The best Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day goodies are worth braving the parking lot. See, Trader Joe’s seasonal items are often pretty good (we’re big fans of Trader Joe’s holiday goodies)—and there’s a lot to love among Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day offerings. Everything is so cute and the misses are few and far between. Whether you’re treating your sweetie or practicing self-love, we recommend picking up these Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day items before February 14 rolls around and they ghost you just like you’re about to do to that real zero you’ve been seeing (you deserve better).
- Sugarged Rice Cracker Hearts
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These new heart-shaped rice crackers are super weird! They’re like if soy sauce crackers and cereal had a baby. They’re sweet and savory like kettle corn with a bit of a Cap’n Crunch flavor. And they were polarizing in the office. Some folks couldn’t stop eating them. Others just couldn’t get their minds around what they were eating. So many Valentine’s Day treats are sweet and only sweet, so these are a refreshing change of pace. Give them a try and let us know what you think in the comments. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Heart Shaped Macarons
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I’m not a huge macaron fan, but I appreciate the delicate appeal of Trader Joe’s heart macarons. Sold in the freezer section by the ice cream, these little heart-shaped cookies come in two flavors: vanilla creme with strawberry center and raspberry creme. The flavors are gentle. The cookies are tender. They would be lovely to set out for a little tea. Are they the absolute best Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day treats? No, but they’re darn cute. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Conversation Hearts Candies
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Want conversation hearts that don’t taste like sweetened chalk? Try these Trader Joe’s Valentine’s candy hearts! They’re very big and they look, well, let’s say they look homemade (good luck reading half of them). But they actually taste good. They’re a little tart and citrusy. I give them an A+ for flavor and a D for execution. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Cocoa Truffles
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If you’re trying to up your Valentine’s Day game, do it with these Trader Joe’s Cocoa Truffles. The flavor is out of control. They’re rich, sweet, and a tad salty. The chocolate is dark and deep. The creamy texture is probably my favorite thing about them. They literally melt in your mouth. And the packaging is nice because it’s not corny. You can stock up on boxes of these Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day cocoa truffles (because you’ll want to) and enjoy them all year long. — Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett
- The Belgian Chocolate Hearts
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If you’re putting together a little V-Day gift basket, you gotta include this Trader Joe’s Valentine’s candy. These 3D chocolate hearts are marbled with different hues of chocolate. They’re beautiful. My colleague, Gwynedd Stuart, compared them to those little shell-shaped soaps from the past. But you can eat these without any major gastrointestinal pain! Each bonbon is creamy and filled with good quality chocolate. There’s nothing surprising about them, but they’re the best chocolate for Valentine’s day you can get at TJ’s. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Jelly Bean Hearts
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We love these jelly beans! These heart-shaped confections are super chewy with a thin, crunchy candy coating. You get three colors in a baggie: white (coconut), pink (not sure), and red (berry of some sort). The coconut is coconutty in a pleasant, tropical way. The pink beans are a bit strange. But the red ones are amazing. They have a bright, zippy berry flavor. It’s worth buying a bag of these Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day jelly beans just for the red ones. Plus, there’s no gelatin in them! This means more people can enjoy them. If your valentine is vegan, grab them a bag of these beans. They’re one of the best Trader Joe’s seasonal items. — Jordan Myrick and Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Chocolatey Dipping Kit
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I absolutely love this dipping chocolate kit. It comes with two packets of melting wafers, one milk chocolate and one dark chocolate. You also get two adorable sprinkle options, one heart shaped and the other like regular ice cream jimmies but itty-bitty. We heated the chocolate in the microwave and it came out smooth and luscious after just a minute or so. Your first impulse will be to dip strawberries in the chocolate, but I recommend you go nuts and pick up some Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day cookies to dunk. — Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Caramel Palmiers
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Do these officially count as Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day cookies? I’m not totally sure, but they were released in February and they’re shaped like hearts, so they’re making the cut. Another reason they’re making an appearance on this list of the best Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day items? They’re so f**king good! These thin, delicate puff pastry biscuits are crispy—thanks in part to the layer of delicious caramelized sugar on top—but they melt in your mouth. They’re incredibly buttery—you get that rich flavor from both the pastry and the caramel, and it just fills your mouth with flavor. I walked around the office handing these to everyone I could find just so I could watch them have the same reaction I did. I’d say this is one of the best Trader Joe’s seasonal items I’ve ever had, but I guess I’m holding out hope that these stick around all year long. — Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Dark Chocolate Mini Heart Cookies
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These cookies are described on the box as dark chocolate-covered shortbread, but they are so much more than that. They are dark chocolate cookies enrobed in chocolate with tiny sprinkles. They are perfect. The cookie itself is crisp but soft. The layer of chocolate coating is the ideal thickness. The sprinkles add a nice little crunch. Managing editor Gwynedd Stuart described these as being like Thin Mints minus the mint. Upon retasting them in our most recent Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day taste test, we found them to be still quite good, though a bit dry. Be sure to pair them with a glass of milk (or milk alternative) or perhaps some of Trader Joe’s bottled Espresso Martini. — Jordan Myrick & Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Hold the Cone Strawberry
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We’re fans of Trader Joe’s Hold the Cone treats and their new strawberry flavor is no exception. These three-bite ice cream cones taste like a chocolate-covered strawberry in ice cream form. The thin chocolate coating is really dark and rich. The strawberry ice cream is bright and vibrant. It doesn’t crumble the second you take a bite like some sundae cones. It’s just delightful. A strawberry Hold the Cone is the perfect Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day treat when it’s unseasonably warm outside. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Chocolate & Peanut Butter Lover’s Nut Mix
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How good can a nut mix be? How innovative? How interesting? Just a handful of this Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day nut mix will answer all of your questions. It’s so good and it’s so different from any other nut mix I’ve ever tried. A mix of tiny peanut butter cups, mini pretzel sticks, cashews, almonds, “cocoa dusted dark chocolate almonds,” and the “tiniest chocolate chips cookies,” it’s the perfect mix of salty and sweet. The mini PB cups are packed with flavor. The tiny chocolate chips are crispy and airy. The chocolate almonds are incredible. Don’t dismiss this Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day snack just because it’s in the nut section. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
Best Snack
Best Cute Treat
Best Take on a Classic
Most Mature
Best Chocolate
Best Candy
Best DIY
Best Pastries
Best Cookies
Best Frozen Treat
Best of the Best
Other Trader Joe’s Valentine’s Day items we tried: Rabitos Royale Ruby Cacao Figs, Dark Chocolate Caramel Hearts, Hot Cocoa Heart Melts, Heart-Shaped Macarons, Gummy Xs and Os, Chocolate Mousse Cake, Raspberry Mousse Cakes, Raspberry Hearts, Dark Chocolate Caramel Hearts, Gummy Xs & Os
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!