While our staffers appreciate biting into a nice, crisp apple out of the refrigerator, we also have a weakness for baked apple. There’s something about a piping hot, brown-sugar covered apple that we can’t resist. So Trader Joe’s Apple Blossoms seemed like a treat that was right up our alley.
Each box comes with two apple tarts, which are individually packaged. If you’re planning on making these tarts for yourself, this kind of packaging is ideal. Since there are 350 calories in a single tart, you probably won’t want to eat both of them in one sitting!
We, however, decided to conduct an experiment when we heated our apple blossoms. Although our first instinct is always to bake treats like this in the oven, Trader Joe’s claims that the blossoms were fully baked before they were frozen. Furthermore, heating a tart in the microwave takes just 60 seconds, while the oven method takes 15 to 20 minutes. We decided to cook these tarts both ways to see how they compared.
The tart that was microwaved is on left, while the oven-heated blossom is on the right. As you can see, both pastries have the same golden-brown color you’d normally get from oven cooking. The microwaved tart also held together pretty well as it cooked.
There are some taste differences between the two tarts. The tart we cooked in the oven was evenly cooked, while parts of the microwaved tart were too hot or too cold. The Goldilocks oven-baked tart was a little crispier, while the microwaved tart was on the chewier side. Still, these tarts are pretty close in flavor. If you’re in a hurry, you can microwave these pastries with no regrets.
In the taste department, these blossoms are a huge success. The pastry crust is buttery and flaky, and the apples are are the perfect blend of tartness and sweetness. There’s a hint of crunch to the brown sugar chunks, which we absolutely loved. While these are delicious on their own, we think they would taste amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Trader Joe’s Apple Blossoms are a pretty impressive frozen dessert. Whether you choose to heat these in the microwave or warm them in the oven, you’ll wind up with a fruity and delicious treat. If you’re craving apple pie, or some other type of baked apple goodie, you should definitely give these pastries a try!
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instruction for these Trader Joe’s frozen apple treats, check out our package scans below.
