Trader Joe’s Peppermint Joe-Joe’s Are Ridiculously Popular. Why?
Amidst the chatter of Thanksgiving recipes and table decorations, a low hum has been traveling across food media the last couple weeks. At first I noticed a couple mentions it on Instagram, and then Twitter seemed to pick it up and carry on the excitement. That’s right, Trader Joe’s peppermint Joe-Joe’s are back in store for the holiday season. Have you tried these cookies?
What Are Peppermint Joe-Joe’s?
Trader Joe’s Joe-Joe’s are basically Oreos. They make a variety of different flavors, some of which are seasonal. The peppermint Joe-Joe’s are technically called “Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s” and are sold around the holiday season. There are the plain variety, and also cookies that are covered in dark chocolate and sprinkled with candy cane pieces.
In a post I wrote several years ago , you can see that Joe-Joe’s cookies were the third most popular product at Trader Joe’s. Peppermint Joe-Joe’s, however, seem to be the only ones with a cult-like status. There is even a Facebook page dedicated to their glory indicating that they are “the best cookie ever.”
Let’s Check Out This Hype
Obviously after all the hype I needed to actually try these cookies to see if they lived up to their reputation. As expected, I think the Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s are a really good cookie. They taste like Oreos, but they have tiny shards of candy cane embedded in the cream of the cookie, which gives the whole treat a welcome, subtle crunch. The peppermint flavor was not overbearing. You could definitely eat a lot of these in one sitting without realizing what you’re doing.
The Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s, on the other hand, were a bit much for me. They were good, but maybe a little too sweet due to the extra chocolate (and there was a lot of chocolate covering these cookies). I might have been in the minority, however, because our entire office happily gobbled the entire package up in a couple hours.
But, in the end, they’re just a cookie. Do they deserve cult status and a Facebook page of their very own? Do discuss in the comments below, please.