Yes that’s actually their name. “Simply Amazing Soft Dried Apricots” and here’s Trader Joe’s description on their site:
“Large, Dried Apricots—of the juicy, Suphany variety—ripen in the sun to a blush-orange hue, while also developing a rich, honey-like sweetness. Once harvested, they’re carefully dried in the summer sun by our trusted Turkish apricot supplier (and by Mother Nature, of course). What really makes these Dried Apricots Simply Amazing is the final step, which involves a gentle steaming. This unique method yields unbelievably soft apricots with a tender, chewy, almost velvety texture.”
Here’ my honest review of these dried apricots. They actually live up to the name., these apricots in fact are Simply Amazing. Probably the best dried apricots I’ve ever eaten. These are just so amazingly tasty. And SOFT!!!
If you love dried fruits but sometimes find them way too dried, and feel with some of them like you could just as well be chewing on shoe leather (I’m thinking of you, Trader Joe’s All Natural Dried Mango. Trying to eat those can wear out your jaw…) Then you might try these. These are so soft and moist from the steaming method used to make them. They are soft and squishy. Each one of these is either a whole (or half?) of a Turkish Suphany apricot. They have three ingredients; apricots, water and (yes) sulfur dioxide “to maintain color”. I can live with that if they taste this good. I’ve been eating them mostly cut up into little pieces and added to my morning yogurt/breakfast mix. Also right out of the bag. They do match great with cheeses too.
These are “limited” by growing season, so they will sell them until they run out and get more hopefully next year. They are one pound for $4.79 (they have no pits). It probably takes a basket of fruit to make the bag.
Unfortunately Trader Joe’s Traditional CARNITAS (Mexican roasted pork) went Missing In Action not long ago. Now as we all know Trader Joe’s products can go MIA. Many eventually come back as stock comes in.
Then a reader here reported left a Comment that the Carnitas Discontinued. My heart sank as I have loved that product ever since I had first tried it years ago. Its just the best roast pork cooked in a certain way one could never do yourself. So yesterday when I was at Trader Joe’s I tried to investigate. I spoke with a manager at the Front Desk who looked up the Carnitas on the computer. She told me something interesting which I thought I would pass along as it reveals a little bit not just about Trader Joe’s products but their suppliers they work with.
She showed me the Product page for the Carnitas. It says “Not Orderable” – meaning they did not actually discontinue it – however stores can not order it. The product page explained why: “supplier went out of business“. Yikes!
The page adds that they looking for new supplier for the item. Hopefully they will find one, eventually. But unfortunately for the time being we can’t buy Carnitas anymore at Trader Joe’s. I for one am quite Bummed as I loved it. I could even came up with a hack to make Cha Siu with the Roasted Pork.
Anyway if you don’t see something on the shelf, ask the Front Desk if they could check it for you as thats always the best way I’ve found to get actual info.
(Scroll to end for latest update on the status of these which have been MIA for months!)
RAVE
“Perfect for hummus and dips and for sandwiches. Heat and enjoy!” (frozen)
I really love good pita bread. The fresh “pita bread original pockets” at Trader Joe’s have been OK in a pinch but its far from what I would call good pita (not too mention they used to give you 6 and now its just 4! Shrinkflation in action)
This “original pita bread” ($1.59) Trader Joe’s is fairly large, and on the thin side. I’ve always found these quite not sturdy enough to count on to make a pocket in, and hold the food. They kind of tend to fall apart when you fill them with ingredients as you are eating them.
This has changed with this new pocket bread/pita.
With the new Egyptian Baladi sourdough pocket bread Trader Joe’s finally has an excellentand authentic pita which is sturdy enough to split open and make a pocket that will hold ingredients, for say a falafal sandwich. And it’s Delicious. The BALADI SOURDOUGH POCKET BREADS are made by an Egyptian bakery for Trader Joe’s. So the real McCoy. These say “Product of Egypt”. Baked, then frozen, so as close to fresh as possible.
