Review: Trader Joe's - Brioche Style Liege Waffles

Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles feature denser waffles (than Belgian waffles) with buttery, brioche-like flavor embedded with pearl sugar.

An 11.64-oz package contains six individually wrapped waffles and costs $3.99.

The waffles can be eaten right out of the bag or heated up. They're round and a little smaller than other liege waffles I've seen.

I tried toasting these in a toaster oven as well as heating them in an air fryer at different temperatures and times. What I found was the waffles got softer and more buttery when heated but tended to burn (due to the sugar I think) or dry out before getting any appreciable crispy crust.

That's not to say that there's no crunch factor to the Brioche Style Liege Waffles, it just doesn't come from the dough. Instead, the pearl sugar delivered a satisfying crunch and pop of sweetness. Beyond the sugar crunch, the crumb was fairly dense with a whispy texture while the crust had a slight chew.

There isn't a commercial standard for brioche in the US but I'm guessing that Trader Joe is calling these "brioche style" as they (or the producer) don't consider there to be enough butter content to merit calling it just plain "brioche." Generally, brioche contains butter amounting to 30% to 70% of the flour weight. Looking at the ingredients, the Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles are mostly "vegetable oil spread" as far as fat is concerned. There is some cultured butter for flavor and it sits somewhere between water and egg in terms of ingredient weight. There's a reason that these cost less than similar products but it's not a bad compromise.

There was a decent buttery richness to the waffle as well as a bit of salt to contrast against the mildly caramelized sugar.

Overall, Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles make for a moderately sweet and buttery waffle that's a more affordable option. If you're a stickler for a more crispy waffle, you might have to experiment a bit to get the result you want.

Nutritional Info - Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles
Serving Size - 1 waffle (55g)
Calories - 250
Fat - 13g (Saturated Fat - 7g)
Sodium - 220mg
Carbs - 30g (Sugar - 14g)
Protein - 3g