Key facts
- A former professional baker shares favorite Trader Joe's desserts and baking ingredients.
- Recommended premade treats include mini sheet cakes and chocolate croissants.
- Favorite baking staples include lemon curd, cultured salted butter, baking powder, and bourbon vanilla-bean paste.
- The baker highlights Trader Joe's brownie truffle baking mix and sliced French brioche bread.
- The baker suggests using Trader Joe's organic brown sugar for enhanced flavor in baked goods.
A former professional baker with six years of experience in New York City shares her favorite sweet treats and baking staples available at Trader Joe's. Justine Lee, who continues to bake in her home kitchen, highlights both premade desserts and essential ingredients for home baking. Among her favorite premade items are the store's mini sheet cakes and chocolate croissants, which she finds taste exceptionally good. For baking from scratch, she recommends Trader Joe's authentic imported English lemon curd for its rich flavor, suitable for cakes or as a topping. She also praises the Trader Joe's cultured salted butter, made in Brittany, France, for its creaminess and affordability, noting that its higher butterfat content rivals more expensive European options. Lee advises reducing added salt when using this butter in baking due to its saltiness. For entertaining, she suggests the New York deli-style cheesecake from the frozen section, which thaws quickly and is pre-portioned. Lee's favorite boxed brownie mix is the Trader Joe's brownie truffle baking mix, made with Dutch cocoa for an ultra-chocolatey and fudgy result. She also loves Trader Joe's sliced French brioche bread for making French toast, describing it as eggy, soft, and slightly sweet. Essential baking staples include Trader Joe's double-acting baking powder and bourbon vanilla-bean paste, which she prefers over extract for its stronger flavor. She also recommends Trader Joe's organic brown sugar for adding a rich, molasses-forward sweetness and caramel flavor to baked goods like cookies and coffee cakes. The baker notes that Trader Joe's also offers seasonal flavors for its mini sheet cakes.