The Big Problem Trader Joe's Fans Have With Its Peppermint Brownies

Move over, pumpkin spice. The holiday season is here once again, and with it comes a slew of peppermint-flavored goodies that will be dominating the food world until at least the end of the year. We've already seen a number of minty treats pop up at our favorite restaurants and grocery stores, like Chick-fil-A's Peppermint Chip Milkshake and Costco's tasty Peppermint Bark, both of which consumers were delighted to see make their return.

Unfortunately, not all of these refreshing goodies can be winners. Case-and-point, Trader Joe's Peppermint Brownies, which Pure Wow says hit shelves earlier this month. Described on the TJ's website as "the stuff of dreams," these seasonal baked goods feature fudgy, cocoa-flavored brownies that are "punctuated by cool notes of peppermint." In addition, the sweet is also filled with white chocolate chips and topped with a drizzling of white ganache to give them a "snowy" look.

The brownies certainly sound like a fun, festive addition to any holiday spread. However, some shoppers have found them to be a bit of a disappointment. Instagrammer @traderjoesfoodreview took to the social media platform over the weekend to share their honest thoughts about the product. "I really wish I liked these more, but they did not live up to the hype," the user said of Trader Joe's Peppermint Brownies, which they ultimately awarded a rating of 5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's fan Instagram account @traderjoesfoodreview gave several reasons for their sub-par rating of the grocer's peppermint brownies, starting with their texture, which the user found to be "incredibly crumbly" (via Instagram). However, it was the product's taste that appeared to be their biggest issue. "These brownies are soooo minty. Like way too minty," the user explained. "And they didn't really taste like peppermint but more like wintergreen gum or toothpaste." Many of the Instagrammer's followers concurred with their sentiments, like user @caprisunnii, who said the brownies tasted like "straight up peppermint oil." User @sara_alyssee found them to be disappointing as well, despite the fact that they are a fan of mint and chocolate-flavored desserts. "I ended up throwing most of the package away," they admitted.

Still, not everybody was critical about the seasonal baked good. "You must have gotten a less than stellar batch. Mine were soooo fudgy and delicious!" one user responded, while another scored the treat a nine out of 10. A third expressed their enthusiasm for the confection's strong minty taste, as they'd found that many peppermint products oftentimes don't pack enough of the flavor. "If you like Andes [mints], you'll enjoy these," they said. Overall, it seems like TJ's Peppermint Brownies are a bit of a hit or miss, but if you consider yourself to be a peppermint connoisseur, they may be worthy of a buy.