12 Holiday Products Trader Joe’s Employees Recommend

There are approximately 475 new and returning holiday products at Trader Joe’s this December, but we’ve whittled it down to 12 employee-approved favorites. Trader Joe’s employees Matt Sloan, customer relations communications director, and Tara Miller, vice president of marketing, hosted a new episode of the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast and picked a dozen festive items they can’t live without. The products spanned from appetizers to desserts, and even included a few gifts and stocking stuffer options, as well as a new holiday buy made especially for dogs. Keep reading for a roundup of 12 Trader Joe’s holiday products that employees love.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Chalkidiki Olives

This returning item is a customer favorite that consists of Greek olives stuffed to the brim with creamy, tangy blue cheese. Additionally, the olives are packed in oil instead of a brine, giving them a richer flavor. Suitable for a martini or a cheese plate, these olives are large and meaty, with a surprisingly crisp texture. “This is the best way to whet your appetite to get going at a gathering,” Sloan declared.  

Lemon Stuffed Chalkidiki Olives 

New to stores this year, this item is made with the same Greek olive variety used to make the aforementioned blue cheese-stuffed bites. These brined olives, on the other hand, are loaded with zesty pieces of a lemon peel. “This to me, flavor wise, is absolutely Mediterranean,” Sloan shared. “The brightness of the lemon peel comes through with that saltiness. Anyone who has tasted this olive has been blown away by it because it’s so simple, but it’s surprising.” Try these olives on a charcuterie board, mezze plate, or in a cocktail for an unexpected burst of flavor.

Elevated Cracker Assortment

Hailing from the United Kingdom, this collection of crackers is a cut above the rest. “They’re not like the same old grocery store crackers,” Miller explained. “These crackers taste like they’ve been handcrafted by master bakers.” Inside each box you’ll find three sleeves with three different cracker varieties—a plum and date toast, a buttermilk cracker, and a lemon and black pepper cracker. Perfectly paired with cheese or canapes, these crackers will really come in handy if you need to prepare a quick appetizer this holiday season. 

Festive Chaos of Gummy Candy

This new item is the biggest bag of gummies Trader Joe’s has ever sold. Clocking in at 20 ounces, this gummy-filled bag boasts soft, chewy, satisfyingly sweet gummies in festive shapes, like ornaments, trees, holly, and a jolly snowman. You’ll also find more traditional shapes, like gummy bears and cola bottles, and fun options such as mustaches and tennis shoes. As Sloan put it: “We wanted a gummy candy experience that replicated opening presents and all the fun chaos that comes with it.”

Jingly Jangly

This new iteration of the beloved Jingle Jangle is sold in a petite bag instead of a large tin, making it an ideal stocking stuffer or holiday roadtrip snack. Inside each bag you’ll find the several components of Jingle Jangle—including dark chocolate covered caramel popcorn, milk chocolate candy gems, and both milk and dark chocolate mini peanut butter cups—as well as an additional treat. “What’s fun about this, is it’s not exactly the same thing in a small pouch,” Sloan noted. “It has a special component—a dark chocolate cookie pretzel bark.” If you are a Jingle Jangle fan (or know one) you’re going to want to stock up on this holiday newbie ASAP.

Jingle Jangle for Dogs

Since traditional Jingle Jangle has chocolate in it, dogs can’t eat it. However, the new Jingle Jangle for Dogs is perfectly safe for Fido to enjoy. Each tin comes with a festive mix of bone, star, circle, and pretzel-shaped biscuits in peanut butter, carob, and bacon flavors, and the pretzel shapes are also enrobed in peanut butter dip. If you have a dog who likes treats (don’t they all?), add this to your holiday shopping list pronto!

German Iced Gingerbread Soft Spiced Cookies

These aren’t your standard gingerbread cookies, which is why they deserve a spot on your holiday shopping list. These festive treats are iced with intricate, embossed designs. “It is texturally a contrast between crunchy icing sugar and soft gingerbread baked just enough. I love these,” Sloan declared. Each box of cookies comes with two large confections, so there’s plenty to go around. 

British Shortbread Collection

This new item available for a limited time comes from the same supplier who makes the Elevated Cracker Assortment, and it’s a cookie collection worth noting. As Miller put it, “These are absolutely delicious little cookies.” In each box, you’ll find three trays, and each one has a different cookie variety. There are coffee cookies made with ground coffee, cocoa cookies flavored with chocolate and studded with bits of meringue, and English toffee cookies packed with nuts and crunchy toffee pieces throughout. “These are so tasty,” Sloan added. “They have that incredible crisp shortbread crumb that is light and a little dense at the same time.” 

Mini Mushroom Tartelettes

Need a quick holiday appetizer? Trader Joe’s has you covered with these savory Mini Mushroom Tartelettes. Each one features a flaky pastry crust filled with sliced white and shiitake mushrooms, chopped garlic and shallot, and plenty of Parmesan, cream cheese, and ricotta. “To me, these are umami in a bite,” Miller declared. For the best results, make these tartlets in your air fryer or oven.

Cheesy Creamy Greens and Veggies

For a holiday side without all of the tedious prep work, try this cheesy number. Sold in the frozen section, this dish features a combination of Brussels sprouts, onion, spinach, and kale in a rich cheese sauce. You can make this side in the microwave or on the stovetop, or pop it in a casserole dish with the crunchy topping of your choice and bake it in the oven. 

Holiday Vegetable Hash

This refrigerated item is filled with “seasonally meaningful veggies,” according to Miller, including butternut squash, sweet potato, red onion, celery, parsley, sage, and rosemary. Not only does this product save you tons of slicing and dicing time, but it’s incredibly versatile too. Use it as a side, add it to soup, or cook it and serve over scrambled eggs. 

English Toffee Ice Cream

If you’re an ice cream lover, this brand new English Toffee Ice Cream is for you. It went through multiple taste tests, and the delicious results speak for themselves. This frozen dessert is made with brown butter ice cream that’s full of chocolatey covered toffee pieces and almonds. “It’s really, really, really good,” Miller explained. “It has a really interesting, almost caramelized flavor, just like brown butter.”