Jordan Myrick
Justine Sterling
Gwynedd Stuart
Every Year, Trader Joe’s churns out loads of seasonal, holiday goodies. Some of them are perennial hits while others are get-them-while-you can one-offs that disappear from shelves faster than Santa can cram his buns down your chimney. Every December, we head to our local TJ’s and buy all the Trader Joe’s seasonal items so we can let you know what’s worth braving the aisles for in December.
No matter your religion, we all belong to the church of loving delicious goodies. Run to TJ’s immediately and try to grab these 15 Trader Joe’s holiday items before it’s January (ew). Here are the best Trader Joe’s seasonal items, 2025 edition.
Note: No, Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s did not make our list this year—they genuinely tasted bad! Sure enough, Trader Joe’s yanked this year’s batch from shelves and explained that they “didn’t meet [the company’s] standards.” Hey, we’ll try again next year.
- Candy Cane Baton Wafer Cookies
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We tried these during our holiday cookie taste test (which you can watch here), and while they didn’t rank terribly high among their competition, these light, crispy, minty wafers are absolutely worth picking up. A big selling point? They come in a tin, so they make a nice hostess gift. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- A Trio of Chocolate Boules
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They won’t tell you outright but these are clearly trying to be Lindt Lindor Truffles dupes. Are they as good? No. But they’re cheaper and they’re super cute. They’re wrapped in a way that makes them look quaint and homemade. And you get three different flavors in each box: Milk Chocolate Caramel, White Chocolate Hazelnut, and Dark Chocolate. The best one is the White Chocolate Hazelnut, which is the most unique of the bunch with a rich, not-too-crazy-sweet white chocolate filling tinged with a mildly nutty flavor. If you’re looking for a few extra stocking stuffers, pick up these Trader Joe’s holiday chocolates. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Cookie Mug Hangers
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These tiny gingerbread men that hang on the side of your mug are so aesthetically pleasing that I assumed they’d taste horrible. I assumed I couldn’t have it all. I assumed wrong. These look adorable and taste great! The way they hang on your mug turns any coffee into a Christmas coffee. If you adore Christmas, grab a box of these Trader Joe’s holiday cookies so you can feel festive every single morning. It feels like Santa himself would be a fan of these edible mug ornaments. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Boozy Bottles
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I fully expected these little bottle-shaped chocolates to have some kind of boozy-tasting goo inside, kind of like cordials. But no! These are little, delicate dark chocolate bottles filled with Cognac. Like, straight-up Cognac. You have to be 21 to buy them because each one is 3% ABV. You bite off the cap and then guzzle the Cognac inside—how much fun is that on Christmas morning? They’re also REALLY CUTE (they’re wrapped in foil that makes them look like little Champagne bottles) and they come in a box that looks like a little booze crate. Obsessed, TBH! You better believe I brought these home. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Dark Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Marshmallows
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Trader Joe’s holiday marshmallow bites are adorable. I’m not a huge marshmallow-as-a-snack person, but these chocolate-covered marshmallows have convinced me. The marshmallows are soft and chewy. They’re coated in chocolate and studded with minty candy cane crumbles. I’d stock up on these Trader Joe’s holiday treats and serve them alongside a piping hot cup of cocoa. Not in the cocoa—next to it. They deserve to be savored on their own. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Scandinavian Tidings
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Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers are grade A gummies. And the festive, seasonal version is just as good—if not better, honestly. One issue I sometimes have with Scandinavian Swimmers is their size. I prefer a daintier gummy. And Scandinavian Tidings satisfy that requirement. The stars, ornaments, and trees are one-bite treats. They’re soft and chewy—somewhere between a Haribo gummy and a fruit snack. And they’re sweet and fruity with just a touch of tartness. You get so much chocolate around the holidays; take a break with some Scandinavian Tidings gummies. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Peppermint Pretzel Slims
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If seasonal sweets mean peppermint to you, grab a bag of the Peppermint Pretzel Thins. These are easily one of the best Trader Joe’s seasonal items in stock for the holidays. They’re crunchy, creamy, and perfectly pepperminty. This is the kind of seasonal snack you could eat by the handful because they’re not too filling. And if you’re like me and love the combination of sweet and salty, these definitely hit the spot. It’s the chocolate-covered pretzel you know and love with a holiday twist. — Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett
- Mini Gingerbread People
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These little gingerbread guys are super cute. They have a white fudge coating on the back rather than plain old icing, and that really takes them above and beyond any other store bought gingerbread cookies out there. And the cookies themselves are crunchy and spicy. These are some of the best Christmas items at Trader Joe’s to buy for that late afternoon dip when you need a sugary pick-me-up that goes great with a cup of coffee. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Belgian Cookie Trio
