Fans of some of my other writing can vouch that in addition to this little obsession for pumpkins of mine, I’m also somewhat of a Disney geek in the grandest of ways, so imagine my joyful surprise when I found these little gems in the Living with the Land attraction over at Epcot’s The Land pavilion!  Now if only they’d had little baby Mickey pumpkins in the gift shop that I could take home…

Time of Creation: late night (about 15 minutes ago)
Ease of Creation: as easy as pie…or cake, rather, in this case
Scent: Definitely strong enough to help build a healthy pumpkin-prep!  The whole kitchen pretty much filled with the pumpkin spice smells as the ‘cakes cooked, which was a nice touch.  Whether making pancakes or waffles, I think these would be a great breakfast for a cool, autumn morning.
Flavor: Paired with a nice Mrs. Buttersworth syrup … Mmmmmm!  I think I ended up under-cooking them by just a bit because they were still a little soft in the middle, but for what it’s worth, I sometimes like my pancakes a little gooey in the center (as opposed to overcooking and drying them out) and with the addition of the syrup, it made for an almost dessert-like snack!
Recommend?: Yes.  I picked this one up at Super Target around the holidays, so I’m not entirely sure if they still have them around, but this simple mix would go great in a gift basket of sorts for fans of fall and pumpkins alike.

Pumpkin Surprise: What date is it?!  Praise Target for keeping the pumpkin flavor alive all year round!
Justifiable Enthusiasm?: kinda
Explain: While not the very best pumpkin flavor in a cake-like form that I’ve tasted since this blog first began many moons ago, credit is still due for simply making said limited flavor available long after every other grocer has cleared their shelves of pumpkin until next fall.
Official Verdict: Frankly, it was a bit on the dry side, even when sampling the whipped cream-laden portion. As a side note, I did attempt to consume this after stowing it away in the fridge for a few hours after returning home, so perhaps bringing it back to room temperature might help? That and maybe a scoop of ice cream or something, though, and I think this mini-treat could still be enjoyable to the pumpkin fan who hasn’t seen a pie since New Years…

Initial Reaction: a bit of surprise, as I don’t really expect to see much more with regards to pumpkin-oriented products on the shelves this time of year
Origin: Where else?  Super Target!
Good Find?: Well … maybe. Despite my poor assumption that these would be just like any other granola bar, but pumpkin-y, they definitely live up to their description at fruit and grain bars, which are much different from the traditional Quaker Chewy Granola Bars that I tend to enjoy.  The “fruit topping” is definitely very pumpkin-ish – about the consistency of maybe the pumpkin butter that I sampled earlier this year, which was ok – but the pecans on top I could’ve done without.
Ultimate Verdict: A bit too grainy for me, and the pumpkin fruit topping just isn’t enough to help me limp past that.  It wouldn’t surprise me if it takes quite a while to work through the remainder of this box…

Aside Plea to the Fine Folks at Quaker: This is your opportunity to fill a much-needed niche market!  Just take one of your regular chewy granola bars, splash some pumpkin-y goodness into the recipe, and presto – instant success, at least with this pumpkin fanatic, anyways!  Something to think about, guys…