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12 Trader Joe’s Items Worth Splurging on for Your New Year’s Eve Party

Ring in the new year with these tasty treats from Trader Joe’s that will go easy on your budget.

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Updated May 28, 2024
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Everyone has their favorite New Year’s Eve traditions, whether it’s watching the ball drop in Times Square, setting off fireworks with family and friends, or breaking out the champagne for a group toast.

But no matter how you celebrate, your end-of-year party won’t be complete without a full spread of food that can keep the party going all night long.

If you’re looking for delicious (but budget-friendly) appetizers to keep your crew well-fed until the clock strikes midnight, Trader Joe’s has more than a peck of perfect treats for you to try.

Add these Trader Joe’s items to your shopping list to ensure your party is a smashing success.

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Glazed Maple Donuts

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Trader Joe's glazed maple donuts

Price: $4.99 for a 6-count box

Trader Joe’s might have set aside its apple cider donuts for the season, but it’s added a delicious new flavor to its seasonal donut lineup.

For a limited time this winter, Trader Joe’s has glazed maple donuts — its famous glazed cake donuts with a touch of maple syrup.

Sure to please maple bar fans and glazed donut lovers alike, you’ll want to stock up on a few boxes of these for the midnight snackers at your party.

Boozy Macarons

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Martini drink and many macarons with box from Trader Joe's of Booze Macarons limited edition

Pricing: $5.49 for a 5.43-ounce box

Have boring macaron flavors knocked this French dessert lower on your list of favorites? Remember how great a macaron can taste with these French-imported boozy macarons.

One box includes macarons in three flavors: rum, brandy, and triple sec.

Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread

Price: $4.99 for 9 ounces

Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar Cheese is a long-time customer favorite. Now, the company has turned its signature cheese into a spreadable dip. Just in time for New Year’s parties that specialize in finger foods.

The cheddar cheese spread has the same sharp, creamy cheddar-and-Parmesan flavor of a block of Unexpected Cheddar Cheese, but the dip adds whey and salted butter to create a supremely snackable spread.

Rosemary Sfogliette Crackers

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Rosemary Sfogliette Crackers with bowl of red dipping sauce on the side

Price: $1.69 for a 6.35-ounce box

You’ll definitely need some crackers to accompany your Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread, and few things pair better with the heavenly umami taste of aged cheese than rosemary.

These Sfogliette crackers are crispy and light — not light enough to snap off when you’re grabbing some spread, but flaky enough to melt in your mouth.

Sparkling White Chardonnay Grape Juice

Courtesy of Costco two bottles of chardonnay trader joe's wine with many glasses and party decoration around

Price: $3.99 for 25.36 fluid ounces

Sparkling grape juice ensures the kids and non-drinkers at your party can participate in a New Year’s toast. But this new Trader Joe’s treat isn’t your average sparkling grape juice.

Just like a bottle of (alcoholic) Chardonnay, Trader Joe’s Sparkling Grape Juice is made with grapes from the Chardonnay region of France, taking the flavor to a new level.

Brownie Crisp Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Brownie Crisp Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches with box from trader joe's on the back

Price: $3.99 for a 4-count box

These grown-up ice cream sandwiches combine bitter coffee, sweet ice cream, and bittersweet chocolate for a delectable flavor palate.

For starters, Trader Joe’s coffee ice cream isn’t your basic vanilla ice cream with a few drops of coffee extract: instead, it uses precise amounts of coffee grounds, coffee syrup, and Colombian coffee extract to create a rich and real coffee flavor.

Add crisp brownies with dark chocolate chunks to the mix and you’ve got a snazzier adult-friendly version of one of your favorite childhood treats.

Fig & Olive Crisps

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Board with canape appetizers made with fig and cheese and fig & olive crisp crackers from Trader Joe's box in the back along with two sparkling glasses

Price: $3.00 for a 5.3-ounce box

As a good host, you know you should offer more than one type of cracker for your hungry guests to snack on.

You’ve already covered the savory rosemary component — next up, snag these uniquely flavorful crackers that merge sweet fig and salty olive.

Trader Joe’s Fig & Olive Crisps are a little sturdier and more bruschetta-esque than the delicate, melt-in-your-mouth Sfogliette crackers, so you’ll be adding a new texture to your charcuterie board as well as a new flavor.

O’ Nog Non-Dairy Oat Beverage

Courtesy of Trader Joe's O’ Nog Non-Dairy Oat Beverage box and glass of the beverage surrounded by letter shaped cookies and Christmas decor

Price: $2.99 per quart


Christmas may be over, but eggnog hits the spot on any winter night, New Year’s Eve included.

Before your favorite seasonal drink leaves the shelves for another nine months, snag a few pints of the Trader Joe’s cinnamony classic.

If you or your guests prefer a dairy alternative, a quart of the store’s O’Nog non-dairy oat beverage costs $1 less than the traditional eggnog without falling short on flavor.

Jingle Jangle

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Open box of Jingle Jangles chocolate covered pretzels with red napkin and pine leaves around it

Price: $9.99 for a 22.7-ounce tin

Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, and white chocolate are all perfectly good on their own.

But combined, they’re absolutely magical, especially when drizzled over pretzels, popcorn, Joe Joe’s cookies, and peanut butter cups.

The incredible confection we’ve just described is Trader Joe’s signature Jingle Jangle, a treat that appears briefly during the holidays before returning to hibernation mode for another 12 months.

A large Jingle Jangle tin is handful friendly, so during the party, just set one on either side of a board game to give your guests some simple snacking choices.

Decked Out Tree Cookies

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Open box of Decked Out Tree Cookies from Trader Joe's

Price: $3.49 for an 8-count box

No New Year’s Eve party is complete without a work of Christmas-themed art that doubles as a New Year’s goodie, right?

Trader Joe’s, at least, agrees, taking this traditional cookie far beyond basic sugar cookie status — not that there’s anything wrong with a basic sugar cookie, but why go home when you could go big?

Each Decked Out Tree sugar cookie is filled with chocolate creme, decked with icing, and topped with sprinkles in festive colors.

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Spicy Uncured Charcuterie Collection

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Spicy Uncured Charcuterie Collection

Price: $8.99 per 9 ounces

Want something savory to complement all the sweets on your list? Trader Joe’s pack of spicy uncured Coppa, Sopressa, and Capocolla can round out your perfect New Year’s charcuterie board.

The meats get their spicy sizzle from white, black, and red pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika, all of which go well with the more subtle notes of fig, olive, and rosemary you’ll get from your crackers.

Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s

Courtesy of Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s cookies and box from Trader Joe's

Price: $3.49 for 16 ounces

Cookies have shown up on our New Year’s Eve grocery list a few times already, but you simply can’t call your Trader Joe’s shopping done until you’ve picked up a pack (or two, or three…) of the best seasonal flavor of Joe-Joes.

With both peppermint flavoring and crushed peppermint, candy cane Joe-Joes are like mint Oreos with the flavor dialed up to the max.

It’s impossible to have too many boxes stashed around the house to get you through the product’s seasonal disappearance.

Bottom line

jetcityimage/Adobe trader joe's store

Lifelong Trader Joe’s shoppers are used to quality food at unbelievable prices, and these largely seasonal treats are no exception.

There’s no better way to bid 2022 (and its explosive inflation) goodbye than by offering your guests delicious, budget-friendly snacks that help set the perfect tone for the new year.

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Author Details

Michelle Smith

Michelle Smith has spent a decade writing for and about small businesses. She specializes in all things finance and has written for publications like G2 and SmallBizDaily. When she's not writing for work at her desk, you can usually find her writing for pleasure near large bodies of water.