15 Trader Joe's Candies To Look For On Your Next Shopping Trip

Trader Joe's is a chain of American supermarkets that is known for its friendly customer service, flexible "try before you buy" policy, and varied assortment of unique and sometimes offbeat items sourced from around the world. The last detail may make TJ's feel like a type of specialty market, and some shoppers would certainly agree with that sentiment, but unlike many other stores that stock similar products, most everything on the shelves here belongs to the company's proprietary brand, which also makes them generally less expensive than comparable items at competing grocery stores.

While you can find condiments to upgrade a chicken sandwich here or sauces that will creatively elevate a seafood pasta dish, the retailer's candy selections shouldn't be missed. There are a lot of options, but not all of them are stellar or terribly different from their name-brand equivalents. However, the ones below are certainly some picks you should add to your cart on your next Trader Joe's run. They range from nostalgic hard candies and timelessly elegant chocolates to some more off-the-wall creations and some internationally-inspired favorites.

Consisting of a layer of apples baked with a crispy, crumbly coating, it may be difficult to conceive of an apple crisp inside a tiny chocolate, but Trader Joe's manages to deliver on flavor and texture. Its supplier in Ireland came up with this idea, and you actually do get a gooey caramel filling with flecks of apple pieces and a crunchy sort of crust within each of these bonbons. There's just a hint of spice, but not enough to feel like you're biting into one of those cinnamon brooms.

Apple Crisp Milk Chocolate Caramels are available for a limited time at Trader Joe's for $5.99

If you've ever tried to eat a sundae with your hands or stuffed one into your pocket to enjoy later, you know that it's a pretty bad — not to mention messy — idea. But what do you do if you love those flavors and want to eat them on the go? You head over to TJ's and get your hands on some of these candy-coated almonds that really do evoke the taste of a hot fudge sundae. There are two flavors in the mix: a vanilla fudge coating and a maraschino cherry-flavored one.

A bag of Hot Fudge Sundae in a Handful! is available for a limited time at Trader Joe's for $4.29.

If you live or come from a tropical climate, then you know how tropical fruit should taste, and you know how disappointing it feels when a confection promises a flavor but doesn't deliver. That's why these thin chocolate cups are so deliciously exciting — they taste like real mango and passion fruit. The flavors develop on your palate, giving you the full nuance of these two favorite fruits. Just when you think you've gotten their full taste, these candies unfold even more unique notes.

Dark Chocolate Mango & Passion Fruit Creme Thin Cups are available for a limited time at Trader Joe's for $4.29.

Hard caramel candies have remained a classic for a reason: They're nostalgically tasty and may remind you of digging for treats out of your grandma's candy dish. Werther's may be most people's go-to brand for these, but one taste of Trader Joe's rendition (which is imported from Europe) may just convince you to switch your brand loyalty. They have an intensely rich flavor that has a faint nuttiness akin to brown butter, and the hint of salt in the recipe balances out the sweetness and gives you a more mature version of this iconic candy.

Butter Caramel Hard Candies are available at Trader Joe's for $2.79.

Unless it's in a sticky jam or caramel, some folks may not see fruit as the base of an indulgent candy, but don't let that influence whether or not you should try these treats, or you'll be missing out on what could perhaps become your go-to candies. They consist of crisp, intensely flavorful bits of freeze-dried strawberries bathed in a thick layer of strawberry- and yogurt-flavored candy coating that melts in your mouth. It sort of has a Raisinette effect, but with a beautiful pink color and a refreshing flavor you may dream about.

Freeze Dried Strawberry Pieces are available at Trader Joe's for $4.99.

Some people may associate fall with pumpkin spice, but for others, the lead up to winter is all about apples, and these gummies may become a new favorite if you find yourself in the second batch. Besides tasting like a combination of cider or apple soda, depending on the color, they're filled with a juicy center that explodes in your mouth. They're a fun way to bring the flavor of the orchard with you wherever you go. All you need is a hay ride and the heady aroma of cider donuts frying away, and you'll feel like you're actually there.

You can get your hands on Juicy Apple Gummy Candy for a limited time at Trader Joe's for $2.49.

Freeze-dried candies have been popping up at many retailers, and you may have even seen kiosks at malls selling them, but what sets these apart from the rest is their intense watermelon flavor and the fact that they're made with natural, plant-based dyes. You can choose to bite down on these candies for a satisfying crunch, or let them dissolve on your tongue like cotton candy. They're excellent on their own but make a fun addition to trail mixes and popcorn.

