I Tried the New Cult-Worthy Trader Joe’s Dessert—Here's What You Need to Know

It’s definitely not the freezer-aisle food I was expecting. It’s better.

Last week, something magical happened. Trader Joe's opened its gates and blessed the world with a dessert that turned our world upside down and made us feel blissfully eight years old again.

Enter, the frozen peanut butter blondie. The product's full name is a mouthful (in so many ways): Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Blondies with strawberry filling topped with a crispy peanut butter confection. Basically, if you married a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich to a crumb-topped blonde brownie, this would be their royal baby.

Upon first read of the instructions on the box, I was panicked to learn that TJ’s recommends you allow these treats to thaw at room temperature for an entire hour prior to eating. You can also thaw them in the fridge for four hours. Good news: I ate one anyway. It was fully frozen and still tasted like a sweet gift sent from the grocery store gods.

After an hour at room temperature, they were gooier—similar to a freshly-baked brownie—and packed with peanut butter flavor. Here, you get the best contrast between the soft inside and the crumbly topping. My final round of taste testing involved popping a blondie in the microwave and heating it at 30-second intervals. This time, the peanut butter and jelly filling got downright melty. I wasn’t able to eat it without getting my fingers into a sweet, sticky mess, so I scooped the warm brownie up with a fork and let it vanish into my mouth in one bite.

All three trials were winners in my book, so I’d match your style of serving to the “event” you’ll be indulging—you could tote an entire box of blondies straight from your freezer to the beach this summer, or serve them warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream when your friends come over (or when they don’t).

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Heads up: the blondies are itty-bitty (about two bites worth), and despite the fact that they’re mega sweet, it’s hard to stop snacking once you’ve started. “They definitely taste like peanut butter and jelly, but sweet like a dessert. They have a crispy crumb topping but the blondie itself is really soft. I regret trying them because now I want to eat them all!” said one reviewer on Reddit. Clearly the hardest challenge is to try and only eat one. We won’t judge if things get out of hand.

Each 9-ounce box includes a dozen blondies and retails for $4.99. To find if a Trader Joe's store is going to open near you, we have all their 2019 openings here.