Trader Joe's Snack Doppelgängers?

December 15, 2017 10:15 AM

I loved these Trader Joe's fruit + nut discs, but they're no longer in stock. Many Trader Joe's products have real world doppelgängers; is there anything else like this on the market here in the States? I'm not looking for strips of fruit leather (my hands always get so sticky!). These little discs were perfectly portable and convenient!
posted by redsparkler to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

They look a bit like Cotlets, which are made with powdered sugar.
posted by brujita at 10:25 AM on December 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: not an exact match but maybe try (mini) lara bars? they are basically juts pressed dates/almonds/other things.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 10:29 AM on December 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

Agree on the Cotlets.
posted by goggie at 10:42 AM on December 15, 2017

Best answer: That's It fruit bars are what I turn to for "fruit leather but not sticky." They don't have any nuts though. The blueberry apple is my favorite.

Seconding mini-Lara bars for fruit nut combos--that's all that is in them.

Kind also makes fruit bars with chia seeds. Some are delicious like this one. Again, no nuts though.
posted by purple_bird at 10:45 AM on December 15, 2017 [1 favorite]

(Also they may look like cotlets, but cotlets are essentially candy--they're made with sugar and pectin in addition to fruit. It looks like the Trader Joe's discs are made only from fruit and nuts with no added ingredients. Now I want cotlets!)
posted by purple_bird at 10:48 AM on December 15, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Are you sure they’re gone from Trader Joe’s for good? I first saw them at my New Jersey TJs something like a year ago, in the special promotions section, and they were sold out entirely by my next visit, but they reappeared in the past month or so in the regular fruit/nut snack aisle. Maybe they’ll be gone again the next time I’m in, but, it seems like someone noticed how popular they were after that first test run and brought them back.
posted by oh yeah! at 10:58 AM on December 15, 2017

Kind makes several fruit and nut bars. They've got more nuts than the TJs discs though.
posted by elsietheeel at 11:17 AM on December 15, 2017

TJ's has a similar product for the holiday season, packed in a wooden tray-like box. I think they call them Fruitsies or Funsies or something. They look like Applets and Cotlets; you can see them through the wrapping,
posted by jgirl at 11:30 AM on December 15, 2017

I love Keep Healthy date bars. Some of them are literally two ingredients - just nuts and dates, nothing else. The date pecan is especially good.
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:46 AM on December 15, 2017

It just popped into my head that these Figgy Pops might be in the ballpark too. They are pretty tasty. I recommend the mango one in particular. Available at Costco among other spots.
posted by goggie at 1:11 PM on December 15, 2017

Came in also to say Larabar. Their products have cutesy names like banana bread, but as you can see, the only three ingedients in the bar is bananas, dates, and almonds. The apple pie one is my favorite.
posted by FirstMateKate at 1:18 PM on December 15, 2017

I don't know what the TJ's product is, and the link isn't working for me at work, but based on other people's suggestions, I want to recommend R Bars. The peanut butter and jelly ones are amazing! (And only three ingredients!)
posted by Weeping_angel at 1:50 PM on December 15, 2017

Ok, on location from Trader Joe’s; They are “Fruit Fancies” — apricot, fig and cherry paste rolled in sesame seeds or coconut and topped with walnut or almond.

The are 5.99 for 20 pieces.
posted by jgirl at 1:58 PM on December 15, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I should have been more clear about the specific appeal of the fruit discs, but there are definitely some answers that are closer to the mark: I'm hoping for some small single serving energy boosts that are easily portable. It looks like the original discs are about 80 calories each, as far as size goes.

So far, the mini Luna Bars sound like they might be the closest fit, especially with their limited ingredients.
posted by redsparkler at 4:20 PM on December 15, 2017

Best answer: I just bought these at my Trader joe’s yesterday - they’re in the dried fruit area. Maybe try asking your local TJs when they’ll be in stock again?
posted by umwhat at 5:53 PM on December 15, 2017

Response by poster: I can't believe I waited this long to post this question, only for the product to have magically arrived back on store shelves! So ridiculous!

However, Trader Joe's does only make a couple flavors, so I might keep those mini Luna Bars in mind for when I want to mix things up again.
posted by redsparkler at 12:15 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

(quick note to help you avoid any disappointment -- 'Luna bars' and 'Lara bars' are different beasts. Lara bars are the ones you want. Luna bars typically have a chocolate or candy coating / drizzle and contain soy crisps and oats and other ingredients; Lara bars are just dates and other fruits and nuts.)
posted by halation at 1:09 PM on December 17, 2017 [2 favorites]

Yep, Larabars are very close. Luna bars are disgusting.

I'm sad! I loved the TJ apricot/almond little discs.
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:43 AM on December 18, 2017

Response by poster: Fiercecupcake, I totally found the fruit and nut discs at my Trader Joe's last week! I know I'd checked the shelf for them before, but it looks like they're finally back.
posted by redsparkler at 2:19 PM on December 18, 2017 [1 favorite]