I had resisted blogging about this crisis thinking maybe it would pass and resolve on it’s. But it hasn’t.
Trader Joe’s is TOS (temporarily out of stock) on Speculoos Cookie Butter Spread in my area.
I first discovered this calamity last week on my first grocery shopping trip home after being in Aruba for a month.
Local San Diego store employees told me at that time that this is not a seasonal item and that it’s something they do plan to carry but that they were simply out. Thy thought they would be getting some, “soon”.
Today that changed into what they call TOS. Temporarily Out of Stock, meaning their warehouses cannot get it. Being that Trader Joe’s stores are regionally served, it’s possible that Northern California stores have it or stores in Minneapolis or New Jersey have it, but that’s not going to do me any good today.
Good thing I have a backup jar of it.
And a jar of Dutch cookie butter spread
And my grocery store sells Biscoff spread or you can order Biscoff so it’s not like me and cookie butter are broken up long term, but TJ’s being out of stock with it does put a monkey wrench into a few baking plans I had.
I need to make more no-bake cookies for one thing. The cookies that were made using crushed cookies + cookie butter, because I like cookies with my cookies.
Good thing TJ’s wasn’t out of chocolate today.
I depleted my stash of Baker’s Chocolate yesterday during my baking project and figured I’d try TJ’s chocolate.
I asked the woman who was doing the free sample demo (and I know she can cook because I’ve chatted with her previously) what the chocolate is like and she said very comparable to semi-sweet Baker’s, but smoother and creamier. Sounds like a win to me and at a fraction of the price, ounce for ounce, even better.
I packed up my loot and headed to my car. Gotta love January where it’s almost dark by 5pm. Not.
But I can’t complain because it’s been beautiful in San Diego since we’ve been back from Aruba.
All this nice weather makes me want a Cookie Butter Banana White Chocolate Smoothie
Except now I will be rationing out my cookie butter or using peanut butter in it’s place.
Have you tried Cookie Butter Spread or Biscoff Spread? If you have a TJ’s in your area, is it out of stock at your local store?
Have you experienced any “out of stock” items lately? Or any “discontinued items” you wish you could still find?
Trader Joe’s discontinues things all the time. They stop carrying things that are not popular to make room for new products they hope will be more popular which is how they can keep their prices low, according to articles I’ve read.
Peanut flour was one item they stopped carrying that I know had many bloggers hoarding ground peanuts like it was the Great Depression.
I blogged here about everything from my favorite Balance Bar that I ate almost every day when I was pregnant but is no longer produced to seasonal Victoria’s Secret body sprays I wish were permanent fixtures. Just about the time you fall in love with a product (hair, makeup, and beauty products especially), they stop being made.
Now go hoard some cookie butter spread if you can find it.
I’ve baked with the TJ dark chocolate and it’s amazing!!! I made peppermint and almond joy bark for Xmas with it as everyone raved! And it’s good alone:).
you bake with it? and it’s amazing? AWESOME INFO! Thank you for telling me that! Because AFTER you dump it in a bowl with eggs, sugar, butter…the LAST thing you want is for your chocolate to be just so-so and you don’t know that til it’s too late. Thanks for the info!
I haven’t seen any of that spread in the Ohio TJs the past couple of trips. I tried it off of your recommendation and now am sharing in your disappointment.
I guess it is good for the new year’s resolution to eat less sweets.
Really enjoy your blog, thanks!!
Thanks for reading and writing to tell me about the cookie butter in Ohio. And yeah, nothing like a “forced” New Yrs resolution :)
I got pretty upset when my grocery store back when I lives in St. Louis stopped carrying a certain type of mini soy ice cream sandwich which claimed to be really low-cal. Turned out to be sort of a blessing in disguise though-I was seriously addicted to them and could go through a box or two in one night-not a very healthy dinner….and I think all that soy was making me bloat-y too, haha.
that reminds me of the “fat free craze” of the 90s. There was a line of food called Snackwells in a green box and I could eat half a box of anything at a sitting. So yes it was fat free but not sugarfree or calorie free. And all that sugar and gluten in that weirdly refined form, as I look back, was NOT good for me.
Oh man, I think Snackwells still exist, don’t they?
Yeah, it’s fine to overdo it on delicious desserts from time to time, but I’d so much rather eat real stuff that satisfies my cravings rather than a ton of “health” food that is mediocre.
They probably do exist but I’ve outgrown those green boxes. Unless it’s a Thin Mints box :)
No TJs anywhere near me :( I would be interested in tasting them side by side though. Whenever I buy Biscoff I always buy 2. I’m a hoarder that way. Lol!
