Kat tastes the seasons: Fall 2016

Shambaugh+gathers+all+of+the+fall-themed+goodies+to+try.

Michael Smith

Shambaugh gathers all of the fall-themed goodies to try.

Kat Shambaugh, Copy editor, Photo editor

As the weather cools down and everyone’s Instagram fills with pumpkin patches and Halloween costumes, the market for fall-themed food dominates local grocery stores. Following in the now three-year tradition at The Chant, I decided to see what grocery stores — mostly Trader Joe’s, which decks out its entire store for the season — have to offer for 2016’s fall season:

Trader Joe’s Organic Frosted Pumpkin Toaster Pastries:

This healthy take on Pop-Tarts looked appealing from the package, but seemed almost bland in appearance when pulled out of the shiny silver foil. At first taste, they fell prey to the stereotypical Pop-Tart problem: too much crust, not enough filling. The tart tasted mostly like cinnamon, with a vague pinch of pumpkin from the lackluster filling. Overall, they will do for a quick snack but do not impress.

Shambaugh digs into the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Toaster Pastries, surrounded by other fall goodies.
Michael Smith
Shambaugh digs into the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Toaster Pastries, surrounded by other fall goodies.

Trader Joe’s Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies:

These frosted goodies boast brightly-colored icing and adorable sprinkles, and their taste lives up to the hype. Reminiscent of the iced animal crackers from my childhood, these cookies held the perfect amount of sweetness mixed with slight pumpkin spice and enticed me to finish the whole bag.

Trader Joe's Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies perfectly embody fall with a sweet taste and adorable look.
Michael Smith
Trader Joe’s Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies perfectly embody fall with a sweet taste and adorable look.

Starbucks’ Chile Mocha Frappuccino:

When Starbucks announced a spicy frappe in September, I jumped at the chance to try the treat. Sadly, the coffee drink supplied most of its zing through cinnamon on top and no real spice in the base. While I understand that Starbucks needs to keep its spice tame to appeal to a wide audience, I wished for more of a kick to bring in the fall season.

The Mocha Chile Frappuccino features lots of whipped cream and cinnamon on top.
Kat Shambaugh
The Mocha Chile Frappuccino features lots of whipped cream and cinnamon on top.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Macarons:

For a quick trip to France, TJ’s macarons do the trick. With a beautiful bright orange color, the small treats taste strongly of meringue but lack a pumpkin essence. I looked forward to a spicy take on macarons, but felt unimpressed with the normal sweet taste.

Hammond’s S’mores Popcorn:

I got so excited when I stumbled across these in Target’s Halloween section, as they look like the perfect mix between summer and fall. With a crunchy outer layer of delicious chocolate, the popcorn perfectly mixes salty and sweet and throws me back to the days of Cub Scout popcorn sales.

The Hammond's S'mores Popcorn mixes the fun of summer s'mores with the flavor of fall popcorn.
Michael Smith
The Hammond’s S’mores Popcorn mixes the fun of summer s’mores with the flavor of fall popcorn.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Soup Crackers:

Because the majority of the products on the market feature a sweet pumpkin taste, I wanted to try out a savory item: these soup crackers did the trick. At first I expected a taste like triscuits, but with a pumpkin twist. However, the crackers tasted overwhelmingly salty, with an herby aftertaste. I discovered no pumpkin taste at all, but the crackers would probably be very good in soup.

For a savory and salty treat, try Trader Joe's Pumpkin Soup Crackers.
Michael Smith
For a savory and salty treat, try Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Soup Crackers.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Chai Spice Loaf:

This loaf blended a pumpkin cake peppered with chai, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper and a rich cream cheese frosting. The richness of the cake and the icing overwhelmed me at first, but by cutting the sweetness with a cup of coffee, I found a delicious breakfast item.

Shambaugh finds the Chai Spice Loaf overwhelmingly sweet at first.
Michael Smith
Shambaugh finds the Chai Spice Loaf overwhelmingly sweet at first.

Creative Snacks Co. Pumpkin Spice Yogurt Pretzels:

As my favorite of the pack, these sweet and salty pretzels combine a crunch with icing that leaves a spicy note in the back of the throat. I honestly wanted to eat the entire bag in one sitting, savoring how the sweet icing paired with the salty pretzel and the spicy pumpkin. For a low price of $4 a bag, I can see myself investing in many bags for when the season ends.

As the best of the group, the Pumpkin Spice pretzels impressed.
Michael Smith
As the best of the group, the Pumpkin Spice pretzels impressed.

With so many options for pumpkin goodies this season, any grocery store or retailer will sell the perfect pumpkin treat to satisfy every customer.