Location Discovered: the baked-goods section of our local Sweetbay Supermarket
Subtle Note: I’m not certain, but I’m fairly sure that these are the kind of muffins that are prepared at a central bakery somewhere and shipped to the various stores – not ones that were baked on-site.
Importance?: I honestly wouldn’t expect pre-packaged muffins to stack up to the likes of Dunkin or Panera anyways, so these served their purpose … mainly in providing a quick and filling, pre-theme park breakfast while I was on vacation over the last week!
Fulfillment?: All in all, these little treats rose to the challenge nicely – a lot better than I had been expecting, in fact.  They remained moist up until the last one was eaten several days after purchasing and cracking open the package; the pumpkin flavor was at least enough to justify calling them pumpkin muffins, which sometimes can be a bigger deal than one would think!  And while the pumpkin punch wasn’t as rich and flavorful than the other varieties listed above, those also would’ve likely cost me three times as much and not endured the tests of time very well, so in a pinch Sweetbay’s pre-made pumpkin muffins provided on-demand breakfast for a week … and sometimes that’s good enough!

Initial Thoughts: Is this the pumpkin redemption that Wal-Mart has been looking for, ever since they tried to pass this moist cake off as Pumpkin Cake last year?  Could it be that some chef at Wal-Mart HQ read that very blog post and thus vowed to step up his game and lead his company to deliver a pumpkin product that actually tastes like pumpkin in 2009?!
One Bite Later: Ok, maybe not…
Two Bites Later: Has anyone in the home offices there in Bentonville, Arkansas actually ever tasted pumpkin?
Sigh … Two Slices Later: So it’s another swing and a miss for Wally World, which is too bad because just like its predecessor, this one still has the moistness factor down pat!  And it’s not even that this new variety is completely flavorless – I can definitely taste the cream cheese, but aside from that attractive swirl, I’m still not seeing any real resemblance to pumpkin and sorry guys, but when it’s the first word in the name of your product, it kind of needs to be noticeable when somebody takes a bite!  The cream cheese was great, the hint of brown sugar streusel on the top was a nice touch, but no pumpkin.
Forward Encouragement: Maybe next year guys – just keep your eye on the ball and your feet planted firmly in the pumpkin patch!  Likewise, if you want to have someone take you out between now and next fall and show you what a pumpkin patch actually is, it might not be a bad idea.  I’m just saying…

Claim: Pretty much the best pumpkin bread that I’ve had to date.
Cause: The pumpkin flavor is both full and vivid, the consistency quite moist, to the point where it falls apart in pieces as you pick it up.  Perfect!
Cost: Frankly, unknown because my in-laws actually bought this loaf and then promptly forgot about it when it came time to leave, but it’s gotta be somewhere between five and ten bucks, I would assume.
Side Note: Although I’m not finding it in their online menu now, I remember hearing rumors last year that Bob Evans also offered some sort of fancy french toast with their pumpkin bread that I just never got around to trying.  That said, after having greatly enjoyed the bread this year, I think it would be worthwhile to pop in for breakfast sometime during the next month to see if the rumor holds true … and if nothing else, they’ve still got plenty of other yummy offerings to make the trip an enjoyable one, pumpkin or no pumpkin!

Important Photo Note: The bite wasn’t in the muffin when I originally purchased it – give the folks at Panera a little more credit than that!  I just thought that this picture might be a little more worthwhile because, well, let’s not kid ourselves … this muffin wasn’t exactly as aesthetically pleasing as that muffin…
Shameless Self-Promotion: …and nowhere nearly as cool as this muffin!
Actual Muffin Promotion: As the picture hints, Panera’s muffin has a very rich pumpkin flavor, however unlike Dunkin’s variety, it wasn’t nearly as sweet or cupcake-like.  Granted, it was still a perfectly acceptable breakfast food, however if you’re looking for more dessert-oriented sustenance in the early morning hours, you might be better off stopping by the Double-D instead.

