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With Thanksgiving in the rearview and leftovers running low, the winter holidays are (finally) taking center stage.\u00a0Move over, turkeys \u2014 Santa\u2019s coming to town! (Did anyone else watch Elf<\/em> this past weekend?) The latest episode of the Inside Trader Joe\u2019s<\/a> podcast dropped earlier this week, and co-hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan are also going all in<\/em> on the festivities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThere are 469 seasonal products at Trader Joe\u2019s this time of year,\u201d says Tara, and about 86 of them are completely new to stores. Can you imagine the giant stocking you\u2019d need to stuff with all those items? The duo is doing us all a solid by giving us a starting point.\u00a0<\/p>\n Out of the hundreds of returning items and dozens of new launches, these are the 12 they\u2019re most excited about.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThese [pancakes] don\u2019t look like cinnamon buns<\/a>,\u201d says Matt. \u201cBut they do taste like cinnamon bun.\u201d Created by a secret supplier in New York, this new mix has \u201call the spices in a cinnamon bun,\u201d says Trang, a product developer at Trader Joe\u2019s, and \u201clittle crispy bits of cinnamon candies that melt as you cook them\u201d (or crisp up in waffle form). Plus, she adds, \u201cThey\u2019re very fluffy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Inside this box you\u2019ll find four exclusive pretzel flavors in \u201cbeautifully designed\u201d and incredibly giftable bags, says Trang, which means you won\u2019t find them anywhere else in the store \u2014\u00a0at any time of the year. \u201cWe have a jingle jangle-inspired pretzel that has a peanut butter coating and candy gems on it,\u201d a coffee candy covered pretzel drizzled in dark chocolate, a dark chocolate covered pretzel topped with peppermint candy pieces, and a milk chocolate covered pretzel topped with rainbow nonpareils.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A delicious dessert in less than two minutes? Sign us up for \u201cthis absolutely extraordinary gooey, delicious, salty, sweet, soft bread pudding made with pretzel bread,\u201d says Tara. The frozen newcomer needs just 45 to 50 seconds in the microwave (or 15 minutes in the oven) and a 60-second cool-off period. They come in little cups \u2014\u00a0two per package \u2014\u00a0and once \u201cyou flip it and remove that cup, it looks like an expertly plated thing at a high-end restaurant,\u201d says Matt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Imported from Denmark, you\u2019ll find not one, but three styles of cookies \u2014\u00a0all dipped in chocolate \u2014 in this box: marzipan filled Napoleon hats, coconut macaroons, and almond triangles. \u201cThey\u2019re really beautiful, says Matt,\u201d and \u201clovingly handmade.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Speaking of trios, these adorable miniature cakes also come in three flavors: chocolate (chocolate cake with chocolate filling and a dark chocolate coating), vanilla (vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and a white chocolatey coating), and coffee (coffee-coated chocolate cake with a coffee filling). There are nine to a pack, so invite someone over and have yourself a tea party for two.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As the name suggests, these new shrimp dumplings are VIBRANT. The color comes from vegetables, like spinach (for green), beet (red), and pumpkin and tumeric (yellow). You can heat these in a steamer basket<\/a>, as shown on the package, microwave them (they get a little chewier, according to Tara), or if you like them \u201cnice and crispy,\u201d she adds, you can pan-fry them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cUnderstanding which cheddar might work well with additional ingredients,\u201d says Matt, is one of the things the cheesemakers in Leicestershire do best. (They\u2019ve got more than 100 years of experience making cheese.) Take this mild cheddar, which is blended with Spanish figs that have been marinated in white wine and rum. Um, yum! \u201cI will have this on every cheese plate, cheese board, cheese presentation<\/a> that I make this holiday season,\u201d says Tara. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to making a grilled cheese <\/a>sandwich with this cheese,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If you prefer to drink your cinnamon bun, then this oat creamer is likely your cup of tea \u2014 or coffee. \u201cIt\u2019s modeled after [the] Brown Sugar Oat Creamer,\u201d says Matt, which is another customer favorite. \u201cIt really does make a cup of coffee taste like a cinnamon bun,\u201d adds Tara. \u201cIt has that cinnamon, sugary deliciousness.\u201d Another colleague recommends using it to make French toast<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n While you\u2019re at it, keep those mugs handy for this Gl\u00fchwein, a sweet mulled wine<\/a> from Germany. Spiced with cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, and orange and lemon zest, \u201cit\u2019s not overly flavored with any of those things,\u201d says Tara, \u201cbut I think heated on a chilly winter night, that\u2019s kind of a fun thing to drink.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n What\u2019s old is new with this beauty advent calendar, which first launched in 2019. This year, the package got a whole new \u201cstellar design.\u201d (\u201cYes, it\u2019s covered with stars,\u201d says Tara.) Beneath the perforated boxes, you\u2019ll find 12 sample-sized products<\/a>, including the wildly popular facial sunscreen<\/a> and lip scrub, hair mask, body butter, and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n You might<\/em> recognize this body butter from last year\u2019s 12 Days of Beauty advent calendar. Well, its back and bigger than ever \u2014\u00a0a full eight ounces, instead of one. The moisturizer\u2019s candy-cane smell is subtle (not \u201cmediciney\u201d as other pepperminty-scented things can be, explains Tara), as is its shimmer. \u201cIf you\u2019re not looking for it, you might not really notice it, which, to me, is the best possible scenario,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1. Cinnamon Bun-Inspired Pancake & Waffle Mix<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
2. Trader Joe\u2019s Astounding Multi-Flavor Mini Pretzels<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
5. Petit Fours Mousse Cakes<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
6. Shrimp Pouches of Many Colors<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
8. Non-Dairy Cinnamon Bun Oat Creamer<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
9. Hark and Holly Gl\u00fchwein Mulled Wine<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
11. Shimmering Candy Cane Body Butter<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
12. Chocolate Croissant Scented Candle<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n