Run To Grab This Trader Joe's Find That's Perfect For Soup Season

Whether you're more of a hearty stew person or prefer a basic three-bean vegetarian chili, there's no denying one simple fact: We're entering soup season. And although the soup itself will always be the star of the show, it's our belief that the side dishes are what make a cozy winter meal truly stand out. Often, that means a slice of warm, crusty bread spread with salted butter, or a honey-drenched piece of sweet cornbread. But this year, Trader Joe's might just have changed the soup game with a genius cornbread-cracker fusion that it calls cornbread crisps.

The offering has actually been around for eight years, but if you haven't tried it yet, maybe this year is your time — and even if you have, we have some new ideas for how to use them. The bag of crisps, which are shaped like typical rectangular crackers and dusted with sea salt as any good cracker should be, is the product of traditionally baked cornbread being flattened, cut, and roasted to a crisp. The result? A sweet, crunchy, (and vegan!) bite that really does taste like a cornbread chip. One astounded Redditor on the Trader Joes subreddit commented on a post about the crisps, writing, "Is there anything that TJ has not turned into chip form?!?!" The answer to that seems to be getting closer and closer to no — and hey, we're not complaining.

Even the simplest way to munch these cornbread crisps — straight out of the bag — is delicious. But one of the things Trader Joe's is best at is combining flavors and foods to make something totally new, and then encouraging customers to do the same. So this fall, we extend a challenge to you to pair the cornbread crisps with your favorite soup. 

Want to try some of our best ideas for how to do so? Crumble them on top of your favorite cozy soup for a little crunch, dip them into a spicy chili to scoop up the perfect bite, or pair them with any number of dips that Trader Joe's offers for a cornbread cracker flight of flavor. One great option is the grocery chain's cowboy caviar salsa, made up of black beans, corn, onions and red bell peppers. It's sort of like chili in dip form, making it possibly the perfect companion for cornbread in chip form.

But other than that, you could also try crumbling Trader Joe's cornbread crisps into breadcrumbs to coat breaded and fried chicken, or even use them to make a chili-inspired nacho plate with cheese, sour cream, and so on. At only $2.99 a bag, you might as well stock up so that you can test out a myriad of uses for the simple yet genius crunchy snack — and since it's a seasonal item, make sure you take a trip sooner rather than later to ensure the cozy autumnal offering is still on shelves. While you're there, grab a couple boxes of actual cornbread mix as well, since it's another one of Trader Joe's best fall offerings. The crispy version might be nice, but sometimes nothing hits like a square of soft, sweet, crumbly cornbread.