Hi! I am not sure who needs to read this but it is still Fall…and as far as I am concerned it is still Pumpkin Season, as it should be. I’m SUPER annoyed pumpkin foods only get about a month and a half and then get pushed over by peppermint flavored foods. America really needs to get the seasonal stuff time periods correct. Luckily, I was able to find more pumpkin flavored goodies or baddies. Read my opinion below.

• Pumpkin Spice Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix: Add hot water/milk and you have a cozy cup of hot chocolate. It is very slightly pumpkin spice (but really just cinnamon)–subtle enough that you would not notice if you weren’t told. Down side is there is no marshmallows. This gets 3 out of 5 pumpkins. *#thehubs gives it 4 out of 5 pumpkins but I disagree and I write this blog so my opinion counts as the law on JoyPerks*

• Pumpkin Spice Muffin Mix: Super easy to bake (keep in mind that I adjusted the baking instructions for high elevation like the good baker that I am even though the package did not provide that wisdom), only requires milk as additional ingredient (and a bit extra flour for high elevation adjustment). Not too sweet, light flavor, texture is meh–but your expectations can’t be too high for a muffin mix. I tried to make them better by adding a homemade pumpkin spice and nutmeg glaze–but I’m not sure it did make them better (#thehubs says it did not). I would eat again! This gets 4 out of 5 pumpkins.

• Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bagels: Obviously not fresh. They smell delicious as they are being toasted but again light flavor. These are made with pumpkin flour (what?!) and pumpkin spice bits. I did eat these throughout the week. If they have them next year I recommend using them for a savory breakfast bagel sandwich (a folded egg cooked with Ajika Georgian Seasoning Blend, slice of American cheese, and some Mexican hot sauce drizzle). I fully believe that is the best use of this bagel. This gets 3 out of 5 pumpkins BUT if you use them to make the sandwich it gets 4 out of 5 pumpkins.

• Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Overnight Oats: Regular overnight oat texture but so utterly bad after a small tasting I would have thrown them in the trash (but I didn’t because I wanted #thehubs to taste how bad it was). And I like overnight oats and don’t really need them to be sweet. It is kosher for passover and also gluten free, however, I still give this 0 out of 5 pumpkins.

• Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Empanadas: First they didnt even get crispy nor golden brown after following past package instructions. The filling seemed to be exactly just pumpkin puree with no spices (neither sweet nor savory). I took one bite and that is it. I believe this would need to be added to make it better with a glaze or something else. This gets 2 out of 5 pumpkins.

I am likely not going to be able to find more pumpkin novelty food products. But If I do, I’ll make sure to blog about it! Stay safe and eat some pumpkin!