Plus, 5 Ways to Serve Them
I first heard about Trader Joe’s Chocolate Lava Gnocchi a few months ago on their Inside Trader Joe’s podcast. It wasn’t clear if this dessert version would be ricotta or potato based, but now we have our answer. These little gnocchi are made with potato ($2.99 for a 12 oz. bag), and even if that sounds weird, they’re surprisingly tasty.
If I tried making these from scratch, I probably would have gone with a ricotta gnocchi so the texture would be a little more delicate, but knowing you need a little more protection for that lava center, I get why they went potato.
I made half a bag and cooked them in 1 T. of butter. They crisp up and you turn them about half way through to get them crisped on all sides. The potato gives them a nice heft, so there’s no risk of the chocolate lava center gushing out while cooking. (Just don’t try rewarming them in the microwave).
They’re not overly sweet, so a dusting of powdered sugar is a must, and it’ll help disguise how they look a little bit, too! If you want to fancy it up, serve it with a raspberry coulis. It’s super simple, just whiz up half a bag of thawed frozen raspberries in your food processor, with one T. sugar and the juice from half a lemon. Then press it through a fine mesh sieve. No cooking required.
Other ideas for serving Trader Joe’s Chocolate Lava Gnocchi:
CINNAMON-SUGAR: For a chocolate churro kind of thing, mix together 2 T. sugar and a 1 t. ground cinnamon. Toss the gnocchi in the mixture while they’re still buttery and hot.
NUTELLA: Although the gnocchi have a molten chocolate center, there’s not a ton of it in there, so dipping them in a little extra Nutella isn’t out of the question!
PEANUT BUTTER/NUT BUTTER – Warm a little peanut butter in the microwave, then dip away.
WHIPPED CREAM, CHOCOLATE SAUCE AND SPRINKLES/NUTS – I don’t have this much of a sweet tooth, but if you want to go all in, make a little sundae and top the gnocchi with the works.
CANDY CANE BITS – I haven’t tried this one yet, since candy canes haven’t turned up in yet in my local stores, but why not bash some candy canes into super fine bits and toss the gnocchi in there?
Check out our other recent “We Trieds” from Trader Joe’s:
Trader Joe’s Cheesecake in a Bite
Trader Joe’s Non-Dairy Oat Beverages
Trader Joe’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Mochi Ice Cream
Trader Joe’s Organic Spicy Taco Sauce
