Trader Joe’s Fall Finds: 2020 Edition

Oh hey there fall! I waited all year for you, and you did not disappoint this season. Last fall, I failed miserably with my Trader Joe’s fall hauls and barely got to try out some of the seasonal items simply because I didn’t get to the store fast enough to get them before they were gone! Also, I didn’t do enough research and Instagram stalking to see what was new in the stores and what should be put on my shopping list. Not this year, 2020! I came prepared.

In this post, you’ll find all the new stuff I tried out over the Fall 2020 season at Trader Joe’s. While I did get a few repeat items this year, most of this post contains completely new items!

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The Sweet Stuff

Chocolate Mousse Pumpkins

These are cute little pumpkin-shaped chocolate cakes with a chocolate mouse filling. There is no pumpkin flavor in these, but I thought they were a decent sweet treat (they are pretty sweet, so I only ate one at a time). I think they would make a great visual addition to a sweet-themed snack platter!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Give me all the cookies! It was a close tie between these and the Apple Cider Cookies as to what my favorite new fall item was this year. I’m still undecided because they are both so different, but these pumpkin chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies were heavenly fresh out of the oven, nice and warm.

Cinnamon Bun Cookies

I guess I really went all out on the cookies this year! I almost wished there were more than 12 cookies in this box because these were pretty darn good. Nice and soft with a good cinnamon flavor (I love soft cookies).

Apple Cider Cookies

These are one of my favorites of the season, as mentioned above. They have a nice crisp to them, and really have a great apple flavor. They will tend to get a little stale after a few weeks, so you’ll want to eat them probably within the first two weeks of purchase (this is not hard because they are so good and you can eat a handful at a time!).

Apple Cider Donuts

Last year, I was totally bummed to have missed these! I’ve been to Apple Hill in California and had the best donuts of my life, so I figured these wouldn’t hold a candle to my Apple Hill donuts. They were surprisingly pretty good! This is another item that you’ll want to consume within a few days of purchase before they get stale. I recommend warming them up slightly in the toaster oven for a few minutes to give the sugar topping a little crunch.

Pumpkin Caramel Kringle

Oh my beloved Kringle! Trader Joe’s has different flavors of this Danish delight throughout the year, and for fall, they brought out the Pumpkin Caramel flavor. Kringles definitely need to be eaten warm, otherwise you just don’t get the full effect of their deliciousness. This pumpkin caramel flavor is a really good one (especially when served with a little vanilla bean ice cream on the side, or a hot cup of coffee or tea). My favorite still remains the almond, but this flavor is a winner no doubt.

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Caramel Apple Granola

Granola fan here! I tried to eat this one as a cereal, but the Caramel Apple Granola is really best eaten as a dry snack. This is mostly because the chunks are pretty big. Makes a good road trip snack.

Pumpkin Pie Perfect Par

Ah the Pumpkin Pie Perfect Bar…sadly, I did not love this. However, I am not a big protein bar fan in general so take my opinion with a grain of salt. It’s been a while since I’ve had a Perfect Bar, but I probably wouldn’t get this one again.

Pumpkin Spice Batons

The Pumpkin Spice Batons are a good treat when you’re wanting something sweet. The pumpkin spice flavor is pretty prominent, so you have to really like that to get through these. One at a time is just enough. My favorite of the baton wafer cookies remains the lemon that I got over the summer (please make those a permanent item, Trader Joe’s!).

Mango Jalapeno Apple Fruit Snacks

This isn’t really a fall/seasonal item, but they were released in the fall so I’m including them here. These fruit snacks were super interesting and you really have to embrace your love of jalapeno as these are actually pretty spicy. I can eat a few at a time and I’m good! Will definitely buy these again though.

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The Savories

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

I talked about the Butternut Squash Mac in last year’s post and swore to myself I would purchase more this year. So, instead of purchasing one box, I bought three! Was it enough? Probably not…but it’s been almost two months and I only ate one so far. You’ve got to pace yourself! This remains my favorite repeat fall seasonal item.

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Fall Harvest Salsa

The Fall Harvest Salsa came highly recommended by another blogger friend! And while I think it’s pretty good, it doesn’t quite beat out my beloved Pepita Salsa (which I also reviewed in last year’s post). It’s a little on the sweeter side due to the addition of pumpkin, apples, and butternut squash, and it definitely goes really well with the fall chips!

