drive the 110 miles (one way) to check out the store.....and, of course, pick these up. I'm a HUGE fan of the peanut butter and chocolate combination so I really, really wanted to try these. When we got to the store my wife headed off looking for what was on her list (she had downloaded the healthy entree list and marked what she wanted) and I went in my own direction trying to find candy. I thought I should be looking for a two pack of something candy bar sized, sort of like a Reese's peanut butter cup. I didn't realize I should be looking for a 1lb./$4 tub of candy!

My assumption is that the curious reader did not want to spend the money without knowing how these taste. I can understand that, not everyone has a candy budget like we do. I will tell you this, I had to prop up peanut butter cups to take the photo above because we ate about ten of these on our 110 mile trip home. They are good, they are really good.  (I sort of thought they would be since I've read the reviews of other kinds of Trader Joe's candy at Candy Blog.)  So, person who e-mailed me about these...you should buy these, buy them now!

I'm going to compare these to Reese's peanut butter cups, only because that is what people know. These are bulk packaged in a large plastic tub, but each peanut butter cup is individually wrapped in its own fluted paper cup. They are the size of a miniature Reese's almost exactly. The milk chocolate is WAY better than anything you've tasted in a Reese's. It's soft and creamy with a nice smooth melt to it. It is sweet but not overly sweet. The peanut butter filling is like a whipped peanut butter cream. It is smooth and has a lighter texture. There's nothing inside to give it a crunch, which is okay for me because this tastes so good. The interior is sweet, but not overly so. I have to say I really enjoyed the texture and it wasn't peanut butter that overpowered your senses. It tasted more like a high-end truffle, with a great size chocolate exterior and fantastic creamy/whipped interior. Our family was really surprised at how much we liked these.

If you are looking for overly sweet peanut butter flavor that will overpower your senses, grab a Reese's peanut butter cup. They are the #2 best selling candy in the U.S. and they are great. If you want lighter peanut butter taste, less crunch and a much better chocolate, you should pick these up. The price really isn't that bad since a 12 oz bag of Reese's miniatures runs about $3.00 where I live.  You pay an extra $1 and get 4oz more with the Trader Joe's brand, so ounce for ounce, they are the same price.  The only bad thing I can think to say about this candy is that it's a 220 mile drive (round trip) for me to buy them. Since you can't order TJ food off the internet, I guess next time we are in the big city, we'll have to buy a few (and then hide them so they last a while).

Taste: 4/5 Really Liked It
Calorie Counter: 3 pieces = 1 serving = 180 calories, 11g fat, 19g sugars
Price: $3.99 purchased at Trader Joe's

Comments

[Foodjunk.wordpress.com]

lome some peanut butter cups and these look great. Sadly I am without Trader Joe's. nearest one is in Atlanta. I live in Tampa Bay. I might have to start buying online. Too many reviews from everyone.

[Rodzilla]

I don't think I have every been disappointed by trader Joe's. The nearest one is ~60 miles from me, so I routinely bring a cooler down to stock up when I'm headed that way.