Trader Joe’s says: “We now offer Trader Joe’s Baladi Egyptian Sourdough Pocket Bread in our freezers. Made for us by a supplier in Egypt, these versatile (vegan) Baladi Pocket Breads take only a matter of minutes… to heat… before they’re puffed up, toasty, and ready to eat. Once heated, they have a tasty, slightly tangy Sourdough tinge to their flavor profile, and are ideal for stuffing with your favorite fillings. We’re partial to going with a classic combo of Falafel, chopped cucumbers, and our Garlic Spread-Dip, though they’re equally excellent when stuffed with our Gyros or Shawarma Chicken Thighs, too. And, of course, you can just serve them for dipping in hummus or tahini, as they do in Egypt.”
Here is my honest review of Baladi Pocket Bread. Wow. These are EXCELLENT. A great product. I was so impressed at how good these are and found them these pita breads to be so tasty and satisfying. They were even delicious just eaten simply with butter on them too as bread with our meal. Versatile. Between this new Baladi pocket bread and TJ’s Lavash I am super happy to have these Middle Eastern bread options.
Nice light whole wheat flavor. Natural ingredients. No preservatives. They come frozen in a resealable bag, with 5 breads inside the package and cost just $2.29. What a great deal. They are soft, fluffy inside yet sturdy enough for a pocket, or to use to scoop up any dip like hummus or what have you, pick up foods, hold up to falafal, or use for any sandwich, or even I think used as the base for mini pizza (see below).
Match these with your favorite hummus for sure!
HEATING: I took them out for about 10 minutes, left them out on the counter to defrost a bit (optional). I heated them, trying two ways; in the oven and on top of the stove in a covered pan. About 4-5 minutes. Both methods worked fine. In a pinch you could nuke them from frozen, but I think they will still benefit from a few seconds over the burners turning and flipping for the best texture like they just came out fresh from the oven they were baked in.
PS – I did try them for the base for pizza. Came out quite tasty! I’d say it kind of worked for a pizza base, if you are OK with the knife and fork kind of pizza. Next time I may split one open and just use the half for a thinner base, and see if I can get more of a bake on the bottom and get it more crisped up. Worth trying for easy pizza.
UPDATE – (Aug/Sept ’25) Unfortunately Trader Joe’s Sold Out of all the stock of these quickly as these seemed to have gone Viral on social media soon after they first appeared. Trader Joe’s staff looked it up for me and said, they are waiting for new stock to arrive, Late Fall or Early winter. They expected it sooner but that it was likely held up due to tariffs(!)
UPDATE 2 – MID OCT 2025 – HURRAY! THESE ARE FINALLY BACK!!
I haven’t tried this before but I saw BACON CHEDDAR was a featured item in their Fearless Flyer so I thought I would check it out. It was something as I kept tasting it, I kept saying to myself, OK let me try just one more bite, and a little bit later after some more taste testing, I noticed I ate a good hunk of it! I don’t usually buy processed cheese (like American cheese) but I have to say this tasted good, a little smokey with savory notes from the tiny pieces of applewood bacon in it. Semi soft. This will melt easily so good to cook with. You can slice and add to a grilled cheese sandwich to add a smokey bacon note to it.
Says “while supplies last” which I assume means a limited item.
“Trader Joe’s Bacon Cheddar Cheese is handcrafted for us in upstate New York by a master cheesemaker with extensive experience in traditional European Cheddaring techniques and an instinct for blending. Aged for 18 months, the Cheddar is full flavored and mildly sharp with firm, smooth texture….merged with pieces of our very own Trader Joe’s Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon, which contribute richly savory, sweet-smoky character to every bite. From snacking on while watching a game, to serving as part of a charcuterie board…..baked potatoes, French fries, burgers, broccoli, apple slices, macaroni, biscuits, quiche… ” (from the TJ Fearless Flyer Aug 2025)
“What’s the scoop? We’ve captured the spirit of strawberry season in an ice cream carton. Each rich, velvety spoonful of this cheerful pink treat is studded with strawberries and bursting with fruit forward flavor”
RAVE
What Trader Joe’s has to say about this Super Premium STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM:
“… our product developer spent months tinkering with the recipe to ensure it delivered the ideal balance of creamy, velvety goodness and bright, fruit-forward personality of Strawberry season. The Ice Cream’s cheerful pink color comes courtesy of fruit & vegetable juices (unlike others found elsewhere colored with artificial ingredients)”
I’ve been reading about how good this new Strawberry Ice Cream was and really wanted to try it. So I go to buy it at my Trader Joe’ only to see NONE left. Oh No!? Already all SOLD OUT?! Bummer!
