The 10 Best Trader Joe's Fall Products, According to Employees

There's so much more to fall than pumpkin spice.

Trader Joe's seems to bring in new products faster than you can say "Fearless Flyer"—it can get overwhelming. Luckily, every month or so, another episode of the employee-hosted podcast "Inside Trader Joe's" is released to help us navigate the wacky, wonderful world of Trader Joe's. Hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloane do everything from tease new products to debunk outrageous customer theories.

Fall is a particularly prolific time for new products at Trader Joe's, and thankfully, a new episode of the podcast is out to help us identify the must-try new items and returning favorites. These are the best fall products at Trader Joe's this year, according to the people who work there.

1. Honeycrisp Apple Granola

Start your day off on the right foot, with loads of fall flavor. This is a brand new product at Trader Joe's this year—and, priced at just $4 (granola is expensive!), it's a total steal. According to the TJ's website, it's made with "rolled oats, dried Honeycrisp apple slices, cane sugar, honey, molasses, and a rack-full of fall spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove, etc.)." Pair it with TJ's Honey Crisp Apple Cinnamon Greek Yogurt for the most autumnal breakfast ever.

2. Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated item from the Trader Joe's fall lineup is the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. "When we first brought this into the stores in fall of 2017, I don't think anybody expected it would be quite the hit that it became," admits Miller. The two hosts divulged that the store will be stocking more than ever before to keep up with the demand, but it's still expected to sell out. Personally, I can't wait to try the brand new Butternut Squash Italian Lasagna.

3. Fall Harvest Salsa

Another returning fall favorite is the Fall Harvest Salsa. It's more of a sauce than a traditional salsa, with pumpkin, butternut squash apples, tomatillos, lime, and a kick of jalapeño. Miller and Sloane recommend it with everything from fish to pork tenderloin to the trending cottage cheese, or even using it in lieu of classic enchilada sauce for an autumnal twist on enchiladas. For what it's worth, our editors also highly recommend the related Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Sauce.

4. All Butter Sugar Cookie Dough

Behold, Trader Joe's' first foray into the slice-and-bake style of cookie dough. Miller explains why; "Most of them are filled with ingredients that we don't allow in our products. So, finding a vendor who could make [one] with the kinds of ingredients that we allow in our products that tasted as good as this does, it took a long time." This is a limited item, but will hopefully be on shelves well into sugar cookie season, aka, the holidays.

5. & 6. Wicked Good Mini Chocolate Bars & Halloween Gummies

Another brand new product coming to Trader Joe's is the bag of Wicked Good Mini Chocolate Bars. And not only is it a new product, but really a new product category entirely—Halloween Candy. Alison Nadler Guerette, candy category manager for Trader Joe's (talk about a dream job) came on the podcast to discuss the topic.

"We have had many requests over the years for Halloween candy, [specifically] chocolate Halloween candy. And the reason we didn't have it for so many years is we wanted to get it really right. And we think with this product, we did."

Each bag features 24 individually wrapped pieces with four kinds of chocolate bars: a nougat and caramel chocolate bar, a peanut and caramel chocolate bar, a caramel and wafer chocolate bar, and a nougat chocolate bar.

Additionally, in the Halloween candy world, the individually packaged Halloween Gummies are back for the first time since 2019. Both of these items are expected to fly off shelves particularly fast, so if you see them, stock up ahead of the holiday now. As Miller puts it, "They are wicked good, and they will be wicked gone."

7. Mini Maple Flavored Marshmallows

Your pancakes' favorite pairing just got turned into a chewy candy treat. These new mini marshmallows are maple-flavored, and perfectly poised to level up your rice cereal treats, not to mention s'mores-inspired desserts and hot cocoa. Miller also points out that these are—like many other gummy products at Trader Joe's—vegan, meaning they don't contain animal-based gelatin. Personally, I'll be making marshmallow treats with these marshmallows and TJ's seasonal Pumpkin O's.

8. Maple Fudge

Another new maple product on the TJ's scene this fall is Maple Fudge. This isn't just any fudge, this is a type of treat called British butter fudge, meaning the texture is a little more icy and sugary than the dense and creamy American-style fudge. Sloane describes the taste in one word: "Cozy."

It's quite sweet, so candy category manager Alison Nadler Guerette recommends pairing it with something salty like popcorn or pretzels.

9. & 10. Garlic and Asiago Cheese Dip & Roasted Hatch Chili and Jalapeño Cheese Dip

Trader Joe's has two new dips that are intended to be eaten hot—sign us up. The first is this cheesy garlic dip that, according to Sloane, tastes like "all the goodness of garlic bread as a dip." Serve with a toasted baguette for a sort of deconstructed garlic bread or even better—serve it right in a bread bowl.

The second is a Roasted Hatch Chili and Jalapeño Cheese Dip which is a lightly spicy, smoky cheddar-based cheese dip. It reminds us of the latest seasonal iteration of Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread, which is absolutely delicious. Both of these dips are just what the doctor ordered for your upcoming tailgate spreads.

Read the original article on All Recipes.