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.

Holy crap! Two dollars for frozen organic, vegan enchiladas seems too good to be tasty . . . but they are. The thick corn tortillas are stuffed with black beans, corn, black olives, zucchini, onions, green bell peppers, green chilies, and tofu. TOFU! Plus the thick tomato sauce really seals the delicious deal. This will be making it into our baskets on a weekly rotation.

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.

Sriracha will always have a place in our hearts, but this new Green Dragon Hot Sauce is sizzling our taste buds in a positive way with jalapeños, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, and habanero pepper powder. It has the perfect vinegar-y balance too.

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!

With pumpkin, butternut squash, and apples, this is Fall salsa like we've never experienced. It's also on the spicy side. Score!

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.

People went crazy for this cheese-filled filo spiral. It's crispy, cheesy, insanely easy, and hot. Tasters called it "cheesy magical perfection" and "everything you'd ever want in an appetizer." The only thing to beware of: cook it in a pan with sides, because the cheese grease does pool and you don't want that to end up on the bottom of your oven!

If you're into Mexican wedding cookies, then these key lime tea cookies will become your new obsession. The flaky butter cookies do not skimp on the tart, citrusy flavor. Just be sure to have friends around, because a tub of these alone may quickly result in overindulging.

These frozen, skinless peach slices are delicious — maybe even better than TJ's famed frozen mango chunks. I loved eating them right out of the bag as if they were mini popsicles, but I can't wait to try them in smoothies.

You don't have to be a kid to enjoy these Mac N' Cheezy Rays, which are basically like ravioli stuffed with the cheese sauce from mac and cheese. There's no going wrong here! TJ's seasoned them up with some butter spray, and admittedly, it was awesome.

This watermelon juice is insanely addictive. It definitely tastes like refreshing watermelon without the fibrous bits found in the fruit. Sip it on a hot day, especially after a workout.

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.

Sweet and smoky salmon jerky is likely to become a staple snack for you (if you're a fish fan). TJ's updated its salmon jerky recipe, and we're very appreciative of that. Unlike the older version, the bite-sized pieces are easy to chew and don't exude a strong fishy odor.

Trader Joe's trail mix is so good but so annoying to pack into snack-sized portions. That's why the company has come out with these handfuls, aka individual-sized portions of its most popular mixes.

If snacking on solo, cinnamon almonds are best heated in the microwave for a few seconds. It's like you've roasted them yourself! We also can't wait to mix these cinnamon roasted almonds with the sea salt turbinado sugar dark-chocolate-covered almonds. Talk about a perfect holiday party app.

This semihard, raw (not pasteurized) cheese reminds us of a French take on aged gouda. If nutty cheeses are your jam, don't miss out on this one.

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.