Recently I made a big Trader Joe’s Autumn/Halloween themed haul.
Some of the “new to me” items were winners! Some were losers. A few were “meh.”
Trader Joe’s Candy Corn Popcorn was one of the winners!
I have to say, I was surprised – because I DO NOT like candy corn! To me, the only use for candy corn is to stuff some inside your lips to make “vampire fangs” and “werewolf teeth.”
Here’s What Trader Joe’s Says About This Snack:
“Here’s the trick to this Halloween treat. We start with freshly popped, fluffy kernels of popcorn, give them a spirited sprinkling of salt,and then coat them in a sweet and crunchy candy shell. What materializes is a snack that so uncannily evokes the classic flavors of candy corn, that it’s almost … spooky.
ALMOST.“
Here’s What I Liked:
It didn’t taste like candy corn – it tasted like caramel corn. Maybe a tad bit sweeter; maybe a touch more buttery. (Don’t worry, readers – this sweet snack is vegan!) If you don’t like candy corn but do like caramel corn, or the sweet-and-salty flavor of kettle corn, you will like this!
The coating isn’t waxy. Candy corn has that weird, waxy texture, so I was afraid the coating on this popcorn might be waxy, too. It wasn’t.
It’s beautiful. Once again, Trader Joe’s comes through with presentation. The kernels are mostly orange or yellow, with a few white ones. Autumn / Halloween colors and – yes – the colors of candy corn!
You could buy a few bags of these, place out in bowls, pop a big bowl or two of “regular” popcorn, and have yourself quite the festive Spooky Movie Night.
Or, a few bowls of this, some of TJ’s Autumn Leaf tortilla chips and salsa (maybe the GHOST pepper one?), some Ghosts and Bats potato crisps with one of TJ’s hummus selections, some organic wine, and BAM! – there’s your Halloween party right there!
Or, you could do as I did and just eat it right out of the bag, watching Netflix with the air conditioner cranked up, and trick yourself into believing it’s actually Autumn.
Mostly whole kernels, not a lot of broken crumbs. I gotta give credit where credit is due, and Trader Joe’s really does a phenomenal job with packing, shipping, unloading, etc. So many of their cute seasonal items would lose a lot of value if they were broken and crushed.
Natural Colors. TJ’s likes to make their stuff pretty, and I’m glad they do it without chemical food dyes (made from petroleum) such as Blue No. 1, Yellow No. 5, or Green No. 3. (Green No. 3 is approved for use in America by the FDA but banned in Europe.) TJ’s also avoids carmine, made from drying, crushing, and boiling the bodies of beetles – also known as cochineal, cochineal extract, crimson lake or carmine lake, natural red 4, C.I. 75470, or E120.
Instead, Trader Joe’s gets their food coloring for this popcorn from beet juice powder, annatto extract, and turmeric extract. Now, doesn’t that sound more appetizing than petroleum products and beetle juice? (Dare you to say beetle juice three times!)
Price Point. $1.99 per bag.
Nutritional Value:
Pretty much zero, but hey, this is a snack food. This shouldn’t be your breakfast or dinner. At least not more than once or twice.
Servings per container about 5 | Serving size 3/4 cup (30g) | Amount per serving: Calories 140
Total Fat 5g (6% DV), Saturated Fat 3.5g (18% DV), Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg (0% DV), Sodium 100mg (4% DV), Total Carbohydrate 24g (9% DV), Dietary Fiber less than 1g (3% DV), Total Sugars 17g—Includes 17g Added Sugars (34% DV), Protein less than 1g, Vitamin D 0mcg (0% DV), Calcium 0mg (0% DV), Iron 0.2mg (2% DV), Potassium 20mg (0% DV).
Ingredients:
SUGAR, POPCORN, TAPIOCA SYRUP (TAPIOCA STARCH, WATER), COCONUT OIL, HIGH-OLEIC SUNFLOWER OIL, SALT, NATURAL FLAVORS, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, FOR COLOR (BEET JUICE POWDER, ANNATTO EXTRACT, TURMERIC EXTRACT).
VegCharlotte 
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