Brand?: They weren’t really labeled or anything, but I found them in Target’s bakery section, for what it’s worth.

Taste?: Honestly, it was kind of hard to tell on this one just because the cream cheese frosting is SOOOO overwhelming and they’re small enough that it’s hard to take just a bite of cake unless you come in from the bottom!  Ultimately, the cake flavor is more spice than pumpkin, much like most of the stuff to come out of Target’s bakery, but they were still tasty and I can somewhat ashamedly predict that the whole container of 12 probably isn’t going to last me very long…

“Mini Cakes” … Aren’t Those Really Just Cupcakes???: Yeah, pretty much.  Although mini-cupcakes, if you really want to nitpick over semantics!

I just got back from my nearby Super Target with another fine take to prove that at least one super center cares to show our beloved pumpkin the proper love and respect that it deserves!  I also came across plenty of old favorites that I’ve already reviewed from Target in years past, but here’s a sneak peek at the new stuff that will be showing up on this site in the next couple of weeks…

• Eggo Seasons Pumpkin Spice Waffles
• Green Mountain Coffee Pumpkin Spice Coffee K-Cups
• Archer Farms Pumpkin-Flavored Milk
• Archer Farms Low Fat & Fat-Free Pumpkin Pie Yogurt
• Gourmet Pumpkin Pie Taffy
• International Pumpkin Spice Latte Mix
• Mini Spiced Pumpkin Cakes

Candlelight Commentary: I don’t mean to be a buzzkill or anything, but … is it bad if a candle smells better when it’s not lit than when it’s a’burning strong???

Commencement: So I guess to sum up my review … “Meh.”

Programming Note: I had actually wanted to feature these little bad boys last year when I had first gotten tipped off to their sudden appearance on grocery store shelves around the country, however there was a misunderstanding and by the time I circled back to them, I couldn’t find them anymore.  So needless to say, you can’t even imagine my joyous surprise when I found a couple boxes of these hidden at the back of the shelf when I was perusing my local Target the other day!

Best Breakfast Pasty Ever: What can I say?  I grew up on Pop-Tarts, so this was an incredibly easy sell for me!  My all-time favorite was always the chocolate fudge kind, but I was also partial to the cinnamon sugar and frosted cherry ones … and also s’mores, and chocolate graham cracker, and well, you get the idea!  There are just so many awesome different flavors of Pop-Tarts, it seemed obvious that there should eventually be a pumpkin variety amongst the frosted masses, and thankfully as of last fall, the fine folks at Kellogg’s finally came to their senses and gave us pumpkin people what we all so passionately wanted!

The Actual Taste: A sweet breakfast treat that will leave you longing for even more pumpkin deliciousness throughout the day, these Pop-Tarts were very true to living out the pumpkin pie flavor which the box depicts in such a whimsical, happily autumnal manner!  It’s like they took an entire pie and just crammed it into each individual pastry, and very similar to how strong the flavors in my also beloved cherry Pop-Tarts are, I was quite pleased with the flavor and only wished that they could fit more than two of them into one of the silvery wrappers…

Be Prepared to Search Far & Wide: If there’s but a single downside to these awesome pumpkin offerings, though, it’s simply that when they say Limited Edition, they’re not kidding around with these ones!  I’ve scoured the Pop-Tart shelves of pretty much every one of our local grocery stores and both years I was only able to find them at Target, so keep that in mind when you’re out hunting for a box of your own.  It got to the point where I was almost thinking about ordering an entire case of them from a seller on Amazon, but thankfully they did turn up eventually and it didn’t have to come to that!

Appearance: You ever notice how there are several tiers of appeal when you’re eating one of these microwave meals?  The first is when you simply look at the box and think, “Yeah – that looks pretty good.  I’d eat that for lunch one day next week!”  Then Wednesday comes and after actually opening the package, you think, “Well, it doesn’t look exactly like it does on the box, but they never do…” as if that’s some kind of excuse!  Finally, the microwave beeps and you open the door, faced with the meal that you’re actually going to have to eat now, thinking, “Is this what it’s supposed to look like?!  Where’d the box go???  Also, why do these things always smell like burning plastic?”
Taste: Surprisingly decent, which for microwave dinners is actually pretty good … at least in my book!  It certainly didn’t look great between the halfway stir cooking point and the finale, but I was actually able to stomach the whole thing, and the ravioli tasted remarkably like pumpkin in a way that I honestly never would’ve expected out of a microwave meal.  If you insist on eating these things for lunch and you enjoy pumpkin, I’d say that this one is worth a try!
Caveat: Just good luck actually finding it – I previously had only seen these through online grocers and wasn’t about to pay $15 between the dinner and however many ice packs it would’ve taken to get the thing to me here in Florida, but luckily one day pretty much on a whim I came across it at our local Super Target on a day when I was basically searching out anything pumpkin that I could find!  I checked at all of the other options – Walmart, Sweetbay, Publix – and none of them carried this one, so if you want to give it a try, just be prepared to hunt for it…

