12 Of The Best Trader Joe's Gifts Under $10

Trader Joe's frequently combines my two favorite things: food and fun writing. The marketing copy on TJ's packaging is often witty and enticing, and what's inside the package is often equally enjoyable. At the holidays, that packaging pulls double duty as would-be groceries (and a lot of candy) are transformed into ideal gifts via colorful wrapping and seasonal tins. This, in turn, combines my next two favorite things, gift giving and efficiency, by letting me pick up some presents while I'm grocery shopping. Who doesn't love knocking out two tasks at once?

Here's a selection of Trader Joe's treats under $10 that make great holiday gifts.

This Chocolate Passport is among the more attractive things I found at Trader Joe's. It's a little library of chocolate bars from around the world, bundled in the same type of sleeve that a collection of books might be (though it's much smaller and tastier than a book). At $9.99, this is among the classier gift options from Trader Joe's.

This attractive box set, the Panoply of Organic Italian Pasta, features seven ounces each of five different pastas. It's priced at $9.99. I bought this thinking I'd give it as a gift and then made it for my kids instead. I mixed the two of the striped varieties, the farfalline and the fischietti, and it produced a positively festive, Seuss-like bowl of pasta. A gift indeed.

This collection of dark chocolates comes in a bag that already has a satiny handle, aka a gift bag, meaning that for $7.49, you can waltz straight from your grocery shopping trip into your office's Christmas party and look like you're on top of your game.

A small food gift, but one that packs some punch. Authentic chili crisps are gaining in popularity, and the Trader Joe's version, Crunchy Chili Onion, is priced at just $3.49. It's great for gift baskets, and the perfect stocking stuffer for your spice-loving friend with its "verging-on-umami base" and "smoky, slightly sweet, subtly spicy notes."

The young people on your Christmas list (or just the fun-loving ones of any age) will thank you for this art project they can either choose to hang on a tree or eat. But probably eat. The cookie decorating kit comes with eight cookies, icing, and "cute little candy sprinkles." And the cookies do have little holes in them through which you can string a ribbon if, by some miracle, you actually choose to hang these on a tree instead of eating them. The kit costs $7.99.

If you know someone who loves Junior Mints and you would like to give them the experience of eating their favorite treat from a bigger, fancier box, this gift set of Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Cremes fits the bill at $3.49.

It's well established that truffles are delicious, pair great with french fries, and are no longer restricted to fine dining. At $9.99, this Truffle Oil Duo could be a nice gift for the home cook in your life, who will soon make a habit of drizzling pizzas, potatoes, or pasta with black or white truffle flavor.

Truffles are always a classy gift, and for $2.99, you can grab a wintry box of these limited-edition minty flavored cocoa truffles for a loved one. According to Trader Joe's, these are a take on another popular TJ's item turned gift, the Cocoa Truffles, which are $3.49. For what it's worth—and it's worth 50 cents—both packages are 8.8 ounces, making the mint variety a little less expensive.

Although this item comes in slightly less splendid packaging than some of the others, truffles scream "holiday gift," so we're including it. This Favorite Sweets truffle collection, which costs $5.99, contains chocolates inspired by baked treats like Stroopwafels, gingerbread, and Panettone.

I live in Vermont, where just about everywhere you look, someone is trying to sell you a jar of fruit spread and call it a gift. Not to mention they're constantly throwing maple at you here too. So it's no surprise that I saw this jar of Maple Orange Cranberry Spread and thought, "Oh, what a perfect gift!" I'm calling it a stocking stuffer and giving it to my husband, who really likes to put cranberry orange stuff on turkey sandwiches, but you could also go the Vermont route and pair it with a small cutting board and a brick of cheddar for a truly delightful food gift. At $3.99, it won't cut into your cutting-board-and-cheese budget too much.

Look, no one should have to go to the trouble of actually baking the cookie pieces for their gingerbread houses. Trader Joe's understands this. Its gingerbread house kit is in a sizable triangle box, which makes it extra exciting, and it'll be plenty of fun for your friends and family to put together. At $7.99, it comes with all the fixin's to make a German "Hexen Haus," including candy and frosting.

Sure, this Taste Test of Caramels ultimately contains 12 pieces of candy, but the long packaging makes it feel like a lot more. Plus, it creates a bit of mystery and fun. The idea is that you (or the person you bought this for, because I definitely didn't purchase this for myself while playing it off like a gift as I stood in the checkout line) taste each caramel and try to guess which flavor it is from the list on the box. It's $5.99, which is a great price for a dessert that functions as a game and a gift.