Best: Pumpkin Spice Blondie Duet Bites
Sugar Bowl Bakery’s Pumpkin Spice Blondie Duet Bites, a seasonal spin on their classic brownie-madeleine combo, are miniature cakes with layers of madeleine and pumpkin-spice cake. Natural, flavorful and perfectly sweet, the bites capture the taste of pumpkin spice well. The pumpkin-spice cake’s soft, moist texture lets the flavor melt in your mouth and complements the firmer texture of the madeleine. The only problem: I ate too many, and now I’m starting to get tired of them.
Second Place: Miniature Ice Cream Cones
Another Trader Joe’s fall item, these miniature pumpkin-ginger ice cream cones are easy to eat, without the mess of melted ice cream. They are coated with a thin shell of candy with a chocolate-like texture, which gives way to the pumpkin-ginger ice cream within. The ice cream mostly tastes of vanilla and pumpkin, with only a hint of ginger that gives the treat a bit of fall spice (a win for ginger haters like me). The cone has an absolutely amazing crunch. While the ice cream flavor could be better, I’ve eaten almost all of the eight cones in the box.
Third Place: Apple Cinnamon Rice Crisps
Quaker’s Apple Cinnamon Rice Crisps are thin, crunchy rice crackers coated with an apple-cinnamon glaze. Though there is a discernible taste of apple and cinnamon, it’s overpowered by the glaze’s overall sweetness. But not all crackers were created equal: On some unevenly coated crisps, the plain rice cracker was too bland for my liking. The texture and taste reminded me of Frosted Flakes. Overall, these rice crisps are a good snack, but not anything special.
Fourth Place: Butternut Squash Ravioli
My first bite into Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Ravioli was not what I expected. Instead of the usual savory taste, I was met with the sweet flavor of — you guessed it — butternut squash. My surprise took away the enjoyment of the first bite, but after some time, the taste began to grow on me. Although the squash’s flavor paired nicely with the rest of the ravioli, the pasta shell was fairly bland. That, however, may be attributed to my mediocre cooking skills and the lack of sauce…
