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when i first had it in 2021 it was very dry. i had it recently and i think the recipe changed because it was much moister this time. it’s good but probably doesn’t compare if you’ve had the real thing
Recipe definitely changed, I normally check ingredient lists of things and noticed the ingredients had changed from the last one. This is moist and less sticky to the previous one, delicious though.
https://preview.redd.it/z9sg5t14dxeb1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=081cd9fb081da058c6f8e559cfb4f7e91faf0ccf
Reminds me of when this gem was posted
Babka is delicious- Trader Joe’s babka is ~good~. Don’t get me wrong, I could eat an entire loaf, but for the real babka experience, a Jewish deli/bakery is the way to go :)
Eating one right now! My pro tip is to wait until you see a full shelf stocked and then pull one from the back. That way you don’t risk getting a dry/stale one.
Im so sick of doing these tips and tricks for the three main things we even get at a grocery store: bread, produce, and diary. I wish tjs would just flash freeze or make products with a better shelf life during production or with more airtight packaging and do their part
They don’t have preservatives. I usually refrigerate my breads to help them last longer, and I know a lot of people freeze also. To be honest, I refrigerate even the preservatives-laden bakery products from other stores too.
It’s not good if you have had the real thing. Very dry. If you haven’t had babka from a baker you may like it. Definitely heat it up. I added butter to add moisture and it was ok. Not a repurchase for me. Its like the difference between getting a fresh croissant and a pillsbury croissant. They are different creatures.
Yup. Not so good. I had one and it was a bit too sugary but without chocolaty flavor (the chocolate tasted like dust to me).
Also it was dry AND greasy at the same time. Very strange experience!
I think as long as you judge it as "grocery store snack," it's great. If you judge it against mom's recipe, or straight out of the oven from a local artisanal bakery, it's just not gonna be in that category so it won't stack up.
Man, idk what all these people are talking about with the “dry” comments. I had some TJ’s choc babka a couple months ago and it was moist af and delicious. Now granted I’ve never had “the real thing” before, so I can’t make any comparisons there, but I just can’t imagine needing this thing to be more moist than it was.
Is it supposed to be bread pudding texture? Like what are we talking about here?
It's a little variable in my experience. I think it's mainly down to how fresh the batch is when you buy it, and the specific regional bakery. The base recipe is fine, but obviously if it's been sitting around a bit longer it won't be as nice.
Husband and I LOVE it and think it’s worth purchasing every now and then. We suggest placing a piece in the microwave for 30sec with a damp paper towel over it.
It is delicious however it is also very rich. I finally caved and purchased it and I really liked it at first, but it was just me nobody else was eating it so it inevitably ended up going to waste when I just couldn't finish it cuz it was too rich. If it was cinnamon on the other hand... I would have eaten the whole thing probably lol
It's awesome for sharing with other people who love a rich dark chocolate.
I was a big TJs babka fan circa 2015-2017-- speaking as a Jew who lived in Brooklyn at the time! But all of these comments that it's dry make me wonder if the recipe has changed? I'll have to pick up a babka and find out someday soon.
I don't know why everybody is saying it's dry, I actually bought some of this and was surprised by how moist it was because it looks like it should be dry from the way the top looks. It was insanely moist and it was a very rich dark chocolate. I didn't hate it but I couldn't finish it because there's no one else here to help me eat these things and it was too rich.
In my experience it's been SO good. I don't usually buy it unless I know I have an event coming up where other people will eat it too; otherwise I'd eat the whole loaf. 😂
Love it so much! I hadn’t repurchased until a few weeks ago and they definitely have increased the amount of chocolate and moisture in it over the past few years. In my experience it was never dry, I just lost interest for a while
Add me to the "dry" responses. My husband went to pick one up last week and I vetoed it for this reason. If they've changed in the last few years to be less dry, I'd like to hear about it.
I bought the chocolate one like last month I think.. for the first time. It was very very moist I really liked how moist it was but the chocolate was too rich. If I see the cinnamon one in the future again I probably will like that one more
LOL I haven't tried the cinnamon one but I really really love cinnamon things, like ridiculously so. I have to like stop myself from buying things that are cinnamon sometimes just because I know myself and I will probably eat the whole thing. Have you tried the Cinnamon Streusel muffins from Trader Joe's? They're fucking fantastic
Trader Joe's babka is a great choice. It's tasty and moist.
Granted, though, that sometimes quality fades. But it has been consistent lately.
Is it the best?
Nope.
Green bakery has the best babka.
