Cocoa Filled Pinwheel Cookies

The picture of the cookie on the front of this box is so pretty – it is a big white and brown pinwheel made to look like a hot air balloon.  My eyes were attracted to it, but I must confess that I got nervous when I read the description: “Light and crisp cocoa and vanilla cookies (that part sounds great to me) filled with a cocoa cream”.  Ahhhh, the “cocoa cream” made me nervous.

·         Would it be gloppy??

·         Might it be runny?

·         Worse still, would it taste like NUTELLA (which I know I am “supposed” to like but think tastes disgusting)???

I was thinking all of these things when I showed the box to David, and he said we should get ‘em.  So, we popped them in our hand basket.

The box - isn't it pretty?

As we shopped, I asked a TJ’s employee named Paul if the rumor I had heard online about one of my favorite products being discontinued was true.  He researched it for me – more news on that in a later post.  But we got to talking to him, so I asked if he had tried these new cookies.   He said he had not, but suggested we open the box right then and there to test them out!! 

Did you know Trader Joe’s is known for that?  If there is ever a product that you are not sure if you want or not, just ASK.  They seriously will open it for you and let you TASTE IT in the store.  That way you know if you want to spend your hard-earned dollars on it or not!  And they don’t even make you feel like a mooch or a cheapskate for doing it, they open it happily so you can taste.

NEW cookies at Trader Joe's - gotta try 'em!

So anyway, Paul busted that box of Pinwheel cookies open for us and we each grabbed one.  Then we started sharing them with everyone around – employees and fellow shoppers alike.  I mean, if the box is OPEN we should all TRY THEM, right?

Here is my opinion:  as you might have guessed from my comments above, I was nervous about the FILLING of these cookies.  The outside sounded delightful, but the filling had so many ways it could go horribly wrong in my opinion.  I thought it might taste fakey, or be gooey and yucky.  But when I tasted it - I liked it!  it is a really good filling and is not messy at all.  It tastes yummy!!!  The filling is buttery without being runny.  I think this cookie would pair well with a cup of tea or coffee.  

Also, these are very, very pretty cookies.  If you were putting together a plate of cookies to bring to some event and you didn’t have time to bake (or if you were going to drop a little white lie and pretend like you baked, which I would not do, cuz you are gonna get caught…) …  Anyway, what I mean is, these pinwheels would look lovely laid out on a pretty plate!  I give them a 4.25.

Is that not an amazingly beautiful sight??
My black and white plates are perfect for displaying one of these suckers!

And here is what David thinks of these cookies:  “Very good.  Nice.  Very fragrant cookie.  Crunchy, but not too crunchy.  Buttery.  And on the inside the filling is like chocolate frosting, but a very nice chocolate frosting.  The cookie is on the dry side so I can imagine eating it with a cup of tea, but the filling is pleasantly buttery.  I give these cookies a 4.25.”

This is BEFORE he even tried them!  He was already excited.

One of the shoppers who took a cookie was a woman who came up to me to complain that she had, “Walked 2 miles to get brussels sprouts and you are out of them!”.  First, I clarified quickly that I did not work for Trader Joe’s, so she needn’t file her complaint with me.  Then I offered her a cookie, which she took and ate while sipping her little cup of TJ’s sample coffee.  She LOVED these pinwheel cookies!  I think they made her walk to the store worth it!  She went on about how delicious they are, and at one point leaned in and whispered to me, “These are better than sex!!”. 

Well there ya have it!!!  Better than sex!  (Note:  those were her words, not mine.  I do not think I would go that far for this particular cookie.  But to each his/her own.)

I asked if I could take her photo to put in this blog, but she declined.  She said she felt like a mess, having walked and had no make-up on and was wearing her glasses.  I understood, but asked for her name to be included here.  She hemmed and hawed, making it apparent to us that whatever name she was eventually going to blurt out would not be her actual name.  Then she explained, “I went to pharmacy school.  But IF I could sing, and IF I could dance, I would be on Broadway!!!  And if I was on Broadway, my stage name would be Peaches La BoomBoom” (the proclamation of her stage name came with an elegant Bob Fosse pose, of course!).   I didn’t ask for her official 0 – 5 point rating, but I think it is safe to say that Peaches would give these cookies a solid 5. 

Obviously, this is not the shopper who tasted cookies with us.  But doesn't this stock photo
of a burlesque dancer look like her name should be Peaches La BoomBoom???

All of the other shoppers and employees we shared them with liked them, too.  Granted, not as much as Peaches La BoomBoom, but still, they were a hit!

Final note – they are really reasonably priced, too.  The box is $1.79 and I think there are 9 cookies, making them only about .20 cents each. 

Price:  $1.79

Rating (average of scores from me, David, and our new friend Peaches La BoomBoom):  4.5