Fall Leaf Tortilla Chips

Speaking of fall chips, these were an adorable fall creation, and are perfect for parties or gatherings (not that you could really do much of that in 2020). The fall colors are due in part to carrot, pumpkin, tomato, and beet powders used as ingredients, and you can even detect a slight sweetness to these (probably from the pumpkin).

Harvest Chili

Now let’s get to the soups! I thought, overall, the Harvest Chili was pretty good – especially when paired with some leftover baked potatoes. I do think that this needs a little extra help in the flavor department though, but that’s nothing a little salt can’t fix. This is also vegan (if you don’t eat it with sour cream and a cheesy baked potato like I did).

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Unexpected Cheddar Broccoli Soup

A soup win! Again, this is another soup that needs extra salt and pepper added but it goes well with a good grilled cheese (we made our grilled cheese with the Garlic Cheddar Foccacia Bread and Havarti Cheese slices from Trader Joe’s).

Spicy Pozole Verde

Sadly, we’ve come to my least favorite item of the season and I simply cannot recommend this to anyone. Most of the soup was simply broth – and there was maybe five pieces of hominy in the whole tub of soup. It also really lacked in the flavor department. Big thumbs down from me.

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Household & Beauty

Apple Cider Foaming Hand Soap

Wow! This soap was amazing. I wish I had bought more than one, as it really smelled like apple cider every time you used it. So pleasant! These sold out really quickly so I couldn’t even get more if I wanted to.

Ginger Hand Cream

I had really fallen in love with the rose hand cream that I picked up in the spring, and have been on the hunt ever since for a replacement (of course I only bought one rose hand cream! I should know by now…). I tried the strawberry lemon in the summer and it was a big disappointment. This ginger hand cream, however, is a big win and has become a suitable replacement. The ginger scent is not overpowering, and I just love the texture of it.

Marula Facial Oil

I am a big fan of using facial oils, and have been using them for years. Primarily, I use the Dessert Essence Moringa Oil but I was running low and thought I would give this a try.

• Texture: Great – and feels amazing on the skin!
• Cost: I think this is only $6.99, so it’s much cheaper than a lot of facial oils.
• Scent: Yes – it’s important as it’s going on your face! It smells a bit like green olives to me.
• Overall Impressions: I really like it, but have noticed a few extra breakouts on my face after using it exclusively so I will probably only use it intermittently going forward.

Antioxidant Facial Serum

This one came highly recommended by another friend. My first impressions were that I have never felt my face feel so soft after using this! Unfortunately, it’s not hydrating enough to use on my face daily and my skin dried out really fast. So, this is another one that I will stick to only using a couple of times a week. Overall though, it does make your skin feel so soft!

This product is priced at $9.99, which is a steal for face products of this nature that are made with good ingredients.

Plants & Flowers

I have been very into buying little houseplants and floral bouquets from Trader Joe’s this year as they just really liven up a room. And, bouquets and potted plants are SO affordable at Trader Joe’s, they are really hard to pass up.

Pumpkin Trees & Eucalyptus

Trader Joe’s had these on the stand next to each other and I thought they paired really well! The pumpkin “trees” are so adorable (I think it’s actually a variety of ornamental eggplant), are are incredibly festive for the fall season.

Pumpkin Tree Cost: $6.99/bunch

Chinese Money Plant

I grabbed one of these Chinese Money Plants because I thought they were very unique looking – and now it looks great in my master bathroom! I keep it by my sink which is great because I can instantly water it when I notice the soil drying out. #LazyPlantLady

Chinese Money Plant Cost: $6.99

Fall Flower Bouquets

There really is something new and fall inspired to pick up every week at Trader Joe’s. I’ve had this bunch for weeks and it’s going strong! The flowers are a type of mum, and I can’t quite remember the leafy bunches, but they last a long time and are perfect fall decor.

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I’ll keep this post updated as I try a few more things for fall (however, we are now coming up on the holidays and it’s time to shift gears already!). If you’re looking towards the future, check out my Winter Haul post from last year to get some holiday inspiration!

Happy Shopping!

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