The Absolute Best Holiday Treats You Should Be Buying From Trader Joe's This Year

The future is looking merry and bright, and it's all because it's the most wonderful time of the year. Of course, the most wonderful part of this wonderful time is all the delicious goodies we're about to stuff our faces with. Picture the scene: The fire is crackling, the tree is all lit up, and aromas of freshly baked fare are wafting into the room, completing the ultimate seasonal scene. Maybe you have visions of sugarplums dancing in your head or of the cookies you're about to make for Santa (and yourself, because let's be real). Our reasons for the season (and excitement) are all the limited offerings courtesy of Trader Joe's.

Oh, Christmas treats. Oh, Christmas treats. Trader Joe's hasn't earned their cult following for nothing. They keep drawing us back in with their never-ending releases of seasonal goodies, and this year, they will be having us staying fa-la-la-la-la-full with the sheer number of available products. It's time to whip out the stretchy pants. While not all treats are created equal, we've done the heavy lifting for you. Here are the absolute best holiday treats you should be buying from Trader Joe's this year. 

Before we can make a beeline for the most festive holiday of all, we have to get through Thanksgiving first. What a chore! But in all honesty, it's the ultimate pregame to kick off the season. Thanksgiving is pretty much synonymous with family and turkey, and we're not mad about that one bit. This November, Trader Joe's has the perfect snack to munch on while drowning out the sounds of Uncle Orville complaining about politics. You're going to want to follow the trail of crumbs direct to Trader Joe's for the return of Turkey and Stuffing Kettle chips, which have been seasonally available since 2018.

We can't refuse anything that encapsulates an entire holiday into one magnificent bite of a chip. We're getting some Willy Wonka Violet Beauregarde vibes here, but we'll gladly pass on the magical chewing gum for a salty, crunchy sliver of potato. According to Delish, the chips have been met with some mixed reviews, but we think it's worth a shot for such a unique flavor. It also happens to be hella cheap at $2 a bag. 

Before we can add some jolly to our holly, we have the opportunity to bask in the glory of mild temperatures and gawk at nature's colorful way of changing the seasons ... because, it's fall, y'all. Game day is upon us, and the time is now to mingle with friends and family and, of course, eat all the things. Don't be that guy who shows up to the tailgate with the same boring old snacks, like Doritos and pretzels. Instead, you, too, can be a champion (of the snack table at least) with Trader Joe's Fall Leaf Tortilla Chips.

Available in a 14-ounce bag, these autumn-colored chips are the next-level football snack you've been hoping for. In the shape of fall leaves, they are made from yellow and white corn tortillas. They're perfect on the own, but they also pair well with a longtime Trader Joe's favorite of ours and basically anyone that has ever set foot in the store, their Cowboy Caviar salsa. This is one thing we have no problem rooting for. 

It's the season of pumpkin everything. You might say the pumpkin is the unofficial mascot of November. We've got pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin candles, pumpkin spice Cheerios, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin spice Pringles, pumpkin pie gelato, and even the unwelcome pumpkin veggie sticks. Among them all, there's one shining product to be picked from the pumpkin patch: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter.

If you can find it at your local TJ's (which has proven to be quite the treasure hunt in recent years due to its popularity), you'll be left scratching your head on why you've waited this long to try it. With a hint of decadence and a low price point, it's the one no-brainer, must-have pantry item this season. It comes with the added bonus of being a dairy-free product (go health!) that only contains 40 calories in each tablespoon serving. According to Popsugar, its uses are endless, but we've yet to make it beyond just sticking our spoons in the jar and gobbling it up like yogurt. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter is delicious atop waffles and pancakes or even oatmeal, and it also works perfectly blended into a smoothie. This jarred wonder has even been known to elevate a simple roasted root veggie dish. The more you know! 

If there was an official candy of the holiday season, you could bet your bottom hard-earned dollar that it would be the candy cane. With nearly two billion candy canes produced in the United States annually, it's no surprise that it's the top-selling non-chocolate candy during the month of December. With purported origins in 17th-century Germany, the treat is now enjoyed worldwide and in a wide variety of flavors. (May we suggest the Starburst green apple version?) If candy canes are one of your four main food groups during the season, you're going to love this inventive presentation of the treat. 

Trader Joe's has created the ultimate mashup of our shining holiday treat combined with our favorite year-round sweet. Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's Ice Cream has become the instant holiday classic you never knew you needed in your life. It's made up of a classic cookies n' cream ice cream base with swirls of peppermint ice cream. And the best part? It's loaded with huge chunks of actual Candy Cane Joe-Joe's, the hard-to-get seasonal cookie. Be sure to be in the mood for mint, as this ice cream is heavy on the peppermint flavor. 