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Don’t let the boring packaging fool you: These cookies taste great! The Belgian Cookie Trio contains three different types of cookies that are chocolaty, nutty, and crispy. That’s right, crispy. These are not crunchy. They’re crispy. And if you know you know that crispy cookies are an underrated kind of delicious. I would eat these with cold milk or hot coffee. Their versatility is great. Plus, I feel like I could eat a thousand of them and never get full. Score! —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett
- Best Soft Gingerbread Cookie
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You’ll find these Trader Joe’s holiday cookies in the bakery section by the loaves and crumpets. And you should seek them out. These little gingerbread sandwich cookies are soft with a crunchy topping of big sugar crystals. And the filling is cream cheese-ish, though it offers more texture than it does flavor. The cookies themselves are the real star. They’re soft and wonderfully molasses-rich. They’re super duper soft. And they truly taste homemade. Bring these Trader Joe’s holiday cookies to a cookie swap. No one will know any better. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
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These Trader Joe’s holiday chocolates are perfection. The chocolate is sweet, the caramel is gooey, and there’s plenty of salt. Plus, they come in a cute little box for gifting. These are among my favorite Trader Joe’s seasonal items and I wish they stocked them year-round! Or maybe it’s for the best that they don’t… —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett
- Sugar Glazed Lebkuchen
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Behold! The best Christmas cookies (not homemade) are for sale at your local Trader Joe’s. Seriously these are so good and, honestly, probably better than anything you can make. They’re really soft and really spiced—as in gingery spiced. Each cookie has a thin crunch of icing that adds a playful crunch. They manage to be moist and airy at the same time. You gotta like baking spices, but if you do, you are in for such a treat. If you’re looking for the best Trader Joe’s Christmas cookies for Santa, grab a couple of boxes of these. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Gingerbread Cake & Cookie Mix
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I made a gingerbread loaf cake with this mix and brought it to a parent coffee hour at my kids’ school. The parents loved it. Everyone asked for the recipe and I proudly told them it was straight up from a box. It’s so moist with chunks of actual candied ginger in the mix. It’s subtly sweet, so you can have it for breakfast without feeling like you’re just eating cake—but you can also have it for dessert topped with some ice cream. My one thing? I had to bake the loaf way longer than the box indicated. So, if you buy this, as I think you should, just make sure you test the loaf every few minutes with a toothpick. If you only buy one of the many seasonal items at Trader Joe’s, this is the best Trader Joe’s holiday food to buy. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches
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As you can see from everything else on this list, we’re big fans of what Trader Joe’s is doing with gingerbread, and these cute-as-hell ice cream sandwiches are no exception. The anthropomorphic gingerbread boys are chewy without falling to bits and have a toasty, bright gingerbread flavor we loved. In true ice cream sandwich fashion, the ice cream itself is a little bit of an afterthought, but the gingerbread is the star of the show and that’s fine. I totally get why this is strictly a Trader Joe’s seasonal item, but I wish it were around all the time. —Gwynedd Stuart
- Nantucket Style Cranberry Pie
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I have not shut up about this heat-and-eat “pie” since I tasted it. This thing is FANTASTIC. If you are looking for a dessert you can pass off at holiday parties as homemade, THIS IS IT. Now, here’s the thing: I’ve never had a New England cranberry pie, so I can’t say how authentic it is. Will the Massholes in your family balk? Don’t know! Frankly, don’t care! The crust is more like a cake—a crumbly, biscuit-adjacent, buttery butter cake—with a layer of saucy cranberries that are tart and sweet in equal measure. They’re sweet enough that I thought maybe there were cherries in the mix, but none are listed in the ingredients. I couldn’t stop taking bites of this cake. I WILL be buying a few of these for the holidays. And I think adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream will actually kill me! In a good way! If I haven’t already made it abundantly clear, this is one of the Trader Joe’s seasonal items you should be rushing out and buying ASAP. —Gwynedd Stuart
Best Peppermint Cookie
Best Stocking Stuffer
Best Adorable
Best Stocking Stuffer for Grownups
Best New Product
Best Fruity Treat
Best Peppermint
Best Crunchy Cookies
Best Variety Pack
Best Soft Gingerbread Cookie
Best Candy
Best Christmas Cookie
Best of the Best
Best Frozen Treat
Best of the Best
Other Trader Joe’s holiday products we tried: Salty Honey Toffee Milk Chocolate Covered Crackers, Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars, Minty Chocolate Covered Marshmallows, Gluten Free Joe-Joe’s, Maple Glazed Doughnuts, Mini Peppermint Meringues, Candy Cane Chocolate Covered Almonds, Jingle Jangle, French Apple Tart, Apple Crumble Pie, Cranberry Pistachio Bark, Holiday Shaped Chocolates, Peppermint Mini Ice Cream Cokes, Jingle Jangle Pretzels, Chocolate Dipped Glazed Lebkuchen, Candy Cane Baton Wafer Cookies, German Iced Gingerbread Soft Spiced Cookies, Minty Cocoa Truffles, Dark Chocolate Orange, British Shortbread Cookie Collection, Egg Nog Greek Yogurt. Candy Cane Chocolate Covered Almonds, Clotted Cream Fudge, All Butter Tart Cherry & Pecan Shortbread Cookies, Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s, Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe’s, Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s Ice Cream
Vinz Karl
Jessica Block
