The Best Trader Joe's Chocolate Bar Is A Delicious Take On An Old Classic

From whopping one-pound (plus) bars and mini ones weighing in at just over half an ounce to a variety of flavors (including diet-sensitive options), Trader Joe's is a solid go-to if you need a chocolate fix, even if you don't specifically know what you're in the mood for. But of course, some bars are better than others. Helpfully, Chowhound ranked every Trader Joe's chocolate bar to let you know which to avoid and which to add into a cart filled with all your other store favorites, like cookie butter, the best frozen pizzas and flatbreads, and bargain wine. On the less-tasty end of the ranking, you'll find a disappointing lineup of high-percentage Trader Joe's dark chocolate bars that we have a problem with for being sour, harsh, and unexciting. However, there's nowhere to go but up, and the best bars were deemed to be snackable, delicious, and flavorful.

Topping the list was the Trader Joe's brand Crispy Rice Milk Chocolate Bar. This bar was reminiscent of both Nestlé Crunch and Hershey's Krackel; however, we think it improved upon the originals thanks to a smoother, creamier texture. Beyond the texture, the flavor was also an upgrade, as the bar was sweeter than the other two and the "milk" in the milk chocolate was more apparent on the tongue. As a further bonus, the crispy rice folded throughout the chocolate was nice and crisp, providing a satisfying bite. Like the runner-up, Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Bar, they come three to a package, individually wrapped. 

Chocolate is naturally gluten-free, being composed of cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, and sugar (and milk powder, if you're more of a milk chocolate person). However, certain additives and processing practices can introduce gluten into your chocolate. And this is, unfortunately, the case for the Trader Joe's Crispy Rice Milk Chocolate Bar. While crisped rice could be fine on its own, it is commonly made using malt as a flavor enhancer. And malt, whether used to turn a basic vanilla milkshake into a nutty, toasty, caramel-y drink or to lend its distinctive taste to your favorite beer, is made from sprouted barley — which contains gluten. And indeed, the Trader Joe's Crispy Rice Milk Chocolate Bar lists both wheat and malt in its ingredients.

The good news for Trader Joe's shoppers is that the store also has a gluten-free (soy-free and dairy-free, too) crisped rice bar: Oat Chocolate Bars with Crispy Rice & Cocoa Nibs. While this didn't score quite as high in the ranking, coming in at a respectable 11 out of 20, it was still judged to be somewhat "addictive." The crisp rice wasn't quite as crispy (although the cocoa nibs provided their own crunch), and the flavor was a bit tangier than expected; however, it wasn't bad by any means. But again, if gluten isn't an issue, the Crispy Rice Milk Chocolate Bar is a more palatable pick.