Trader Joe’s Organic Honey Hedgehog Cookies

If you want unique snacks, Trader Joe’s has them. The retailer, which is Aldi’s cousin, sells snacks to fit almost any craving, whether you want Virginia peanuts or gummy candy (my personal weakness) or potato chips.

If you want cookies or something sweet, TJ’s sells plenty of those, including some cute hedgehog-shaped cookies that are made with cultured butter.

Trader Joe’s Organic Honey Hedgehog Cookies with Organic Cultured Butter cost $2.99 at the time of publication for a box of six 1-oz. cookie packs.

So what is cultured butter?

The ingredients on the cookie package state that this cultured butter is made with organic cream and bacterial culture.

One blogger describes cultured butter this way:

Butter is an all-important cooking and baking ingredient derived from cream. Cream contains fats and liquids that can be separated through churning. The fat collected from the process is then used to make butter, while the liquid part (buttermilk) is drained off. However, letting the cream ferment with live bacteria before churning creates a tangy version called cultured butter. Fermentation of butter also increases its milk fat content, resulting in a creamier texture.

So, cultured butter is fermented and has a tangier taste compared to regular butter, and it has a higher milk fat content and a creamier texture.

The blog above also mentions that the bacteria in cultured butter break down lactose (milk sugar) and casein (milk protein) in the cream, which some people have trouble digesting. Therefore, people with lactose intolerance may be able to eat cultured butter with fewer issues.

Back to the cookies: these are kosher and are certified organic by Quality Assurance International.

The first several ingredients are organic whole wheat flour, organic wheat flour, organic powdered sugar, and organic cultured butter.

Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

If you’re keeping an eye out for allergens, these contain milk, egg, soy, and wheat.

A 1-oz. pack has 110 calories, 4 grams of total fat (5% DV), 1.5 grams of saturated fat (8% DV), 115 mg of sodium (5% DV), 18 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), and 7 grams of added sugars (14% DV).

As for how these cookies taste, they remind me of shortbread cookies, or possibly animal crackers. They are buttery and crisp and not overly sweet, and they didn’t last long in my house, especially once my kids got a hold of them. I only wish each box came with a few more cookie packages.

The Verdict:

Trader Joe’s Organic Honey Hedgehog Cookies with Cultured Butter are crisp, buttery, and lightly sweet. Great for packing in a lunch or for snacking on any time.