I grew up in a family-owned restaurant. Mom ran the day-to-day operations—the accounting, the cooking, and the cleaning—so she relished any rare opportunity to take a break from having to make something from scratch for us kids. While our lunches were evidence of Mom’s dedication—homemade sandwiches, fresh-cut fruit, and vegetables—she’d always tuck a packaged treat in there.
Those treats were a welcome detour for us too because it meant we got to eat something fun. As a mom myself now, I know how beloved these treats are by my kids, but having something that I can grab and pack once in a while is also something that I love.
That’s why I was thrilled to discover Trader Joe’s Chocolate Covered Wafer Cookies with Peanut Butter Filling. The combination of milk chocolate, airy wafers, and peanut butter layers reminds me of the Little Debbie Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars I’d occasionally get as a kid, bringing sweet, fleeting moments of nostalgia into my life.
My mom passed away unexpectedly when I was 22 weeks pregnant with my first child. I miss many things about her, but am eternally grateful that food memories are so lasting. As silly as it seems, eating these wafer cookies feels like getting a warm hug from her all over again.
Simply Recipes / Photo Illustration by Wanda Abraham / Retailers below
Why I Love TJ’s Chocolate Covered Wafer Cookie With Peanut Butter
This 99-cent cookie/chocolate bar hybrid is pretty much an elevated Nutty Buddy. Each bar contains layers of light, crispy wafer cookie enrobed in rich milk chocolate and sandwiched with a creamy peanut butter filling. It’s the quintessential peanut butter chocolate snack!
While the original Nutty Buddies were delicious, these feel like the adult version. They’ve become my sneaky evening snack when my kids are (finally) asleep, but I also love sharing them with my kids and telling them about their Nana.
For me, these nostalgic bars are an absolute must-buy for many reasons: the taste, the treat, and the memories of my mom. If you love this classic flavor duo, do yourself a favor and grab one on your next TJ’s run!