I’m a hoarder too with certain things…why buy 1 bag when 3 would be better :)
The Tjs is a little thicker than the Biscoff and a little more powerful or more intensely ginger/molasses..but not much. They are very, very similar.
The Fitnessista developed a recipe for cookie butter since she also liked the Trader Joe’s brand. I haven’t tried it, but she liked it do much she gave it away as a Christmas gift! Hope it helps!
https://fitnessista.com/2011/12/nut-butter-envy/
happy new year 2012 averie! i’ve never tried this cookie butter before, looks great ~ i’ll have to try and pick this up the next time i’m at tj’s! ;)
xx, k
Want to know something… I’ve never had Cookie Butter. I know I know, I’m way behind in that trend :/. I must jump on it! But I live in San Diego too and now I’m worried that I’ve already missed out! Hopefully I can try it soon :)
your comment went into my spam but I fished it out :) and we’re both San Diego ladies…love that and your instagram feed, too! :)
TJ’s sells out of their Candy Cane Tea every holiday season. Luckily, I stocked up this year, but it is a total bummer!!!
well some stuff is seasonally-available, i.e.white choc chips in my store (have heard in southern stores in the U.S. they are available year round) or like some of their holiday cookies and it does come back the next year…but that’s a bummer if they sell out of it prematurely. Glad you’re stocked up!
I used to order speculoos spread from overseas before they had something called Biscoff spread. :) this was before blogging, and I still use speculoos but don’t usually publish those recipes.
as far as Trader Joes and their “discontinuing” practice – I don’t generally buy into conspiracy theory, but… ;) I think they KNOW the hype of the blogger world. they have to, right? we are all puppets in their grand scheme. they discontinue things that are SO popular, why?
and BRRR… the temps have gone up in San Diego! we were in Mexico for a month, and the one night we spent in San Diego on our way home was WOW, so cold! I had to dig out my one and only sweater I brought, wearing it for the first time the whole month! :D I think we were just too used to Mexico sun.
the only thing I wish I could still find – a very specific SHOE that Anthropologie used to sell! Jason even has it on his eBay search… it was one that at the time I swore I would never spend that much on, but… here I am years later still thinking about that stinkin shoe! ;) shoulda bought the dang thing!
I hope you get your shoes! And even though we’d like to think we’re influential in terms of purchasing/buying decisions for big companies, I think blogs and blog readers DO influence things; to what degree or to what powers that be really care..who knows. If they only knew how much money they could make if they tapped into blogs and social media more!
Oh good God, they better have it around here. My TJ’s is about 35 minutes away so if I go there and they don’t have it, I might cry. Seriously.
LMK if they have it or not. Will be interesting to see…
Happy New Year!
I haven’t tried Biscoff or any cookie butter yet, but I’ve looked at my Trader Joes a few times and they haven’t had any (I also live in Southern CA).
As for out of stock or discontinued items, I have bad luck with face wash. My old favorite was discontinued about a year ago, and my current favorite is out of stock about half the time I need to repurchase.
Face wash is classic for being discontinued. My Lancome has gone thru three different names in the decade Ive been using it and Ive thought it was a goner each time I couldnt find it. And it’s also frequently discontinued. I’ve been using the TJs face wash and it’s fine…but it’s not Lancome (which is like $40 vs $5 bucks…so yeah you get what you pay for on that one)
TJ’s discontinued rice noodles! My hubby and I make pad thai at home all the time and were making special trips down to the states to pick them up because they were sooo cheap but then they stopped! So frustrating.
Anyway, happy new year to you! Looking forward to your posts and all the best in 2012.
Oh that sucks about the rice noodles! I hope you find something similar!
My sister introduced me to Biscoff a few months ago and I do have to admit, it’s freaking delicious.
I had grand plans for post-New Years cooking today, but early this morning, the gas in my building was shut off because of a leak. The company’s not coming to work on it until tomorrow! Could be worse, though—if nothing else, college taught me how to get by with just a microwave.
I discovered that my local Big Lots store has a version of the speculoos spread, from Belgium. If I remember correctly, it’s about $3 per bottle.
Haha!! Hopefully you can hook it up via IV drip once it’s back in stock. ;)
I need to mainline it, no doubt. And while we’re at it, could we get a girls wine and cheese (or whine and cheese) party going, too? We HAVE to meet in 2012 :)
Man! That always happens to me that I fall in love with a product and then it disappears…….
And man, your weather makes me jealous! It is a whopping 19* here right now!
stay warm!