The Best New Supermarket Snacks of 2015

Supersavory thanks to a trio of umami-rich foods — beef, blue cheese, and mushrooms — Uncle Andy's Boise's Mushroom Blue Cheese Beef Jerky ($7) also brings the cheese's characteristic twang, making it one of the most interesting jerky's we've tried to date.

The filling of Strawberry Fig Newmans ($5) boasts a really intense flavor not unlike strawberry jam, and lots of crunchy seeds that provide textural contrast between the filling and the soft cookie.

There's a lot going on with Terra Chips Pickled Beets ($5), but we're not complaining. Like a hybrid between beet chips and salt and vinegar snacks with a mild dilly flavor, they're tangy, salty, and snackable.

Popchips Boardwalk Kettle Corn ($3) have a strong fake butter flavor, but we're into it. Paired with a subtle sweetness, this snack succeeds in tapping into nostalgic tastes.

If you like seaweed chips, consider giving Annie Chun's Seaweed Brown Rice Crisps ($3) a try. Essentially a seaweed chip fused to a crispy brown rice cracker, they're a bit milder and nuttier in flavor, as well as less messy to eat.

At first, we were drawn to Terra Chips Adirondack Reds ($4) for their pretty color; thankfully they taste as good as they look. Flavor-wise, there isn't anything wild going on, but the shatteringly crisp, almost flaky texture makes them a standout.

We were a little bit skeptical about a quinoa-based puff as the pseudograin has such a strong, nutty flavor, but I Heart Keenwah Aged Cheddar Quinoa Puffs ($3) surprised us. While quinoa's nuttiness is obvious, it complements rather than dominates the sharp cheddar coating. We also love how intensely crunchy these puffed snacks are.

Jif Peanut Butter Granola Bars ($4) taste like childhood and are true to the brand. We're also fond of the chocolate version.

A mere two ingredients go into Kitchen Table Bakers Jalapeño Parmesan Crisps ($4). Not surprisingly they're sharp, nutty, and spicy, with a supersnackable, crisp texture.

There's no mistaking the product that inspired Blue Diamond Sriracha-Flavored Almonds ($4). While we wish they were a bit less sweet, the tangy, true sriracha flavor makes these a winner.

Annie's Lemon Drop Cookie Bites ($2) reminds us of Girl Scouts Savannah Smiles in that they're buttery, tender, and very zesty.

Can't decide between a bag of Flamin' Hot or Cheetos Puffs? Pick up a bag of Cheetos Mix-Ups Flamin' Hot & Cheezy Mix ($2). In addition to those two classics, the mix includes cheese balls and a waffle-shaped cheddar jalapeño puff.

If you're partial to the Kind style of chewy, nut-based bar, Food Should Taste Good Macadamia Chai Real Good Bar ($2) should be on your radar. Similar in composition and sweetness level, it's a solid on-the-go snack option.

Blue Diamond Honey Cinnamon Nut Thins ($3) taste like a less sweet version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in a delicately crisp cracker form. We think they'd be particularly good paired with brie.

As long as you don't expect Jelly Belly Pancakes & Maple Syrup ($3) to taste like real maple syrup — they're more Aunt Jemima pancake syrup — they're a win.

We've enjoyed many a savory chickpea snack; sweet varieties, not so much. That is, until we tried Biena Cinnamon Maple Chickpea Snacks ($12 for pack of four), which pack bold cinnamon and maple notes into a well-balanced crunchy snack.

Kettle Brand Carolina BBQ Krinkle Cut Potato Chips ($3) taste like an entire barbecue spread in one bite.

Before you buy a bag of Royal Hawaiian Kona Coffee Banana Macadamia Crunch ($12 for pack of six), do note that this snack is for lovers of banana chips only; the flavor dominates. If you are on team banana, try them out. Clusters of perfectly toasted praline-like macadamia nuts and almonds round it all out.

Halfpops (partially popped popcorn kernels) might sound a bit odd, but trust us here — the crunchy, dense texture is addictive. Add to them authentic barbecue flavor, like with Halfpops Chipotle Barbecue ($2), and you have a winning nibble. Though they're tasty straight out of the bag, we can imagine them as a great crouton-like addition to taco salad.

A collaboration between Nabisco and Martha Stewart, Triscuit Toasted Coconut and Sea Salt ($3) lives up to the media mogul's exacting reputation. Sweeter than your typical Triscuit (notes of brown sugar come through) with enough salt to balance it all out, these crackers are only available for a limited time.