Fortunately, an employee saw yours truly and another guy both looking in the case for it, and asked if we wanted some. My new friend and I almost shouted. Yes! Please! She said some just came in the back, and she would bring it to us. Our lucky day! Very popular item it seems.
So how is it? Here’s my honest review of TJ’s new strawberry ice cream. Honestly I can see why this is so popular, as actually is as good as it’s reputation. It really has a wonderful strawberry flavor in every bite. You see little bits of strawberries in the ice cream. It’s just so tasty and yummy. It’s another of those Trader Joe’s products that you take a bite of and have to force yourself to stop. I put the remaining half pint it back in the freezer for the next day.
BTW “Super Premium” refers to the amount of “overrun” (or air) in ice cream.
“The Super Premium designation on this Ice Cream is a particular point of pride—to achieve it, an ice cream must have less than 50% overrun. Overrun refers to the amount of air whipped into the ice cream during the churning process – lower overrun equals richer, denser ice cream. We can’t reveal the exact percentage of overrun in this pint, but we can guarantee it’s significantly less than 50%!” – TJ
If you love strawberry ice cream, this is one you have to try. I am giving this ice cream a big thumbs up.
First, just let me state for the record I don’t work for Trader Joe’s, obviously. I’m just a regular consumer like you. So I am not shilling for them, just reporting information.
A reader recently sent a Comment in which he stated, as if it were fact, that Trader Joe’s ORGANIC SOY BEVERAGE use GMO soybeans. So I thought, let me research this. I spent all of 20 seconds checking if I could find anything. What I found is Trader Joe’s official statement regarding GMO’s as well as other things (see link below). Just for the benefit of all, I am re-posting what it says here but please go to their website and read for yourself what they state about Trader Joe’s policy on GMO ingredients, which I am just copying verbatim below from their website….
“Q: Do Trader Joe’s products contain GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms)?
A: Trader Joe’s Products are sourced from Non-GMO ingredients.
“Our efforts began in 2001, when we determined that, given a choice, our customers would prefer to eat foods and beverages made without the use of genetically engineered ingredients. When developing products containing ingredients likely to come from genetically modified sources, we have the supplier of the product perform the necessary research to provide documentation that the suspect ingredients are from non-GMO sources. This documentation is in the form of affidavits, identity-preserved certification of seed stock, and third-party lab results from testing of the ingredients in question. In addition to this work done in developing a given item, we conduct random audits of items with potentially suspect ingredients, using an outside, third-party lab to perform the testing.”
In summary, Trader Joe’s states they DO NOT use GMO ingredients in their products.
Here’s what Trader Joe’s says about this new snack mix, ITALIAN APERITIVO MEDLEY:
“This is a Snack Mix that is gastronomically designed by our supplier in Bari, Italy to satisfy your cravings for a savory crunch. The diverse combination of textures, shapes, and flavors includes rosemary Focacce (squares), traditional Taralli (loops), and black olive Trecce (nuggets). The presence of extra virgin olive oil and white wine in the recipes promotes flavor profiles that are more complex than your average crackers—but similarly pleasing to enjoy with your favorite TJ’s cheese.”
My review? All I have to say is that once I opened up the bag, I couldn’t stop eating them. The bag went pretty quickly. They are that good! Addictive?
This cracker medley is just SO savory and delicious.
All of these five or six different, crunchy crackers / snacks are tasty. I especially love the twisted and small nubbin ones (trecce), both of which are flavored with rosemary or black olives. The round circles are little Italian biscuits I know as “tarralucci” (or here, “taralli) often served with wine or drinks. The square “focacce” one are perfect as a cracker base for cheese or what have you.