Smile: Doesn’t Pooh just look really, really happy there on that mug?!  Well, just like that willy, nilly, silly old bear, I too, was mighty thrilled when I tasted the first sip of my hot chocolate a la pumpkin, all thanks to the wonders of International Delight!  Granted, it’s been so long since I tasted the last one that I couldn’t even begin to compare the two, but for what it’s worth, this one does have a nice flavor to it.  Which is probably a good thing because I accidentally bought two bottles of the stuff as a result of not realizing that I had already gotten one during a previous trip a week or two earlier.  Oops…
Dosage: While I didn’t exactly measure how much I put in, it actually seemed like I did add quite a bit to find the proper pumpkin/hot chocolate consistency.  Big cup, though…
Keurig Plug: I’ve probably only used this fancy coffee maker thing a couple of times, whereas my wife uses it for tea quite a bit, but for the record I was pleasantly surprised at the cup of hot chocolate that it was able to crank out.  Fast, easy, clean, and I didn’t even burn myself on the scalding water or anything – no wonder so many people are fanatical about these things!

Initial Thoughts: It’s about time!
On Other Spreads: Every time I walk by that section of the grocery store and see how completely dominated it is by Philadelphia’s dozens of different flavors of cream cheese, I always wondered why I’ve never seen pumpkin in the mix.  I definitely prefer Philadelphia over any of the store brands, and their Salmon variety is one of my absolute favorites for a morning bagel, so needless to say, amongst so many other garden blends and miscellaneous fruit options, I was glad to see that pumpkin was finally getting its chance in the spotlight!
The Performance: Pretty much exactly what you would expect from a Philadelphia cream cheese – light and creamy, with a nice, but not overpowering pumpkin flavor.  It also just has a really nice smell to it, too, if I can say that without it sounding all weird!  Unfortunately, being a “Limited Edition,” that likely means that it might even be off the shelves already, but I should still be able to get a week or two’s worth of bagels out of this tub!
The Encore?: Don’t get me wrong – I think that this tub is definitely a step in the right direction, but I’d also like to see a pumpkin offering from them in their Whipped variety as well.  Granted, the flavors aren’t nearly as plentiful in that brand as in the regular kind, but it’s a little healthier and it’s also got more of an airy texture that I kinda like.  Maybe next year, Kraft???

Super Quick Review: Good cookies, sweet, tasty filling, but didn’t taste pumpkin-y in the slightest to me.

Sheer Excitement Even From Just Finding These Things: super high!
Fanboy Disclosure: Ok, well I may not be an official, card-carrying member of the Ghirardelli Fanboy Club, but I am particularly fond of their desserts when given the option of enjoying them on a leisurely evening.  My wife and I have been known to frequent their ice cream shop over at Downtown Disney in Orlando for a sundae or milkshake after a few hours spent buying more Disney stuff than two sane people actually ever need.  Heck, sometimes I’ll just walk through to take in the smells – if anything, these people know their chocolate!
Pumpkinalysis: It’s almost hard to tell whether the pumpkin is in the caramel or the chocolate itself with these squares, but either way, they are pretty darned delicious … as we’ve all come to expect from Ghirardelli, of course! The caramel is ridiculously smooth and creamy, and would probably melt in your mouth if you had enough restraint to actually savor it.  I’m thinking that these would’ve also been great to flavor some hot chocolate or even to top an ice cream sundae, like they do at the shop, but … well, let’s just say that I’ll need to pick up another bag if I want to do any experimenting like that…

Side Note: I’ve been waiting a long time to try some actual pumpkin-flavored chocolates, and these were great … any pointers on what else might be lurking out there in candy shoppes around the country?  I think that Godiva has something, so I’ll have to cross my fingers the next time I’m walking past their store in the mall.

Disclaimer: Prior to this review, I’ve never tasted any sort of artificial milk in my life whatsoever.

That Said…: I tried to give it my college best, folks, but after only half  a glass of this lactose-free pseudo-milk, it was pretty clear that soymilk just isn’t for me.  Maybe it’s just habit – I grew up on 2% milk and I can’t even stand skim, meaning that my wife and I have separate bottles in the fridge because that’s all that she drinks, but it just tasted weird to me.  The closest I could compare it to is maybe some sort of light or fat-free yogurt or frozen yogurt … probably because I would assume that maybe they use some of the same ingredients.
Pumpkin Spice?: Frankly, I think I was just too hung up on the soymilk flavor to reasonably discern any pumpkin similarities.  Not really having anything to compare it to, I suppose it might’ve tasted minutely autumnly, but I’m not sure if I’d go so far as to call it “like a scrumptious slice of pumpkin pie in your glass…”

Call to Lactose-Free Arms!: Hey, Pumpkin Lovers – are you vegan, lactose-intolerant, or otherwise just happen to drink stuff like this on a regular basis?  Post a comment with your own thoughts on this Silky beverage – I’m always curious to hear your opinions, especially when we’re looking at the kind of product that clearly just isn’t my cup of tea!