Initial Thoughts: Holy cow, that looks more like a cupcake than a muffin!
Persuasive Thoughts: This delicious, little bastard sat on my desk all freaking morning before I actually dove in, sharing its sweet pumpkin aroma with all those within range.  Seriously, I felt like I was in a bakery all morning, which made working a whole lot more enjoyable!
The Taste: Listen up, bakery folks – Dunkin Donuts is who you’re striving to be, at least with regards to pumpkin-y goodness!  It’s a bit crumbly, so be prepared with a plate and possibly even a fork, but the little mess is totally worth it for this glazed piece of genius.  The muffin itself leaves no doubts of its pumpkin-based origin, whereas the sugary crumbles and glaze on top is like icing on the cake – literally!
Side Note: For those not necessarily in the market for dessert for breakfast, select stores also offer this decadent treat without the glaze on top … not sure why anyone would want to deprive themselves of such a sugar high, but I guess it’s good to know that you’ve got options all the same.

Recipe: this little gem from AllRecipes.com
Inspiration: As the title implies, it seemed only fitting to celebrate National Pancake Day by frying up a little breakfast a la pumpkin.  Now whether National Pancake Day is on September 26th or actually February 24th as IHOP promotionally suggests?  Nobody cares – let’s just get to the eatin’…
Prep Time: about 20 – 30 minutes from dry ingredients to my plate, keeping in mind that I reduced the quantities to make a smaller batch
Scent: quite poignant, obviously thanks to the fact that the recipe incorporates actual pumpkin as opposed to simply pumpkin spices
Flavor: Well … frankly, not as good as I was hoping for – the pumpkin was there, but it seemed like it just needed more, which is odd because even judging by the color of the pancakes, you’d think that they would’ve been packed full of that pumpkin-y goodness that we’re shooting for here!  Granted, they were still a perfectly acceptable meal for the purposes of celebrating said national holiday, but strictly on a pumpkin basis, I must admit that they still left something to be desired…

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.

Cake or Bread?: They call it cake, however note that I picked it up off the shelf because it looked like what I truly think pumpkin bread should look like.
How Should Pumpkin Bread Look?: Soft & very moist, with a shiny, pumpkin-y “sheen” across the top.
How Should Pumpkin Bread Taste?: Well, in the abridged version – better than this.
Elaboration: While Wal-Mart’s cake/bread had the consistency that I’ve been searching for in a good pumpkin cake/bread item, it just didn’t taste like pumpkin and not for nothing, but that’s a pretty important part of what we’re looking for around here!  I really wanted this one to work, but true to Wal-Mart form, looks can often be deceiving.  Upon opening the container, the entire batch as a whole did have a very faint scent of pumpkin, but one bite and they could’ve just called it really moist, but no one distinct flavor cake/bread.

Caveat: Don’t let yourself get caught up on the name – it’s really just cream cheese.
Found At: Super Target (where else this year?!)
Flavor: Yes!!!  This, baby, is the real deal – a delicious, creamy, cheesy spread for your breakfast eatables that brings forth the sweet flavors of pumpkin without tasting absolutely horrible.  As with many pumpkin-based foods, the color truly speaks of the flavor – very good, indeed.
Try It On…: I had mine on a fresh, plain bagel to ensure that I really got to savor the flavor, but I’m sure it would go equally well on other breakfast pastries as well.

Source: side of the box recipe from Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread
Ease of Construction: Not too bad, except it’s kinda hard to cite a timeframe on this particular baking project because halfway through I realized that I was all out of plain, old white sugar and had to run to the store.  Pretty straight-forward recipe, though.
The “Oops” Factor: It’s kind of tough to tell from the photos, but about ten minutes out of the oven these puppies sank like there’s no tomorrow and I have no idea why!  Any ideas?
Flavor: While not the prettiest to look at, these muffins were quite awesome and I’d eagerly bake them again this season if it weren’t for so many other recipes that I still want to give a try!  The only addition that I could possibly suggest would be to consider some way to help flavor the cream cheese filling – granted, I did omit the small quantity of lemon peel from the recipe because I hate lemon and maybe that would’ve helped, but all in the same, maybe a little extra pumpkin spice or something?

Either way, still a quite tasty recipe – great for breakfast or in my case, a very late night snack!