Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's
Joe-Joe's are Trader Joe's version of Oreos. I am not an Oreo fan. I am not a store-bought cookie fan in general, but Oreos, with their grainy, lardy insides, are particularly repellent.
However, I am a sucker for a peppermint and chocolate combo AND for limited edition or holiday treats, so the Joe-Joe's found their way into my red basket, along with about 70,000 other impulse buys. I was also attracted to the bright, stripey box and the fact that "candy cane crush" was listed as an ingredient.
We broke into them as soon as we got in the car. I was pleased to find that while the Joe-Joe's look like Oreos, they surpass them in yuminess. The chocolate cookie was Oreo-level quality, but what really shines is the pepperminty inside. First of all, the filling is sweet, light, and vanilla-y--not lardy at all. The truly special part, however, is the candy cane crush, which lends the perfect amount of peppermint to the cookie, complementing, but not overpowering, the chocolate and vanilla flavors. All flavors work in harmony. The filling is a little gritty, but in a pleasant, "I'm eating candy canes!" sort of way, not in an "I'm eating Crisco mixed with granulated sugar!" sort of way.
Another bonus is a little verse on the side of the box, which reads:
Candy canes!
Candy canes!
Tasty cookie treat
Oh what fun it is to make
And even more fun to eat!
I read it out loud and got about halfway through before I realized it should be sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells."
The Candy Cane Joe-Joe's cost $2.99 at Trader Joe's. I would definitely buy them again.