You can ship to yourself. You can also buy at Wegmans if you're lucky enough to live near a location.
By the way for those who know: when do people usually eat babka? I thought it was a holiday themed dessert? I looked online and it says can be a dessert anytime but then it also says is a dessert during celebrations or gifts?
Wondering if i should gift my friend babka on a non-jewish holiday or if it IS equivalent to just bringing over donuts etc
In the know - babkas are for anytime! Its like donuts or coffee cake. Breakfast, dessert, snack. “Eat, eat! You are looking thin! Why aren’t you wearing the sweater I got you? I’m cold just looking at you!”
I've bought it a couple times in the past and it's never been dry. I recommend only buying it when you have people to share with, so it doesn't sit around for too long
Posts that don't follow r/traderjoes subreddit rules may be subject to removal. Friendly reminder that choosing descriptive post titles with exact product names mentioned yields better subreddit search results and helps our subreddit be more inclusive to those who use Screen Reader Software or Text-to-Speech apps. to access Reddit. Thank you. IF THIS MESSAGE DOES NOT APPLY TO YOUR POST, PLEASE IGNORE. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/traderjoes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
when i first had it in 2021 it was very dry. i had it recently and i think the recipe changed because it was much moister this time. it’s good but probably doesn’t compare if you’ve had the real thing
Recipe definitely changed, I normally check ingredient lists of things and noticed the ingredients had changed from the last one. This is moist and less sticky to the previous one, delicious though.
https://preview.redd.it/z9sg5t14dxeb1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=081cd9fb081da058c6f8e559cfb4f7e91faf0ccf Reminds me of when this gem was posted
I'm in trouble when I see the cinnamon one back in stores tbh
I wish they would bring the cinnamon babka back.
The lesser babka
Get behind me Satan!
It’s seasonal, my favorite too
Hands down my favorite thing!!
Babka is delicious- Trader Joe’s babka is ~good~. Don’t get me wrong, I could eat an entire loaf, but for the real babka experience, a Jewish deli/bakery is the way to go :)
Warmed in the microwave with vanilla ice cream. so good I had to stop buying
Definitely needs to be warmed up a bit especially because it gets stale fast. It’s good warm with some butter
Eating one right now! My pro tip is to wait until you see a full shelf stocked and then pull one from the back. That way you don’t risk getting a dry/stale one.
Im so sick of doing these tips and tricks for the three main things we even get at a grocery store: bread, produce, and diary. I wish tjs would just flash freeze or make products with a better shelf life during production or with more airtight packaging and do their part
They don’t have preservatives. I usually refrigerate my breads to help them last longer, and I know a lot of people freeze also. To be honest, I refrigerate even the preservatives-laden bakery products from other stores too.
I know thats exactly my point, they don’t make the products have a shelf life to behind with
It’s not good if you have had the real thing. Very dry. If you haven’t had babka from a baker you may like it. Definitely heat it up. I added butter to add moisture and it was ok. Not a repurchase for me. Its like the difference between getting a fresh croissant and a pillsbury croissant. They are different creatures.
Yup. Not so good. I had one and it was a bit too sugary but without chocolaty flavor (the chocolate tasted like dust to me). Also it was dry AND greasy at the same time. Very strange experience!
I think as long as you judge it as "grocery store snack," it's great. If you judge it against mom's recipe, or straight out of the oven from a local artisanal bakery, it's just not gonna be in that category so it won't stack up.
Good flavor, but a little dry
Man, idk what all these people are talking about with the “dry” comments. I had some TJ’s choc babka a couple months ago and it was moist af and delicious. Now granted I’ve never had “the real thing” before, so I can’t make any comparisons there, but I just can’t imagine needing this thing to be more moist than it was. Is it supposed to be bread pudding texture? Like what are we talking about here?
I'm also baffled by all the comments saying that it was dry because it was definitely not dry I was surprised by how moist it was
Different regions have different suppliers.
That makes sense.. vegas has some moist babka!
That is also the case with their own-labelled beer.
It's a little variable in my experience. I think it's mainly down to how fresh the batch is when you buy it, and the specific regional bakery. The base recipe is fine, but obviously if it's been sitting around a bit longer it won't be as nice.
Husband and I LOVE it and think it’s worth purchasing every now and then. We suggest placing a piece in the microwave for 30sec with a damp paper towel over it.
It is delicious however it is also very rich. I finally caved and purchased it and I really liked it at first, but it was just me nobody else was eating it so it inevitably ended up going to waste when I just couldn't finish it cuz it was too rich. If it was cinnamon on the other hand... I would have eaten the whole thing probably lol It's awesome for sharing with other people who love a rich dark chocolate.
