Top 15 Best Trader Joe’s Seasonal Items to Buy This December

Every Year, Trader Joe’s churns out the creme de la creme of seasonal, holiday goodies. From new takes on Christmas classics, to festive remixes of year-round Trader Joe’s products, to creative concoctions we’ve never seen before, Trader Joe’s holiday items can’t be beat.

But some are better than others, and the best Trader Joe’s seasonal items sell out fast, so we grabbed all the seasonal items at Trader Joe’s that we could find, then sat down, tasted them all, and ranked our favorites. No matter what religion you are, we all belong to the church of loving delicious goodies. Run to TJ’s immediately and try to grab these Trader Joe’s holiday items before it’s January (ew). Here are the best Trader Joe’s seasonal items, 2024 edition.

Best Stocking Stuffer

A Trio of Chocolate Boules

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

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Adorable

Cookie Mug Hangers

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

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best New Product

Dark Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Marshmallows

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

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Fruity Treat

Scandinavian Tidings

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

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Peppermint

Peppermint Pretzel Slims

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

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Crunchy Cookies

Mini Gingerbread People

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

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best for Gifting

Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe’s

If you eat more than one of these Trader Joe’s holiday cookies, you may need to go to the hospital. They are so rich and dense. Plus, if you store them in the fridge like regular Joe-Joe’s, your teeth might break when you go to enjoy them. All this said, they’re worth the danger. The Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe’s are phenomenal. They come in a sleek, festive sleeve and make the best host’s gift around the holidays. And if the host is me, maybe show up with two boxes just to be safe. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Chocolate-Orange Flavor

Baton Lover’s Quartet

I had a huge revelation during this taste test: I am a baton lover. I owe an immense amount of thanks to Trader Joe’s holiday items for giving me the Baton Lover’s Quartet. These cream-filled cylindrical cookies are so light and crispy and flavorful. And speaking of flavors, there are four: chocolate orange, hot cocoa, chocolate hazelnut, and classic. I love each one in its own special way, but obviously chocolate orange is the holiday GOAT. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Variety Pack

Belgian Cookie Trio

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 can eat a thousand of them and never get full. Score! — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Ice Cream

Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s Ice Cream

This is one of my favorite seasonal items at Trader Joe’s. And when it comes to peppermint ice cream in general, this is one of the best. It takes the candy cane Joe-Joe’s we know and love and mixes them into a swirl of peppermint and vanilla ice cream. The best part is the thick ribbon of fudge in the pint. I could (and did) eat an entire container of this stuff in one sitting. I plan to buy more before December ends. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Soft Gingerbread Cookie

Best Soft Gingerbread Cookie

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

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Candy

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels

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

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best Spin on a Classic

Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s

When it comes to Trader Joe’s holiday cookies, Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s reign supreme. They are crunchy, pepperminty, and sweet. They have done a wonderful job replacing the now-discontinued peppermint Oreo, and they’re super affordable to boot. I wait all year for these to come out and then stockpile them when they do. Please don’t tell my fiancee that boxes of these are hidden all over our house. I can’t help it! They’re some of the best of all the Christmas items at Trader Joe’s. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best Christmas Cookie

Sugar Glazed Lebkuchen 

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

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Gingerbread Cake & Cookie Mix

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

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

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