What's New at Trader Joe's This April? Carrot Cake Cream Cheese, Hot Honey Mustard & More

Growing up, my mother always had slice-and-bake cookies on hand (you know the kind). Now, with kids of my own, no TJ’s run is complete without swiping up a package or two of this ready-to-bake cookie dough. The chocolate chunk variety is a mainstay in my fridge, as well as the plain sugar, and now, for a limited time, you can get that same vanilla base shaped like an adorable springtime sunflower.

Flour, sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla come together to form these edible blooms, while natural colors derived from vegetable juices help create the purple-hued center and sunshine yellow petals. Dye-free and delicious, what more could you ask for?

This humble tin of mixed nuts is anything but boring thanks to two taste bud-friendly words: garlic butter. Crunchy coated cashews, almonds, pecans and bread chips are dusted with a flavor-blasted garlic butter seasoning blend for a treat that is a true savory surprise. Snack on them solo or serve alongside your favorite cheese plate for an envy-inducing girl dinner packed with protein and healthy fats.

Petition to rename the 1998 rom-com There’s Something About Mary Mochi. Maybe it’s the chewy rice dough coating or the smooth, sweet and delightfully chilled ice cream center (or better yet, a combination of the two), but I can’t get enough of this freezer aisle dessert. Trader Joe’s has helped bring this fusion phenom to the masses, and while its top flavors include strawberry, vanilla, green tea and coffee, I have a hunch the latest addition—salted caramel—will soon dethrone them all.  

Breakfast grazing boards are the new butter boards, and this carrot cake-flavored cream cheese is the smearable spread that will anchor it all. Whipped to a light and airy consistency and flecked with bits of dried carrot, carrot powder, brown sugar and warm spices, this spring-coded topping will complement all your brunchtime basics, from bagels and pancakes to brioche French toast. Heck, you could even go carotene crazy and add it as a frosting to your next homemade carrot cake—just beat it with some powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract to up the sweetness.

Trader Joe must be on a sugar high after greenlighting all these new sweet treats. Next up, a sour mushroom-shaped gummy candy that will put your peach rings to shame. These whimsical, apple-flavored cuties are just begging to adorn your next springtime Swiss roll for an enchanted forest-themed cake that turns the boring black forest yule log completely on its head. If you’re looking for a recipe, might we suggest this tie-dye lemon stunner?

The ‘swicy’ food trend (that is, a combination of sweet and spicy flavors) has been going strong since 2022, and since then, TJ’s has found a way to incorporate it into just about everything—from popcorn to goat cheese. It was only a matter of time before a hot honey and mustard mash-up hit the shelves, and I am so happy it did. Pretzels, hot dogs and hamburgers are the obvious pairings here, but I could see this whisked into a sauce for pork chops or salmon, drizzled over roasted veggies or slathered on rye beneath a stack of thick-cut pastrami—yum.

More sweets? Yes, more sweets! This time in the form of a classic red velvet cupcake. The pastry chefs over at TJ’s went back to basics when thinking up this new bakery item, and to be honest, I’m shocked it didn’t already exist. Buttermilk in the batter gives this cake its soft, moist crumb, while a tangy swirl of cream cheese frosting tops it all off. Groundbreaking? No. Irresistible? Absolutely.

If there’s one thing Trader Joe’s knows how to do well, it’s cheese. So much so that it has a Spotlight Cheese program that features a new international or artisanal offering each month for a limited time. April’s main character is The “OG” (Old Goat) Aged Goat Cheese.

Aged for at least ten months, The “OG,” which features a harder texture than your standard goat’s milk cheese, will delight any guest grazing on your cheese board or antipasto tray—but don’t limit this chevre’s possibilities to first course confinement. Grate it over pasta, dollop it over pizza or stuff it into chicken breast with garlic, basil and sun-dried tomatoes.