Baked cheese on its own is great. Trader Joe’s knew that when they put out their original Oven Baked Cheese Bites—essentially crispy squares of cheese and nothing more. Can you improve on something so simple? So savory? So crunchy? TJ’s is never one to shy away from a challenge, for better or worse, so they tried with their new Super Seedy Cheese Snack Bites.
They took a square of shredded/crumbled parmesan cheese, then baked it with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, puffed quinoa, black sesame seeds, and whole—and we mean whole—black peppercorns. Is it too much? Should you just stick with the original? We grabbed a bag to find out.
I won’t beat around the cheesy bush (ew! sorry!), I loved these. They’re not just fun and new; they’re genuinely delicious. The crunch is intense—I was wearing earbuds when I tasted these and I couldn’t hear the podcast I was listening to over the crunching. The peppercorns are not playing around. They add great heat and flavor. Seriously, if you can’t handle heat, you can’t handle these. And the seeds take these cheesy squares from good snack to snack hall of fame-level greatness—they make these bites substantial. And the quinoa? Honestly I didn’t notice it. But it’s nice to know it’s there. Plus, the serving size is seven pieces for 170 calories—that’s pretty damn good because each square is fairly substantial. While I could easily eat a full bag in one sitting, I could also just eat three and be pretty satisfied. TJ’s also suggests you try these as a topping for a salad or a soup and I completely support swapping out croutons for crisp cheese. Please go buy these ASAP before TJ’s inevitably pulls them for the shelf because I’m not allowed to have nice things.
Rating:
9/10
Sporks
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Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now).
Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test!
Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Justine Sterling
Griffin Parker
Jordan Myrick
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!