The Reason Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Taste So Good

The secret's in the premium ingredients

Move over, Reese's — Trader Joe's peanut butter cups are in a league of their own. The store's version of this beloved treat, particularly the dark chocolate option, made its debut in August 2010 and has since become a favorite among candy lovers. In a Reddit discussion about these delights, one user remarked, "The complexity of flavors, the satisfying snap combined with the rich peanut butter, and the subtle salty and bitter undertones... These are not just candies; they are a masterful creation of deliciousness." If the fact that customers have consistently voted this product as one of the chain's top offerings for several years isn't enough to convince you of its value, the quality of the ingredients certainly should be.

While the cups feature peanut butter and chocolate, Trader Joe's attributes their exceptional taste to the use of high-quality ingredients and the exclusion of undesirable additives. According to the product page for Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, they are crafted with peanut butter made from slow-roasted Virginia peanuts and rich dark chocolate sourced from premium cacao beans. Moreover, these treats are free from "extraneous" ingredients like artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors. Aside from standard emulsifiers, salt, sugar, lactose, and palm oil, they contain nothing else. In contrast to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which include tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) — a synthetic food preservative with a somewhat contentious reputation — along with other additives and artificial sweeteners, Trader Joe's recipe truly stands out.

Peanut butter and chocolate: A popular pairing for Trader Joe's products

Peanut butter and chocolate create a divine flavor combination, and Trader Joe's certainly recognizes this with their product offerings. While the dark chocolate peanut butter cups are the favored choice (especially when enjoyed frozen), they also offer a milk chocolate version. Some Reddit users find this alternative to be overly sweet, but those who find dark chocolate too intense may prefer the sweeter option. For a more balanced taste, they also come in a mini size, providing a better ratio of milk chocolate to peanut butter. (Unfortunately, there have been discussions on Reddit and other online platforms expressing concerns that these may be discontinued.)

For those with peanut allergies or who choose to avoid peanut butter for other reasons, Trader Joe's offers dark chocolate sunflower seed cups as a substitute.

If you're looking to diversify your peanut butter and chocolate candy collection beyond just cups, Trader Joe's has a wide array of similarly flavored treats, including chocolate and peanut butter crème cookies and crispy chocolate-covered peanuts filled with peanut butter. One of the most exciting products is their take on peanut M&Ms. Like the peanut butter cups, these candies are free from artificial colors, instead using natural ingredients like beetroot, turmeric, and spirulina for their vibrant hues. Trader Joe's dedication to high-quality ingredients is undoubtedly a winning formula for creating delicious candy.