#16. Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin Crossaints - Part 2

...many hours later I returned home from work to find my croissant triplets had doubled in size. That development certainly boded well for the texture. I crossed my fingers, set the stove dial to 350, and like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, slid the children into the oven.

Baked Croissants

Seventeen minutes later I retrieved the croissants, which had browned lightly. FYI, I prefer I slightly soft croissant, but if you're aiming for a very crispy exterior, leave them in the oven longer.

This breakfast pastry fairy had an insanely happy ending. I cannot believe how a croissant resurrected from its frozen state could have such amazingly buttery, light, and flaky dough. Complementing this savory casing studded with roasted seeds was a sweet, intense pumpkin and cinnamon filling. I consumed two of these babies post haste and forced myself to leave one for my husband.

Very often you do not get what you pay for with regards to pricey gourmet food. This product is a wonderful exception.

#12. Quaker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Seasonal pumpkin-flavored products tend to fall into the not-so-healthy category (I'm looking at you Hostess Pumpkin Spice Donuttes), so it was refreshing to see Quaker Oats had gotten the squash bandwagon via its offering of a limited edition pumpkin spice instant oatmeal.  Although Irish steel cut oats are my absolute favorite type of oatmeal, Quaker products in my tasting experience are extremely satisfactory. 

Each box comes with eight packets of instant oatmeal that is easily reconstituted with hot water or warm milk or cream. (I suggest using the latter for a heartier, more decadent matutinal meal.)  Along with oats, packets also hold various spices and a bit o'sugar.

This composition naturally (or rather, unnaturally) renders the instant oatmeal more caloric than plain oats; however, each packet is still only 160 calories and for that expense you still gain the profit of whole grains, fiber, and enhanced taste.

Speaking of which, the pumpkin flavor is strong, young padawan, in this hot cereal, and leaves one feeling satisfied and invigorated to take on all the challenges of the day ahead, be they navigating corporate mazes or wielding a light saber. Not that they are mutually exclusive.

#10. Pillsbury Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Readers of the extensive canon of food writing know that I have an irrational devotion to Pillsbury products due in large part to my fascination with the Dough Boy. I find his pudge, his effeminate giggle, and pigment-less visage, utterly charming.

Thus, it took little convincing for me to sample Pillsbury's limited edition Pumpkin Spice Rolls made with Cinnabon Cinnamon (THAT'S A REGISTERED TRADEMARK, BITCH). Let's forgive Pillsbury for the redundancy that is "Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon" as standard pumpkin spice includes cinnamon.

Pillsbury has an extensive line of refrigerated cinnamon rolls , only some of which are the "Grands!" style, i.e., over-sized. Despite their excessive girth, I was able to eat three in one sitting, but more on that later.  

Although I usually have no trouble wrangling Pillsbury's refrigerated dough products from their paper tube (and who doesn't love that satisfying POP when you crack the sphere against the counter), this particular time so doing proved ridiculously difficult. I nearly ruined half the rolls during the extraction process.

But time in a warm oven tends to heal all wounds with regards to injured baked goods, and fortunately, they emerged relatively unscathed, and more importantly, absolutely delicious. 

Pre-Icing Rolls. In and of themselves wonderful.

Major props to Pillsbury for consistently delivering a mass-market dough with an amazing fluffy, chewy texture and a rich yeasty flavor only enhanced with ample amounts of cinnamon, sugar, and butter. "Pumpkin spice" in the form of nutmeg could be detected in the dough, but strong squash notes come in the thick glaze on hand to adorn the rolls.  Tip: don't wait for the rolls to cool before executing this step as their warmth facilitating spreading the glaze evenly over the half dozen.

I love how commercials advertise these things as suitable for feeding a nuclear family and I could have easily polished off the bunch and had an omelet.