Every year, in France’s Provence, locals celebrate the Holidays with the traditional “12 desserts,” a selection of dried fruits, nuts, fresh fruit, cakes and sweet little nothings, an age-long Christian tradition (the 12 desserts symbolizing Jesus’s apostles.) These desserts are best enjoyed during le Réveillon de Noël, (Christmas Eve,) at the end of a copious dinner. This weekend, if you can’t be in France, you can still plan your own version of les 12 desserts, (or 8, or 10,) with minimal preparation, thanks to Trader Joe’s French desserts. Trader Joe’s, in case you have lived under a rock and have never shopped there, is the French expat’s best friend in the US. Are you ready? Mesdames et Messieurs, chers gourmands et gourmets, I give you: Trader Joe’s exclusive farandole des desserts.
Trader Joe’s French Desserts: Les Macarons.
You may find them too soft, too crunchy, too sweet. “Pierre Hermé does them better,” (as do many neighborhood boulangeries in France without the Hermé price tag, by the way.) They come in many flavors (“variés.”) They are bite-size, and therefore guilt-free. I enjoy any of them, as long as they are not pumpkin-flavored. This French Girl may have become americanized over the years, but let’s not push it. Pumpkin, as far as I am concerned, is best left out of desserts, soap, or coffee beverages.
Even if I am not a fan of macarons, (shocking, I know,) I take a bite and am instantly transported back to those sunny Bordeaux afternoons when I sampled local specialties in my rental apartment in the spring.
Trader Joe’s French desserts: Les Canelés
Didn’t I just mention Bordeaux? This is where these wonderful little treats come from. Ah, the soft interior, the vanilla flavor, the caramelized crust… Once again, Trader Joe’s gets it right. Take the box out of the freezer. Take the Canelés out of the box. Let them sit on a plate for about 20 minutes. Enjoy.
They are pretty and delicious enough to serve to your guests for dessert, or to the book club ladies in the afternoon. A single bite is a one-way ticket to la Belle France.
Trader Joe’s French desserts: Les éclairs
Need I introduce these custard-filled wonders? So many “French” bakeries in the US get them wrong, falling short in the filling department where strange mixtures, reminiscent of whipped cream, replace the traditional crème pâtissière (pastry cream.) Yet Trader Joe’s (or should I say “Trader Jacques?”) delivers.
Trader Joe’s French desserts: Les {mini} crêpes
it isn’t a French dessert party without crêpes. Trader Joe’s knows that, and saves you one step: Theirs come pre-filled with chocolate. How bad can they be?
Verdict: They are different, They are good. Truly.

Trader Joe’s French desserts: La tarte aux fruits
Dear Trader Joe’s: You broke my little French heart when you retired the amazing pear tart you offered several years ago. It was almost as good as la tarte aux poires I used to buy at my local boulangerie when I lived in Paris. I enjoy your current selection, la tarte aux fruits rouges. It’s so pretty, and so lively! You would not believe how often I have spotted it at my friends’ homes over the last few years! I always keep one in the freezer. Thank you for rescuing this busy working girl, averse to baking, when she needs to bring dessert to a party!
Trader Joe’s French dessert: Les viennoiseries
“Quoi? It isn’t breakfast, you know. Croissants or chocolatines pains au chocolat for dessert? Pourquoi?” Answer: Because I can, that’s why! Miam!
Look at this photo and tell me: Are you going to stick with les traditionalistes and pass, or join French Girl in Seattle as she takes a bite?
I thought so.
Trader Joe’s French desserts: Les bonbons
Not everyone has a huge appetite. After all, you may want to pace yourself if you are going to try and enjoy 12 desserts. Here’s one that can be handled swiftly and painlessly. Watch out! Like another sweet French icon, les Carambars, these soft and gooey silent attackers have destroyed more tooth fillings than you know. You have been warned.
Trader Joe’s French desserts: le pain au lait
Here’s another classic, and a favorite of young French school children’s on their way home. Take a pain au lait, slice open lengthwise. Introduce chocolate bar or lather spoonfuls of chocolate spread. Enjoy.
Trader Joe’s favorite French desserts: Do-it-Yourself (la Pâte feuilletée)
I added this one to the list for two reasons: This rich, butter flavored puff pastry is only available during the Holidays, and you should stock up while you can. In addition, my ears have been buzzing since I started writing this article, with the sound of comments along the lines of: “This is sooooo easy to make!” “Why would you buy this when you can make your own?” “Homemade ones are sooooo much better!” — To all of you Julia Child heirs, I reply: “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I will still stick with Trader Joe’s French desserts. If you want to slave away, be my guests. Here’s just the product for you. Bonne chance! I will be over there on the couch, sipping Nespresso and nibbling Trader Joe’s canelés.”