These say, Limited Time! Knowing that these are not going to be around all the time, I am going to load up on as many bags of these fantastically tasty crackers/snacks, as I can carry on my next visit to TJ’s. Especially as they are a very reasonable $2.29. And the ingredient list is quite normal, natural, not filled with additives or chemicals. We like that.
I give these crackers a huge Thumbs Up. You should grab a package (or two) while you can and check them out.
Trader Joe’s has come out with a ton of HUMMUS varieties as you probably know from checking the shelves….
“(we’ve come out with versions like) …. Roasted Red Pepper, Olive Tapenade, and Crunchy Chili Onion. But even aside from adding flavors, just adjusting the proportions of one of the existing base ingredients yields remarkable results. Take Trader Joe’s Dreamy Creamy Hummus, for instance. Here, our supplier doubles the amount of tahini of a standard hummus recipe to create a texture so thick, rich, and exquisitely Creamy that it’s simply Dreamy.”
Ingredients as you know must be listed in order of quantity. When I looked at the label closely, I was a little surprised to see the first ingredient listed here is actually water, not chickpeas, which are listed second.
This is the reverse of (for example) the Organic Hummus which I liked (label below). As you can see in that version, chickpeas are the first ingredient. I mean, of course, right? Pretty sure any recipe witll list chickpeas as the main ingredients. The Organic Hummus list first “Fresh steamed chickpeas” with water, which is needed to smooth out the chickpeas, as the second ingredient.
Knowing that the “creamy dreamy” has more water than chickpeas in it is kind of a turn off to me. So I kind of think I would not buy this “dreamy” one again.
Creamy Dreamy Hummus $2.49
2 TBLS, about 50 cal
WATER
CHICKPEAS
TAHINI (PUREED SESAME SEEDS)
SEA SALT
DEHYDRATED GARLIC
CITRIC ACID (ACIDIFIER)
GUAR GUM
The hummus at Trader Joe’s I usually get are the Mediterranean, Roasted Garlic and Organic hummus. I’ve found all of those pretty solid choices. I will pass on this one.
As the name say, these are mozzarella shaped into little balls, or pearls. I made them into a Caprese salad along with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, plus balsamic and olive oil. They are pretty good for salads and the like. Or for tossing into a pasta dish. You can also take these and marinate them with garlic and oil. About $4.29 for a pound. I do think though that I prefer the large mozzarella logs as I think that cheese is a bit softer. I can cut those into any size piece I want. These are cute though and they can be made into marinated mozzarella pearls which people love.
Delightfully chewy rice dough exterior with interior of sweet ice cream infused with black sesame seeds.
Trader Joe’s recently released Black Sesame Mochi, a new frozen dessert featuring a black sesame-infused ice cream filling encased in a chewy mochi shell. The mochi is reportedly quite popular, with many finding the nutty and slightly savory flavor of the black sesame to be a unique and enjoyable addition to their dessert options.
The internet seems to be going crazy about these, for good reason. They are terrific. Many are saying Trader Joe’s new: BLACK SESAME MOCHI may be the best product they released in Summer 2025.
Inside the chewy, yummy mochi rice wrapper you find the ice cream filling, with the delicious, unique flavor of black sesame seeds (known in Japanese as “kuro goma”).
We tasted these and we all just loved the flavor of the black sesame. This is just a great dessert or snack. You are supposed to wait three minutes so they slightly defrost to get to the perfect texture and flavor. Waiting is the hardest part…
“Our supplier infuses an ice-cream base of milk, cream, and cane sugar with a paste made from roasted, finely-ground Black Sesame seeds. This paste not only lends a rich gray-black hue, but also brings that characteristic nuttiness with a hint of savory to contrast with the flavor of the frozen sweet-cream. Surrounded by a rice-dough wrapper which has also been given the Black Sesame- seed treatment, the resulting couple-bite-sized frozen treat is intriguingly tasty, and an instant conversation starter during your dinner-party dessert course.” – Trader Joe’s
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