Who else gets excited when the flight attendant heads down the aisle armed with baskets of glorious Stroopwafels to hand out? Glad we're not alone there. Tracing back to the early 19th century, Stroopwafels were created in the Netherlands, where they remain popular today and are readily available in nearly every bakery, market, and grocery store. The delicate cookie is created by pressing cinnamon and vanilla dough together between hot waffle irons. The cookies, in two equal circles, are filled with caramel. They are now enjoyed worldwide as a light snack or warmed up atop your afternoon cup of coffee (the latter being our preferred method of consumption).

Luckily, we no longer have to travel to Amsterdam for a taste. Trader Joe's is offering a solid version in the form of their Stroopwafel Dutch Caramel Waffle Cookies. They had previously sold mini versions and even an ice cream sandwich, but the current iteration is the perfect size to sip atop your mug of gingerbread coffee. (More on that one to come.) The buttery yet crispy cookie exterior gives way to a creamy yet not overbearingly sweet caramel center. Trader Joe's states that these hail from the Netherlands, so we trust that they're the real deal. 

If candy canes are the official snack of the season, then we're declaring the official beverage of choice to be hot cocoa. After hitting the slopes, or by fireside cozied up in a blanket, hot chocolate is a warm, rich, sippable dose of sugar. According to The Spruce Eats, drinking chocolate was something the Maya came up with in Mexico around 500 BC. Although it probably looked a bit different back then, the drink eventually made its way to Europe in the early 1500s, where they indulged in it cold. Thanks to the Spanish, who decided to both heat and sweeten it up, we have the hot chocolate we know and love today.

We would bet that the ancient Maya would turn their heads in disbelief if they saw how far the beverage they created has come. Trader Joe's Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Stirring Spoon is the ultimate cooking experiment. With adorable packaging and an inexpensive price tag, you simply place this spoon in a warm cup of milk and stir. The result is a perfectly blended cup of milk and dark chocolate, way better than those nasty packets of powdered mess they try to pass off as the real thing. Trader Joe's even provides a few mini marshmallows to throw on top. Sold in a gift box sex adorned with silver ribbon, this is an easy item to pick up on your way to wowing the next dinner party. 

By now, any true Trader Joe's fan is familiar with their Joe-Joe's. A tried and true product, it has stood the test of time and delighted us with a variation of flavors throughout the years. Two chocolate cookies are filled with sweet cream in the original version, while TJ's has been known to take it to the next level with varieties like the Neapolitan and Peanut Butter versions as well as Joe-Joe's Slims. Even though they are basically Oreos, that hasn't stopped fans from showing up in droves for whatever variant Trader Joe's is currently hawking at the moment.

Peppermint Joe-Joe's, or their official name Candy Cane Joe-Joe's, arrive each holiday season. Unlike the original version, this one contains peppermint-flavored sweet cream. Trader Joe's has really outdone themselves this time with the Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe's. If you're a chocolate lover like us, you'll delight in this version that takes the Joe-Joe's and covers it in a rich dark chocolate. It doesn't end there. They next roll it in cracked up pieces of candy cane. It's no wonder this product has reached an almost cult-like following. 

The holidays are all about the family gathering together and carrying on traditions year after year. One of our favorites is congregating around the kitchen to bake and decorate cookies. Times are tough, and our schedules are even tougher, so we're glad Trader Joe's has taken the heavy lifting out of this tradition. We're always down to embrace less time working and more time having fun.

Trader Joe's Decorate Your Own Holiday Ornaments Cookie Kits come complete with eight premade sugar cookies in a variety of holiday-themed shapes, like presents, snowmen, and even a little Christmas tree. No icing in the pantry, no problem. Priced at $5.99, the kit comes with red, green, and white icing, as well as sprinkles and candy beads. So basically, the only limit is your imagination. The metaphorical icing on the cake is that this hybrid treat/festive art piece is a DIY lover's activity sure to entertain everyone. All work and no reward? Not here. You get to feast on the fruits of your labor! 

It's sweater weather, and we are so ready to trade in our boring, run-of-the-mill club soda for a cup of festivity. Be it gingerbread, pumpkin, or peppermint, the only things touching our lips this time of year are of the seasonal variety. We can thank medieval Britain for the delight that is eggnog. We're not exactly sure how (or why) they decided to mix eggs and milk in beverage form, but we're certainly glad that they did. Spiked and saucy or spiced and virgin, sipping on a big ole cup of eggnog has now become our go-to favorite holiday pastime. 