I think we got ourselves a party. All we need is drinks. Trader Joe’s to the rescue, once again. It is the Holiday season. We need some bubbles, French ones, if possible. Here are my two favorite options. Choose your French region: Champagne ou Bretagne?
Bon appétit et à bientôt!
Read more about Trader Joe’s on French Girl in Seattle here.
A Message from Véronique:
The French Girl in Seattle blog is turning 7 this year, and to celebrate in style, it will be getting a make-over in 2018. Thank you for following my adventures, and for joining the conversation. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below. There will be more good stories coming your way next year. Sign up for La Mailing List on this page, so you don’t miss a single one. I hope to meet you here again soon, and wish you all a happy Holiday season, wherever you may be.
Joyeux Noël et bonnes fêtes!
All photos, unless otherwise noted, by French Girl in Seattle.
Please do not use text or photos without permission.
29 Comments
Joyeux Noël, Véronique! Best of the season and may the new year be all you hope for.
Glad you are finding tastes of home in Seattle. The thing I wish I could get in France is good Mexican corn tortillas. Everything else I can make from scratch, but the industrial corn tortillas on offer at the supermarket are a pale ghost of what you find at a real tortilleria.
Bonnes fêtes et, surtout, bonne santé!
Merry Merry CHRISTMAS ! Véronique
Don’t disappear.
Never! Joyeux Noël, Rémy!
We have a Trader Joe’s just down the street, so I have tried almost all of these wonderful treats. We always get a tin of their Sipping Chocolate . We sip it by the fireplace and pretend we are in Paris! Have a wonderful Holiday Season, and can’t wait to see what is n store for us in 2018!
Tray Joe’s is the greatest!!! Tee hee—Bonaparte feels the same way about cannelés that you do macaron! I’m makeup by Meringue mushrooms to dit on the Bûche de Noël and I’ve made the puffs for profiteroles. I’ll hav this take a drive down ti get the frozen croissants ! Joyeux Noel to yo Véronique and all the best for 2018!!!
Merci Catherine. Joyeux Noël to you, Bonaparte, and your family. I will keep following your adventures in 2018. Blog on!
Ah la tarte à la poire… I miss it too.
Bonnes fêtes!
Happy Holidays!
That’s it! I’m writing Trader Jacque to come set up shop in my dusty southwest town inNew Mexico. We have a Target and Chipotle…why not? Merci! They just need one next to chipotles and I’m set! Lol
How fun and delicious! 😀
Always impressed with Trader Joe’s and make it a point to stop in when I’m back in the US!! Merry Christmas to you and yours. 😉
I always go there to get this stuff, read the ingredients and the salt, sugar and fat content snd walk out empty handed. Does anyone else have this problem?
I don’t. Everything in moderation. You only live once. Joyeux Noël!
Awesome post,Véronique…very helpful! Trader Joe’s is less than a few minutes drive away from home…I’ll be right back! 🙂
Merry Christmas!
Merci bien, Veronique! (Sorry, can’t find the accent key…) Merry Christmas to you, and may you have a wonderful 2018.
Love this article. The tips are well taken. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but may try one or two. Thanks much for sharing. Love the desert lesson.
Thanks for the tips on Trader Joe’s desserts! I had no idea they make caneles, I have never tried them and will see if I can find them at my TJs. Have a very Merry Christmas!
We have a Trader Joe’s, a little inconvient for me, but you have convinced me! What better time than les fêtes to try some delicious new treats?
Exactement. Joyeux Noël, Susan!
And now I have a matching berry tart in my freezer for Christmas! (and many other wonderful things) Joyeux Noël à vous aussi !
But they stopped making the glorious kouign-amann! ????
Probably because nobody could pronounce it. Ha! Ha! Ha! – Joyeux Noël!
Great article… We have bought many of TJ’s pastries for our Alliance Française board meetings in Atlanta, Georgia. They are fabulous and taste homemade – well almost!
I will have to try the cannelés next time.
Trader Joe’s: saving the Alliance Française, one at a time!
We enjoyed the tartes aux fruits. Ingredients lists don’t lie so I was really impressed to see raspberries listed as the first ingredient! The tart was chock full of berries, including redcurrents which I love but can’t seem to find this side of the Atlantic (except dried)… blame it on a marvelous dessert I once had at the cafe in the garden at Versailles… anyway, the tart also has real butter and real sugar, no fake ingredients! Thank you for providing me the excuse to trek on over to Trader Jacques. My teenage daughters has a blast. They loved the pain au lait – sweet like the Hawaiian rolls they like, but I have to give a shout out to the Pain Pauline. Certainly a play on Pain Poilâne, and it does a respectable job – hearty whole wheat and sour like you’d expect from San Francisco. Now if Trader Jacques could import some amazing French yogurt in 2018… *sigh*
Great to hear. Thank you for reporting back!
enjoy your postings very much!
Merci beaucoup Carol! I hope you have signed up for our mailing list. There is a new story headed your way next week!