Trader Joe's Peanut Butter and Jelly Greek Yogurt

This could get interesting

The Attraction

I have what some might say is an unusual amount of love towards peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so when I saw Trader Joe offer up a Greek yogurt version of it, it wasn't like it was even an option to not try it.

The Review:
I wasn't necessarily looking for a PB+J fix when I was roaming Trader Joe's this past week, but along with the normal groceries, I had to pick up this yogurt anomaly. Whoever thought of PB+J Greek yogurt? It sounds brilliant! We all already know of the standard blueberry flavored yogurt, so why not toss in some peanut butter flavor and make this into a party?! Ohh..this is going to be good!

I slowly peel back the foiled cover on the yogurt and see that this is not that different from most other yogurts. I prefer fruit on the bottom type of yogurts, so I was hoping this might be the same. As I start to stir, I see that the consistency is also par the course; a thick, creamy concoction. I do notice that my stirring is bringing up the smell of peanut butter and it smells good. I also notice that there isn't any fruit on the bottom....or anywhere in this yogurt! That's disappointing. It seemed like a no-brainer to me, but Trader Joe's chose not to include it in this product.

Unassuming, but what lies beneath?

I take a spoonful up to my mouth and have a taste. Yes, there certainly is a peanut butter-like flavor present, but it's a bit more reserved. It's nutty, but it tastes a bit more like sesame. That is probably because in a yogurt, it wouldn't make sense to add salt or a lot of it to really drive the PB flavor home as we are used to in typical peanut butter flavored snack (such as crackers, candy bars and peanut butter in a jar). OK, that makes sense, but the "jelly" component is also subtle. It's in there, but it's in the form of a juice or essence mixed in the yogurt.

I get how this product could have gone horribly wrong if it was made by a large corporate yogurt manufacturer; globs of pb mixed with a HFCS sweetener to emulate the jelly part. That sorta sounds good to the kid in me, but the adult in me knows that's not really the best way to go. With Trader Joe's, you know they aren't using stuff that has a half-life.

Oh, more of the same?

The Sweet:
Trader Joe's keeps it simple and as always minimizes any artificial ingredients.

The Bitter:
No berries? It would have seemed like the obvious thing to do with a pb+j yogurt.

Conclusion:
There's no mistaking this yogurt for the real thing. Maybe it's just me, but I've grown up with the idea that yogurt and fruit flavors go hand in hand. There was a lot of potential here by tossing in the pb curve along with the fruit flavor standard, but I think omitting fruit altogether was a mistake. Perhaps the result may have been too overwhelming in Trader Joe's opinion, but the final product was too underwhelming in mine.

Video of the Week 

"She's Always in My Hair"

What is left to be said about Prince's passing this week that hasn't already been said? I don't think there is, so I leave it to his music and his performances. With so many to choose from, it was hard to pinpoint just one. The most notable being the Super Bowl half-time performance and his incredible guitar solo during the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame induction. Instead I selected a performance of a favorite song of mine, "She's Always in My Hair".