The Best Trader Joe’s Candies, According to Our Editors

They’re chewy! They’re crunchy! They’re chocolatey! And in all my years as a food editor, I’ve never seen another candy like this on store shelves. (Banana is so slept on in general, but I digress.) These banana-shaped milk chocolates filled with banana-flavored crème and teeny-tiny cocoa nibs offer a range of textures and flavors in every piece. If you’re a Chunky Monkey stan like I am, add this gem to your to-devour list, stat.

It’s unanimous: The dark chocolate PB cups are our staff’s most beloved Trader Joe’s candy by a mile. And it’s no surprise, since the cups are made with top-tier cacao beans and slow-roasted peanuts. “They’re the grown-up version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but you feel a little fancy eating them,” PureWow executive editor Dara Katz explains. “Also, they’re satisfying. One (OK, two) really hits the spot.”

“The dark chocolate peanut butter cups are the stuff of dreams,” PureWow editor-in-chief Jillian Quint adds. “The dark chocolate shell is harder and richer…and the peanut butter center is gooier for a taste that’s less like candy and more like an actual dessert.”

“I can’t walk past the checkout without buying them,” PureWow VP of editorial Candace Davison admits. “The chocolate is so rich, the filling is creamy—not gritty—and they’re just...perfection.”

Pro tip: Try them frozen, or opt for the sunflower butter version, recommended by PureWow senior commerce editor Stephanie Maida.

If you’ve never ventured into the Trader Joe’s empire of gummy candy, this is the optimal place to start. “The Scandinavian Swimmers are some of the most lightweight gummies I’ve ever had,” PureWow associate sales and deals editor Destinee Scott attests. “They’re soft, so I don’t feel like I’m totally ruining my teeth.”

“I love the Scandinavian Swimmers,” PureWow executive editor Alexia Dellner agrees. “Not to be confused with Swedish Fish, these candies are gummier, softer and—dare I say it—cuter. They’re not too sweet, they don’t get stuck in your teeth and they’re fun all around.”

“They’re like a more delicious version of the usual fish gummies,” former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen attests. “Orange, huckleberry, mango-peach and berry-flavored sea creatures? What’s not to love?” (Psst: Did I mention there’s a sour version too?)

When you want a handful of something poppable, crisp and sweet instead of, say, an entire sleeve of Selena Gomez Oreos (just me?), there’s this teeny-tiny Trader Joe’s candy. “Sure, the name doesn’t roll off the tongue quite like its Mars competitor,” Davison jokes, “but the chocolate is super rich, and the natural coloring just tastes better, in my opinion. That might be all in my head, but I’ll go through a bag at lightning speed.”

If the combination of sweet and salty is your jam, you simply *need* to taste the ingenious invention that is Snacky Clusters. “TJ’s nails the combination of potato chips, corn chips and pretzels in milk chocolate to be neither too sweet nor too salty,” PureWow editor Abby Hepworth raves. They’re also just the right size to feel like a true mouthful, so if you’re able to limit yourself to just one or two, it’s actually satisfying.”

“I had to stop buying them because they were way too good,” PureWow beauty and cultures editor Chelsea Candelario adds. “A great combination of sweet and salty.”

Are you one of those snack mix or dried fruit people? This will feel like bona fide candy to you (and for the rest of us, a semi-righteous addition to our snack drawers). They’re not too sweet or sour, but still dangerously noshable, chewy and indulgent. “The tartness of the dried fruit—a mixture of açai, blueberry, cranberry and pomegranate—pairs well with the dark chocolate,” PureWow associate editor of news and entertainment Nakeisha Campbell says. “I always buy them intending to try them with granola or yogurt, but they’re so good to snack on as is.”