Waffling Between Pumpkin And Sweet Potato - Review of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Waffles

Hello LilyOnTheLam.com Readers -

If you read yesterday's post, you will know I am on a mission to eat my way through Trader Joe's seasonal pumpkin-flavored products.  Yesterday's blog post was on Trader Joe's Pumpkin Greek Yogurt.  

Next on the breakfast block is Trader Joe's Pumpkin Waffles.

A couple years in a frenzy of kitchen economics, I decided to donate my toaster to the Salvation Army.  I love, love, love bread and butter … but it is because of this mad, zany love that I don't allow myself to keep bread in the house (most of the time).  I could eat bread at every meal.  I should have a "I heart wheat" tattoo.  But as my expanding waist line indicates, wheat does not love me.  

I consider freezer waffles to be the lovely cousin to bread.  Growing up poor, our freezer never held the "Leggo my Eggo" frozen waffles that seemed to be the source of world peace and love according to the Saturday morning television commercials.  Now as an "adult" (or person masquerading as one) I do have the resources to stock my freezer with Eggo waffles (or Kashi waffles), but now I don't have the metabolism to deal with an all waffle diet.  

However on the rare occasion I allow myself frozen waffles, I do have a lovely Cuisinart toaster oven to allow me to toast my waffles.  Lack of toaster will not slow me down on my way to starchy carb nirvana!

As part of Trader Joe's seasonal, limited time only, pumpkin madness - they have brought out the "Pumpkin Waffles."  They are a slight orangish color, but not nuclear nacho cheese orange.  The scent of the waffles in the toaster oven was heavenly.  The outsides crisp up while the insides stay this amazingly lovely creamy almost custardy texture-- like a good French Toast (or "Pain Perdu" if you want to be all Frenchy about it.)  I've never had a frozen toaster waffle have such a custardy creamy center.  Let me tell you, I felt pretty ritzy with these toaster waffles.

However, I was hoping they would be so filled with pumpkin goodness that the first bite would be roaring with PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN!  Instead it was very mild - like a fall spice aftertaste way in the background.  My first thought was "Is this sweet potato?"  I read the ingredients and sure enough - just pumpkin, no sweet potato.

I very much enjoyed the texture of the waffle, but I was let down on the pumpkin.  I really wanted to get smacked in the face with pumpkinality.  (Yes, that's a word.)  I amped up the autumnal factor by drizzling cinnamon-infused syrup on it and it felt more like a "Fall dish."  But if you're looking for a super-pumpkin infused waffle, you would be disappointed by this.

I would recommend slicing some apples and simmering them in some apple cider on the stovetop until the apples are tender.  Then placed the cooked apples on a toasted waffle, garnish with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and sprinkling with Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie Spice.  With a treat like that, you won't be thinking about "where's the pumpkin?" or "is this sweet potato?"  You'll just be thinking "wow, this is delicious."

If Trader Joe's regular waffles have the crisp outside and creamy center of the pumpkin waffles, then I will be a big fan.