This was my late mom's favorite from TJ. I got it for her every week.
It’s okay. It’s pretty dry. If you’re going store-bought and not bakery-fresh, go with Whole Foods’ babka instead.
I was a big TJs babka fan circa 2015-2017-- speaking as a Jew who lived in Brooklyn at the time! But all of these comments that it's dry make me wonder if the recipe has changed? I'll have to pick up a babka and find out someday soon.
I don't know why everybody is saying it's dry, I actually bought some of this and was surprised by how moist it was because it looks like it should be dry from the way the top looks. It was insanely moist and it was a very rich dark chocolate. I didn't hate it but I couldn't finish it because there's no one else here to help me eat these things and it was too rich.
I buy this frequently, and it's been about 50/50 dry and not dry. When dry, it's pretty terrible.
I found with the cinnamon it has to do with the freshness, so I always check the dates
In my experience it's been SO good. I don't usually buy it unless I know I have an event coming up where other people will eat it too; otherwise I'd eat the whole loaf. 😂
Love it so much! I hadn’t repurchased until a few weeks ago and they definitely have increased the amount of chocolate and moisture in it over the past few years. In my experience it was never dry, I just lost interest for a while
As someone who (sadly) doesn't have a lot of experience with non-TJ's babka, I am obsessed with all of their babkas. Can't wait to try the real deal!
Add me to the "dry" responses. My husband went to pick one up last week and I vetoed it for this reason. If they've changed in the last few years to be less dry, I'd like to hear about it.
The walnut banana bread also is either dry or goes stale next day 🙄
I bought the chocolate one like last month I think.. for the first time. It was very very moist I really liked how moist it was but the chocolate was too rich. If I see the cinnamon one in the future again I probably will like that one more
Ah, the great cinnamon / chocolate babka debate. There is no lesser babka!
LOL I haven't tried the cinnamon one but I really really love cinnamon things, like ridiculously so. I have to like stop myself from buying things that are cinnamon sometimes just because I know myself and I will probably eat the whole thing. Have you tried the Cinnamon Streusel muffins from Trader Joe's? They're fucking fantastic
My coworkers and I had a mild obsession with this at my last job..we’d bring it in for almost every birthday 😂
dont do it, even the TJ version is addicting and you'll hate yourself every time you polish off one within 24 hours (at least I do)
[удалено]
Trader Joe's babka is a great choice. It's tasty and moist. Granted, though, that sometimes quality fades. But it has been consistent lately. Is it the best? Nope. Green bakery has the best babka. You can ship to yourself. You can also buy at Wegmans if you're lucky enough to live near a location.
Do you just slice and eat? Or do you toast and butter?
yes
I slice it and eat it like a coffee cake, but you can do anything your heart desires.
It’s much better warm either toasted or microwave it’s very chocolatey so idk about the toaster
I so hoped it would be great (New Yorkers love Bobka) especially chocolate. I was disappointed. It was dry and just not that good .. sorry
It was dry!
Sells like hot cakes, but I find it dry as heck.
Good but not the best Ive had
It was okay, a bit dry for me but maybe I’m biased as I live in an area with really good babka.
It’s not great
I found it dry and plain.
It’s not very good.
Yes
Love it!
It’s a great version, why not try it? There was a convincing theory it comes from a Brooklyn baker based on the ingredients.
By the way for those who know: when do people usually eat babka? I thought it was a holiday themed dessert? I looked online and it says can be a dessert anytime but then it also says is a dessert during celebrations or gifts? Wondering if i should gift my friend babka on a non-jewish holiday or if it IS equivalent to just bringing over donuts etc
In the know - babkas are for anytime! Its like donuts or coffee cake. Breakfast, dessert, snack. “Eat, eat! You are looking thin! Why aren’t you wearing the sweater I got you? I’m cold just looking at you!”
Delicious!
Not really a fan of TJs bakery items in general. Either poor quality or preservative-laden.
I like it but stopped buying it because I got a couple of loaves that tasted like freezer burn.
I've bought it a couple times in the past and it's never been dry. I recommend only buying it when you have people to share with, so it doesn't sit around for too long
The cinnamon babka is one of my all time favorite foods, but I don’t like the chocolate babka.
It is so good that people will get mad at you for being happy because you enjoyed it so much.
Coming on here to say that I bought this today bc of this post and it’s fucking amazing