The Best New Items From Trader Joe's in 2015

OK — tasters felt mixed about this yogurt. If you're really into peanut butter Greek yogurt dip and enjoy the flavor of grape jelly, then you're likely to enjoy this flavored yogurt. It's slightly artificial tasting and chalky due to the nonfat yogurt, but those things could be likely overlooked if you dip apple wedges into the PB&J yogurt.

These are like Food Should Taste Good sweet potato tortilla chips . . . only creamier and with more sweet potato flavor. The bag went fast, really fast.

Cauliflower rice is all the Paleo rage as of late, and Trader Joe's makes this trend extremely convenient as well as affordable. The frozen cauli rice can be cooked up in a few minutes in the microwave or over the stovetop. We love that it involves no messy prep and doesn't smell supersulfuric like freshly made cauliflower rice.

A TJ's employee told us these fig bites are like Fig Newtons . . . only better, way better. Skeptical but open-minded (since Joe Joe's certainly rival Oreos), we tried these figgy cookies. There's no denying there are real pulverized figs in the center, and the cookies themselves taste like angel food cake. These cookies earn a spot in our carts on the regular.

Sour Patch Kids-like in texture, these T & J gummies receive the sour flavor from the citrus fruit flavors like key lime, tangerine, Meyer lemon, and grapefruit. Beyond the killer flavor, these gummies win for being gluten free, kosher, and colored with vegetable dyes.

If you've never tried cultured butter, it has a slightly tart flavor and richer mouthfeel than standard butter. When we dove our knives into this, our first thought was, better than Kerrygold (one of our favorite Irish butters)? Not quite, but pretty darn close. We will stock up on this slightly salty butter from TJ's, no problem.

If broccoli slaw is one of your favorite TJ items, then you'll definitely want to grab this new ready-made slaw, dressing, nuts, and dried fruit included. Though it's packed with plenty of good stuff, it doesn't taste like you're eating rabbit food. Two thumbs up!

These Chinese dumplings are like an inverted take on chicken noodle soup. The savory broth, chewy wheat dumpling, and generous portion of chicken make them the best thing you could possibly heat up in a microwave on a cold Winter day (other than frozen mac and cheese).

Vegan and gluten free?! No way! These brownie crisps taste like the tops of baked brownies, and the chocolate chips offer just enough sweetness and contrasting texture. These little square cookie-brownies are a little too addictive for their own good.

This cheesy tortellini tastes surprisingly light and fresh — ideal for a quick meal during the Summer. Unlike many microwaveable meals, this one isn't the quickest — you're looking at six minutes and very specific temperatures. In addition, we had to heavily salt it. We like this new frozen dish and might pick it up if a craving strikes, but our preferred pesto tortellini remains to be Amy's.

Surprisingly buttery with plenty of caramelized flavor, these toffee chips would be a welcome holiday gift when the season shifts. The package has both milk- and dark-chocolate-covered toffee, so there's something for everyone.

Our taste buds were not prepared for the amazingness of this salted caramel bread pudding, especially since the real thing looks nothing like the box. The only complaint is that this is not a turn-key dessert. The frozen loaf must be thawed, sliced, and baked for a while . . . but the "effort" is worth it. The swirled bread has a crispy exterior and pudding-like interior with plenty of caramel to go around.

You know the dark chocolate-covered almonds with sea salt? These dark chocolate-covered honey grahams have that same taste and perfect balance between salty and sweet. The honey flavor from the grahams is also accentuated thanks to the salt on top.

You won't find a prettier or tastier galette than this one from TJ's. It bakes up to golden perfection, makes your house smell like Fall heaven, and everything about it tastes wonderful: the crispy crust, spiced apple filling, and toasted nut topping.

If you love flax and hemp seeds, this sprouted blend will be your new obsession. It's really easy to chew and nosh on alone. However, we also like sprinkling it over yogurt and oatmeal.

We have to hand it to Trader Joe's for continuing to make our freezers look so gourmet. This unique flatbread piqued our interest with lots of trendy ingredients, namely burrata and prosciutto. The crust baked up to crisp perfection, while the cheese remained oozy and rich. Our only complaint is the arugula does taste a little freezer burnt, but we can get over that as the rest of the flatbread is so damn good.

OMG, this chicken balti pie is like chicken pot pie meets Indian takeout. The pie crust is the perfect ratio of buttery and flaky and paves way to a spicy chicken curry that makes any dreary day instantly more comforting.

Cashel Blue reminds us of Point Reyes Bay Blue. It's creamy, salty, and not too in-your-face funky. Here's hoping it sticks around for the holiday season.