Pumpkin Pie Mochi

Price: $3.49 for 6 pieces

Rating: 7/10

Pumpkin season at TJ’s is always one of my favorite times of the year. I usually make at least 3 trips to pick up roughly one of everything pumpkin related during the fall, and I made sure to grab a box of these when I saw them in the freezer section. I’ve had Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Ice Cream before, so I figured these had to be fairly similar. I didn’t try them side-by-side, so I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty sure the ice cream in these is the same as the regular TJ’s pumpkin ice cream. Unlike some of the other recent mochi ice creams they’ve had (Mango Mango Mochi and Coffee Mochi), these weren’t dairy free, and also didn’t have a special center. However, they were still great! Not quite as good as the Mango Mango Mochi from the summer, but still pretty good. The ice cream was super pumpkin-y with some hints of cinnamon and nutmeg thrown in. There were also some small chunks of graham cracker in it for the crust part of the “pie” flavor, but I thought these were a little strange just because of the texture. I’d have been just as happy without them. Still, they were pretty great for a frozen fall/winter flavor (I usually like warmer desserts over ice cream when it’s cold out). I’m not sure I’ll buy them again though, just because there are so many other yummy holiday desserts to eat over the season. Maybe next year, though.

Coffee Mochi with a Saucy Mocha Center

Price: $3.49 for 6 pieces

Rating: 5/10

After eating several boxes of Mango Mango Mochi over the summer, I was super psyched with I saw these Coffee Mochi in the Frequent Flyer. I went to the store about three times before I finally found them in stock. 

After waiting patiently for them to thaw a bit so the mochi wasn’t too hard I bit into one of these things with excitement, only to be super let down. I’d been expected a coffee ice cream type flavor, with a mix of coffee, milk, and sugar. Instead, it’s mostly just a strong coffee flavor. This might be great if you’re the type who likes your coffee pretty plain, but if you’re like me and you like your coffee loaded up with milk and sugar (like I do), you’ll probably find these to be very bitter. I also didn’t really like the mocha center that much. For me, it just added to the bitterness of it. Out of all the mochis I’ve tried at TJ’s I’d say this was the least impressive by a lot.

Mango Mango Mochi

Price: $3.49 for 6 pieces

Rating: 8/10

I remembered trying mochi a few years ago and being unimpressed by the chewy texture of it. It wasn’t mochi ice cream, just plain mochi, but I assumed if I didn’t like regular mochi I probably wouldn’t like mochi ice cream either. However, my on a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s over the summer, my boyfriend saw the mochi ice cream in the frozen section and picked some up. He convinced me to try it, so I figured I’d give it another shot, and I’m so glad I did! I’m now a mochi ice cream convert!

I’m actually lactose intolerant, so I usually have to eat lactaid pills with dairy, but these particular mochis are dairy free, which works great for me! Not only that, but they taste awesome. They’re packed with mango-y flavor, and I think there might actually be a few tiny pieces of mango I found in there. The extra mango center in these also adds to the flavor. There’s actually another mango mochi that Trader Joe’s sells, but I think these are better personally. TIP: I usually let them sit on the counter for 5 or so minutes to let the mochi wrapping soften a little bit.

Mini Ginger Pumpkin Ice Cream Mouthfuls

Price: $3.99 for 12

Rating: 9/10

I'm a huge fan of the spicy and sweet flavor combo, and these mini ice cream sandwiches do it well! The soft ginger cookies provide a strong spicy ginger flavor, and the pumpkin ice cream sandwiched between has a nice creamy sweetness to balance it out. I especially like that you're eating something cold that's got a hot flavor at the same time. I actually like these so much I have to stop myself from buying multiple boxes, because every time I buy a box it's gone in less than 24 hours. That's not so much because of their size (there's about 3 bites per sandwich), but more just because they're so good I can't stop eating them once I've started. Mine look a little sloppy here after they melted on a long subway ride, but usually they look much more like the nice photo.