Trader Joe's Almond Nog has been delighting non-dairy drinkers since its introduction in 2017. Our vegan friends can finally get their nog on with this delightful and creamy almond beverage. While sugar-laden versions can be found sprinkled throughout grocery stores, the Trader Joe's version offers just the right hint of sweetness with a silky, creamy finish. No judgement here if you whip out a flask at the next family function and add a little bourbon to this one. It will be our little secret. 

Satisfying everyone on your gift list can prove to be quite the difficult challenge. What to get the person who has everything? We say one can never have enough snacks. While Trader Joe's does offer a pretty stellar Danish Butter Cookie Tin, we prefer to class things up a bit with their Belgian Cookie Collection. Sold in a keepsake tin, the box features 12 different types of cookies, many covered in premium Belgian chocolate. When Belgium is attached to chocolate, you just know it's going to be good. After all, they may not have invented it, but they have certainly perfected the art of chocolate making.

According to Trader Joe's, this whopping 35.2-ounce collection is made exclusively for them by a premier bakery in a small Belgian town with a centuries-long track record for excellent baked goods. The cookies themselves are crumbly perfection that are brought to the next level with the Belgian-style chocolate. Priced at only $9.99, even the Grinch wouldn't turn down over two pounds of this delectable goodness. 

Trader Joe's knows no bounds when it comes to their baked offerings for the holidays. There are sugar-glazed Lebkuchen cookies, ginger snowball cookies, and even apple caramel slab pie. Fan of banana bread? Forget the mundane — Trader Joe's is shaking up the at-home baking game with their Chocolate Peppermint Loaf Mix. What? There's a lot to unpack here. This extremely rich and decadent chocolate cake mix is given a holiday makeover with chunks of minty chocolate in every bite for just $2.99 per box.

For a boxed mix, we found it to be very good, and fans agree. DailyWaffle commented on its "nice mintyness," while Become Betty called it a "solid holiday option" and commented on how the "chocolate and peppermint flavors are pretty well balanced as one does not overwhelm the other." We found it pleasantly moist for a store-bought mix and full of flavor. Kudos to you, TJ's!

If it hasn't become abundantly clear already, Trader Joe's is all about the sweets and not so much the savory during the season (although their holiday Fig Goat Cheese Log is pretty legit). According to Insider, one of several cookie products offered by Trader Joe's worth buying are their Dark Chocolate Stars. With a base of fun and festively star-shaped shortbread cookies, these bites of joy are covered in a rich dark chocolate with colorful nonpareils. 

It has been a popular Trader Joe's product for over ten years. No need to count the stars — this package comes complete with one entire pound of these treats. While unassuming in nature, there's a reason this rather simple item has been a staple in many a holiday pantry. Shine bright at your next holiday party with a product that is sure to leave everyone satiated and satisfied. According to Trader Joe's, the star-covered box of cookies has remained at the same bargain price of $3.99 since its introduction in 2007. 

Calling all the self-proclaimed holiday drink enthusiasts out there. When it comes to picking your poison this season, there's certainly no shortage of options available to us. These potable interpretations of winter can be found everywhere from Starbucks to grocery stores and include everything from Chestnut Praline Lattes to Peppermint Mochas. Holy nutcracker!

Trader Joe's has excelled in the gingerbread game in the past. We're fans of their ginger snap ice cream and ginger snap cookies, and now we have an excellent drink to add to that list. Trader Joe's Gingerbread Coffee is the wake-up call we've been desperately needing this year. Made from Arabica ground coffee with spices, including dried ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves, the resulting product is an easy-to-guzzle cup of joe with flavors of gingerbread and cinnamon at the forefront of our palate. This medium-dark roast is available in 14-ounce pre-ground cans for $7.99.

We saved the best (and cutest) for last on our list. This one is almost too good-looking to eat. You can frequently find us throughout the holiday season curled up under the covers with a nice, piping hot cup of cocoa. Our warmest holiday wishes have come to fruition with this creation from the true geniuses at Trader Joe's. Peace on Earth can be achieved once again when you place their Hot Cocoa Snowman in a mug of hot milk and sit back. 

Before your eyes, the snowman will melt away, releasing white chocolate goodness, milk chocolate drops, and mini marshmallows. Once it's all melted, you simply stir, and voila: The satisfying process leaves you with a cup of sweet, slightly rich hot chocolate. Get your TikTok and camera phones ready for this one. The fun is in watching the snowman bob around until it begins to melt into the milk. While Neiman Marcus is selling their version at the comparatively absurd price of $32, the Trader Joe's version will set you back only $1.99 per totally adorbs snowman. You can have your jollies without breaking the bank. May the force be with you in snagging one of your own because this little guy is very popular!