Which Trader Joe's sweet snacks should I try first?

Start with Double Chocolate Wafer Cookies if you want a chocolate snack, or Maple Leaf Cookies if a distinct maple flavor is the draw. Our editor loved both. Lemon Flavored Wafer Cookies earned a “like,” with a specific reservation: “Definitely good, just too sweet.”

This is a three-cookie shortlist based on actual tastings. It is useful when you want one package from the sweet-snack aisle rather than a long list of unrelated desserts.

How do the three cookies compare?

Product	Best reason to consider it	Editor’s personal sweets rank
Double Chocolate Wafer Cookies	Chocolate wafers with a hazelnut-containing filling	2 of 16
Maple Leaf Cookies	A distinctly maple-flavored sandwich cookie	4 of 16
Lemon Flavored Wafer Cookies	Lemon crème wafers, if a sweeter snack suits you	6 of 16

Ranks are from September 7, 2026. They are selected positions in one editor’s complete Sweets & Desserts list, rather than first, second and third in a separate cookie poll.

Double Chocolate Wafer Cookies: the chocolate choice

The August 24 tasting note says “Extremely solid,” with a “love” rating. Trader Joe’s product record describes cocoa wafers with chocolate filling and hazelnuts. That ingredient detail helps distinguish them from a plain chocolate sandwich cookie.

The record supports a favorable verdict. It does not contain a separate sweetness comparison with the lemon version, so we would not describe the chocolate cookies as objectively less sweet.

Maple Leaf Cookies: choose them for the maple

The August 27 note calls out a very distinct maple flavor and records a “love.” Trader Joe’s lists maple syrup in the filling and describes the product as a sandwich cookie. If maple is the flavor you are looking for, this is the most directly supported choice on the list.

Lemon Flavored Wafer Cookies: a qualified recommendation

The September 7 note is positive overall but says the cookies are too sweet for this editor. Trader Joe’s describes layered wafers with lemon-flavored crème. Choose them because lemon wafers appeal to you; do not assume the citrus name makes them a restrained dessert.

Which should I buy if I only want one?

For an open-ended first choice, the chocolate wafers have the highest position of these three in our editor’s list. For a specific maple craving, the Maple Leaf Cookies note is more informative than that overall order. If you already know you enjoy very sweet lemon snacks, the editor’s reservation may not be a drawback for you.

Read the package ingredient list for your own needs. These recommendations concern taste; they do not rate nutritional quality or make an allergen-free claim.

How we made the list

The tasting evidence comes from one finds editor’s personal record. The September 7, 2026 snapshot contains 58 tasted products. Ranks below are positions in that editor’s category list, not a community vote; they can change as more products are ranked. The chocolate and maple products each have two recorded comparisons involving them; lemon has four. Full product records were checked on September 7. No same-session, side-by-side cookie test is claimed.

For something from the freezer, read the Apple Pie à la Mode Ice Cream review.

September 7, 2026: first publication.