This Very Special Trader Joe's Holiday Find Is Finally Back In Stock—It's My Favorite
My family loves it, and every Trader Joe's employee I talked to loves it, too.
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
There is nothing quite like a leisurely stroll through the aisles of Trader Joe’s during the holiday season. During a recent visit, I picked up some felt garland, my kids' favorite butter cookies, a few hot cocoa spoons for stocking stuffers, and our absolute favorite holiday treat, the almond kringle.
If you ever wonder whether or not something you pick up from Trader Joe’s is going to be tasty, just ask one of their friendly employees. On my most recent visit, the kringle was at the top of my list, but I was having trouble locating it.
Usually, it’s prominently displayed in the front of the store, but this time an enthusiastic employee directed me to it in the bread aisle, but not before declaring it was her favorite item in the store. High praise for a store chock full of holiday delights! Then, while I checked out, both my cashier and the gentleman packing my groceries oohed and aahed over the kringle, making sure it was packaged securely without the risk of getting squished.
Why I Love the Danish Kringle at Trader Joe's
Of course, their enthusiasm didn’t surprise me, but it was exciting nonetheless. I’ve been buying this treat for my family for years. Kringle is a Danish-American confection made from 36 layers of flaky pastry and filled with a super-sweet almond paste. It’s formed into a wreath-like shape, making it perfect for holiday entertaining. It’s topped with a simple glaze that I sometimes dress up with holiday sprinkles if I’m serving it to guests.
Simply Recipes / Molly Adams
O & H Bakery Danish Kringle at Trader Joe's
Price: $9.99 for 12 servings
Why I Love It: This delicious pastry is a special seasonal treat that my whole family looks forward to.
Tip: Warm the kringle up in the oven. It crisps up the pastry and makes the filling and glaze ooey gooey and delightful.
How I Serve the Famous Almond Kringle
In my extensive experience with this dessert, the kringle is best warmed slightly in the oven. It crisps up the pastry and makes the filling and glaze ooey gooey and delightful. Plus, when the glaze is warm, you can sprinkle it with chopped almonds or festive sprinkles to give it a more homemade look and feel.
The brand of kringle sold at Trader Joe’s is from O & H Danish Bakery based in Racine, Wisconsin, the kringle capital of the country. They’ve been scratch-making their kringles for over 70 years. O&H sells their famous kringles on their website for $24.49, plus flat-rate shipping of $9.99.
At Trader Joe’s, you can get the exact same kringle for the low price of $9.99, making it an amazing deal. The Kringle used to cost $7.99 in stores, but even with a two-dollar increase in price, buying it at your local TJ’s is still going to save you a significant amount of money.
The kringles take over three days to hand make, so it’s no surprise they cost a pretty penny. Once they pop up in stores, sometime around the second week of November, I like to buy several and store a few in the freezer.
I usually defrost one for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, and another for when we decorate our Christmas tree. It’s a tradition that makes me feel close to my Danish heritage. Plus, during the busy holiday baking season, I appreciate that it’s one less confection I have to make from scratch. This is your sign to pick a few up on your next trip to Trader Joe’s to make it a new holiday tradition in your family!