Watermelon Freeze Dried Candies are available at Trader Joe's for $3.99.

This type of candy isn't necessarily unique to Trader Joe's, and you may be asking yourself why you should opt for TJ's version over the competition. The main reason is that they're the best gummy candy in the store, but they're also made with natural ingredients, meaning that you get a concentrated hit of strawberry aroma that smells almost like the real thing rather than the Strawberry Shortcake dolls of yore. These guys are incredibly versatile, too — you can use them to create edible jewelry, dress up a doll on a themed cake, or decorate the side of a gingerbread house.

Sour Strawberry Candy Belts are available at Trader Joe's for $3.49.

Gummy candies abound, but their flavors can often get repetitive or taste overly artificial. That's why these fruity gummies from TJ's are such a refreshing change of pace, both figuratively and literally. They're free of gelatin, which makes them a great option for those following a plant-based diet, and feature five flavors that you may not find in many other gummy candies — mango, pineapple, grapefruit, watermelon, and blueberry. Made with natural ingredients, the flavors are pretty close to the real thing.

Fruity Gummy Candies are available from Trader Joe's for $2.29.

There's something about egg-shaped confections that are appealing to the eye and the palate, but it always seems as though they disappear from shelves right after the Easter holiday. Fortunately, Trader Joe's has these imported chocolate eggs during the off-season, and while they may look like robin eggs, they lack that controversial malted center and instead feature coffee, hazelnut, and milk and dark chocolate fillings.

You can find Italian Chocolate Eggs at Trader Joe's for a limited time for $9.99.

Chocolate and caramel combine perfectly well and feature in all sorts of desserts and confections, from ice cream to turtles. But the combination is even better when there isn't anything else in the way of the passionately flavorful romance of these two culinary elements. Trader Joe's keeps things straightforward and quite elegant with these delicious squares of vanilla-scented caramel enrobed in rich dark chocolate. The caramel itself also contains just a tiny bit of savoriness to offset the sugar, and it has a pleasantly buttery finish that will make you want to reach for one (or three) more.

Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels are available at Trader Joe's for $5.49.

Sometimes you just need a little bit of sweetness to satisfy you, and a whole candy bar may be just too much; you don't want to take a bite and then keep the rest in your bag to save for later and risk it turning into an ant colony. If you see yourself in the above scenario, then head over to TJ's and get yourself a bag of these teensy little chocolate bars that are very similar to Snickers bars but oh-so small — each one is under a quarter of an ounce. Even better, as TJ's itself suggests, try using them to decorate other desserts; they're the perfect size to fit on top of (or inside) a cookie.

Teensy Candy Bars are available at Trader Joe's for $2.99.

You may be familiar with gummy bears, but have you ever wondered how they'd taste like dipped in chocolate. Maybe you're adventurous enough to have tried it out, but for the rest who'd never even fathom such an idea, Trader Joe's has your opportunity to give them a taste. The idea apparently came from Sweden and that's where these TJ's candies are imported from. So as not to compete with the chocolate, the bears all come in one sweet generic flavor, so you don't need to worry about sucking off the chocolate to find your favorite one or having to experience some more questionable flavor combos.

Milk Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears are available at Trader Joe's for $3.99.

Honeycomb is an old-timey treat that can be hard to find in the U.S., but if you travel across the Atlantic to the U.K., it's a popular candy bar made by the Cadbury company called Crunchie. You may have also seen these candies pop up on "The Great British Baking Show," and they consist of a mixture of sugar and honey into which baking soda is added, creating a foamy mixture and a web of air pockets resembling honeycomb, hence the name. TJ's version tastes just like the homemade stuff and has the added benefit of being bathed in chocolate, just like the Cadbury candy.

Milk Chocolate Covered Honeycomb Candy is available at Trader Joe's for $4.49.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are a perennial favorite candy, but not everyone may be fond of its flavors, even if they like the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. That's because the peanut butter filling has a unique texture, and the milk chocolate may be too sweet and grainy for some, which is typical of American-style chocolate. If you feel you've given up on this sweet treat, give Trader Joe's version a try before you completely abandon the whole idea. The peanut butter cream is soft and gooey, almost like it came from the jar, and the dark chocolate feels just a tad more grown-up.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are available at Trader Joe's for $5.99.