If you like Krave Jerky's bold flavors but wish it were a bit less sweet, Fusion Jerky is for you. All of the flavors are solid, with two spicy options standing out as our favorites: Fusion Jerky Chipotle Lime Beef and Fusion Jerky Chili Basil Turkey (both $7).

We're pretty obsessed with Angie's product line, and its latest, Angie's BoomChickaBites Tropical Mix ($4), a Target-exclusive snack mix, is no exception. Intensely coconutty in flavor, these popcorn-, sorghum-, and amaranth-based clusters bring tropical flavor to snacktime.

Popchips Crazy Hot ($3) live up to their name. Like lighter, not-cheesy Flamin' Hot Cheetos, these crisp, spicy snacks are ridiculously addictive; don't say we didn't warn you.

We didn't think that yogurt-covered pretzels could be improved upon, until we tried Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps Minis Vanilla Yogurt ($3), lightly coated, extrasalty pretzel crisps that we couldn't stop popping into our mouths.

Fans of the slightly gamey taste of aged beef will appreciate The New Primal Spicy Grass-Fed Beef Jerky ($16 for four), which matches intensely beefy flavor with a just-right heat level.

Theo Kids' Crunch ($2) might be marketed to children, but we'll be hoarding these puffed-grain-studded petite chocolate bars for ourselves. All three flavors are exceptional: the raspberry is tart, almond nutty, and banana just sweet enough. Basically, they taste like higher-quality Crunch bars jazzed up with nuts or freeze-dried fruit.

Unlike many varieties of beef jerky, New Zealand Premium Beef Jerky Original ($7) isn't too sweet. Instead, the earthy flavor of the beef is allowed to shine; a subtle smokiness rounds it all out.

Imagine if you took the flavor of Apple Jacks and the texture of Pirate's Booty and added a crisp caramel coating to the mix, and you essentially have Cosmos Creations Caramel Apple Crisp ($4), an addictive puffed corn snack.

365 Organic Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chewy Granola Bars ($4) are a great way to satisfy midday munchies. The peanut butter caramel glaze is lovely, the roasted peanuts taste fresh, and the sprinkling of chocolate chips throughout the bars adds just enough sweetness.

We're not sure exactly what makes Angie's Holidrizzle Boom Chicka Pop Frosted Sugar Cookie ($4) a holiday flavor, but we're certainly not complaining (and we've spotted bags on shelves in Target already). Like kettle corn cranked up to 11, the perfectly popped popcorn kernels are drizzled with vanilla white chocolate and pink sprinkles.

If you like chocolate-covered almonds, you'll love Setton Farms Dark Chocolate Pistachios ($6). Both the chocolate and the nuts are high quality, and it's a nice change-up from the norm.

Essentially a granola and cereal hybrid, Barbara's Better Granola Dark Chocolate Cranberry ($5) is a solid lighter alternative to classic granola. Shavings of dark chocolate and dried cranberries add just enough sweetness, while oat clusters and Barbara's Puffins cereal provide crunch.

There's no weak link in Whole Foods' 365 Mango Baobab Trail Mix ($8). A combination of mango baobab bites — basically tangy fruit leather nuggets — roasted almonds, dried sour cherries, dried cranberries, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds, it has just the right balance between sweet and nutty, chewy and crunchy.

Thanks to Unreal Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups ($3), there's finally a great peanut butter cup alternative for those who don't like (or can't eat) peanuts.

Rold Gold Sharp Cheddar Pretzel Cracker Sandwiches ($3) taste like Ritz Bits made with pretzels instead of Ritz crackers — which is to say totally delicious and nostalgic.

If Quaker Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars were a staple of your youth, Kind Healthy Grains Popped Dark Chocolate With Sea Salt ($4 for five) should be on your radar as they're like the grown-up version of this childhood favorite.

Planters Sea Salt & Vinegar Peanuts ($2) are just like the chips in nut form. They'd pair perfectly with a crisp cold beer.

If you took Haribo's classic Gold-Bears and rolled them in sour salt, you'd have Haribo Sour Gold-Bears ($2). Basically, they're the same beloved flavors made sour (and even more irresistible).

While we're extremely skeptical of Lance Quick Starts Cinnamon Roll's ($3) label claim of "nutritious morning energy," we found them quite tasty nonetheless. Aggressively flavored with cinnamon, they're like Cinnamon Toast Crunch in cookie form and would be ideal for camping and road trips.

