Trader Joe’s brought back a popular and previously discontinued French dessert.
The grocery store chain is selling its version of cannelés, a traditional pastry dating back to at least the 18th century, for $5.49 a box, according to its website. Each pack comes with four desserts. The treats are crafted for the chain by a bakery in the San Francisco Bay Area, which uses silicone molds instead of the traditional copper.
“This modern method is more efficient and cost-effective, yet yields the same delicious result as the French method: elegant-looking, striated cylinders that are chewy and caramelized on the outside, yet simultaneously soft and custardy in the middle,” according to Trader Joe’s.
What Is Canelé?
Canelé, a small baked custard pastry with a fluted shape, was originally called cannelé Bordelaise, according to the Institute of Culinary Education. There’s evidence of the pastry existing as early as the 15th century. It likely comes from the convents around the winemaking regions in Bordeaux in Southern France, about 362 miles from Paris.
According to the institute, the pastries are made of the following ingredients: egg yolks, flour, butter, salt and milk. The ingredients are then mixed and left overnight. The pastries are temperamental, time-consuming, complicated and require skill to bake, the institute added.
While the pastry typically has a slight rum taste, the Trader Joe’s version has a vanilla flavor.
The desserts are located in the chain’s frozen section. To bake them, customers can place the pastries on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10-12 minutes. According to Trader Joe’s description, it is recommended to let them cool for a minute or two before enjoying.
How Long Are Trader Joe’s Cannelés Available?
The desserts are only available from March through May, Trader Joe’s said. The company did not directly answer questions about why the dessert was discontinued or why it’s only being brought back for a limited time.
In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, Trader Joe’s said, “Our buyers travel the world searching for products we think are exceptional and will find a following among our customers. Sometimes that’s a re-invention of something we’ve offered in the past.”
The desserts are not widely available across stores, but the company said it plans to have them back in stock nationwide in a couple of weeks.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trader Joe’s brings back popular French dessert for limited time
Reporting by Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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