We were excited to try 365 Everyday Value Baked Naan Chips ($3) based on their unique flavor alone; thankfully they're not only intriguing but quite tasty — tangy, earthy, and salty all at once.

One of the more polarizing snacks of the bunch, Cheez-It Crunch'd Hot & Spicy ($3) are like a denser Cheeto flavored like Frank's RedHot-spiked Velveeta nacho cheese.

Malty-salty pretzels provide just the right balance for Rold Gold Creamy Fudge Pretzel Cracker Sandwiches' ($3) chocolate filling.

Cabo Chips Mango Chili Lime ($3) pack just the right amount of spice, salt, tang, and sweetness into each crisp thick-cut chip.

Frankly we'd be shocked if Trader Joe's Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies ($4) weren't good. Speculoos cookie butter is sandwiched between mild, buttery shortbread cookies, a move that keeps these from being spice overload. All in all, they're pretty much the best thing ever.

SweetTarts Ropes ($1) taste like if you filled a Fruit Roll-Up with crushed SweeTarts. In other words, they're a childhood dream come true.

While we found it a bit puzzling that Wheat Thins Garlic Herb Toasted Pita ($3) aren't actually made from pita bread like how traditional pita chips are, that didn't stop us from gobbling up these crisp, garlicky chips. Flavorful enough to stand alone, these don't need a dip to round things out.

While not a new snack exactly, Arnott's Tim Tam Chocolate Crème Cookies ($3), an Australian favorite, are now available for the first time stateside. These chocolate-covered biscuits are sort of akin to a Kit Kat, except that the wafers are chocolate and they might just be even more addictive.

Though Trader Joe's Kettle Popped Sweet and Salty Popcorn Chips ($2) are made with chia and flax seeds, they don't taste too wholesome. They're like a cross between a mini rice cake and kettle corn.

No, Cheetos Sweetos ($4) don't involve a lick of cheese. Instead, the corn-based puffs taste like cinnamon toast cranked up to 11 and share the same addictive crunch as their neon-orange counterparts. Do note that these give off a strong fake butter scent, but that didn't stop us from scarfing a few handfuls.

It's damn near impossible not to demolish a bag of Pretzel Crisps Sriracha and Lime ($3). The spicy-zesty powder that flavors the chips is so good, we sort of wish we had a jar of it to sprinkle on food.

If you don't like spicy things, steer clear of Trader Joe's Fireworks Chocolate Bar ($2), a dark chocolate bar that's doubly tingly from popping candy and capsaicin heat. Otherwise, you're pretty much guaranteed to love this unusual sweet.

Japanese snack fanatics and seaweed-lovers will get a kick out of Pop Art Nori Sesame Popcorn ($4). The snack makers definitely don't skimp on the bits of nori, and the sesame adds a nice nutty flavor.

Tostitos Queso Blanco Dip ($10) would be ideal for satisfying drunchies, especially given that making queso from scratch probably isn't the best idea when you're already a few drinks deep. We wish it had a bit more heat — it is after all advertised as medium, not mild — but otherwise found it quite irresistible.

Kettle Brand Pepperoncini ($3) are a great alternative for those who like tang but find salt and vinegar chips to be a bit too intense.

Like red velvet cake, Red Velvet Oreos ($4) boast a very mild chocolate flavor and sticky-sweet cream cheese frosting centers. If you're sensitive to the flavor of red food dye, these will taste bitter, but if not, you might just fall in love.

It's nearly impossible to believe, but we think Pretzel Crisps Gluten Free Original Minis ($3) may be better than traditional wheat. These tiny crisps have a phenomenally crispy texture and perfect amount of salt.

Meet dip's best partner: Tostitos Rolls ($3). The tube-like shape sucks up creamy dips (like Tostitos Queso Blanco Dip) and provides just the right amount of crunch. Do note that they're not an ideal shape for chunky salsa or guac (choose a different chip for that).

Nature Valley Salted Caramel Peanut Nut Crisp Bars ($3) are perfumed with subtle savory note of rosemary. Salty-sweet, with perfectly roasted nuts, they're a good candidate for tucking into your purse for emergency snacking.

While not cheesy, Late July Jalapeño Lime ($4) reminds us of a more wholesome Doritos as it shares a similar can't-put-the-bag-down quality.