I Tried And Ranked 17 Of Target's New Fall Food & Drink Items, From Pumpkin Cheesecake To Caramel Apple Coffee

Hi, friends! It's me, your friendly neighborhood enthusiast of all things Halloween, fall, and fall-flavored. And, lucky for us, fall is finally here and so are the delicious seasonal treats!

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I decided to combine two of my favorite things (wandering around Target and neglecting my shopping list to buy things I don't need...and fall) to taste test and rank all the the autumn-themed goodies from Target's house brands: Favorite Day and Good & Gather. I grabbed as many as I could get my hands on at my local store. In total, I got 17 total snacks from their fall line, highlighting flavors like the classic pumpkin spice, to caramel apple and maple.

In total, I got 17 total snacks from their fall line, highlighting flavors like the classic pumpkin spice, to caramel apple and maple:

I scored each snack on a scale of one to five pumpkins, one being the worst and five being the best.

I taste-tested and ranked all of them below — here's how they stacked up:

Note: Some snacks were sent to me by Target for free to taste test, but all opinions are my own.

17.Maple Truffle Butter Cookies

I was a little disappointed by these cookies. They sounded like they'd be right up my alley, but I wasn't a huge fan overall. This cookie is suuuuper sweet and has a strong artificial maple flavor to it. The caramel is more sticky and solid than creamy and very much overpowers the chocolate. I honestly didn't really taste the chocolate — I just got an overwhelming, sugary sweet flavor that made it pretty hard to differentiate things. I wish the butter cookie on the bottom was thicker and had a bit more crunch — it made the whole cookie have a pretty soft texture, and I think I would've enjoyed it more with some variety.

16.Halloween Apple Caramel Crunchy Clusters

These gave me big Twix candy bar energy. Similar to the last one, these were super sweet. I could taste the apple a little, but the caramel was so sugary and the chocolate had such a strong artificial flavor, it kinda got lost. I didn't think this was bad, but there was a little bit too much going on for me. I also want to note that it's been so hot here lately, everything inside the bag had kind of melted itself into one big ball of broken pieces, which made this really hard to eat. That being said, I think the flavors might've been a little more balanced if I'd been able to eat a piece like it shows on the package with more pretzel and less topping, instead of picking a chunk off this giant chocolate caramel pretzel ball.

15.Candy Apple Pretzels

I opened this bag and immediately got a suuuuper strong apple cider smell, almost like a candle. The smell, though, is a lot stronger than the flavor of the actual pretzel coating. It's a little artificial, but it didn't bother me all that much because the apple flavor itself is pretty subtle. The pretzel inside is salty and, while I enjoyed the contrast, I think it was a tad bit too much salt and started to overpower the apple. I didn't dislike these, and I'm glad I tried them, but personally, I wouldn't buy them again.

14.Maple Shortbread Cookies

This cookie was alright. It was simple and tasted almost exactly as I imagined it would from looking at the package. The texture is nice, but the maple taste is definitely strong (too strong for me, personally), and there's an artificial sweetness to it. These were too sweet for me to want more than one of, but if you're someone who loves to drown your pancakes in maple syrup, I think you'd really like this.

13.White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Popcorn

Honestly, this tasted like a pretty average kettle corn to me, if not with a bit of a stale texture. It was alright, but didn't have much of a pumpkin spice or white chocolate flavor, aside from a slight pumpkin-y aftertaste. If you're looking for a seasonal pumpkin spice-y treat, I think you can find some better, more festive snacks at Target.

12.Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Artisanal Crisps

Immediately, this tasted almost exactly like a crunchier, slightly less sweet ginger snap cookie. I didn't really taste the pumpkin or the cranberry, but the ginger flavor was really strong. I thought they were alright on their own, but I think these could be reallllly good with a mild cheese like on the photo on the box, or used with a dip. I do wish they'd been a little more savory, though.

11.Caramel Apple Coffee

Just like it says on the package, this tastes a lot like caramel apple. The flavor is strong and sweet, and definitely feels pretty artificial. If you're someone who likes sweet drinks and the taste of the creamer over that of the coffee (and, of course, you're a caramel apple fan), I think you'd like this!

10.Pumpkin Pie Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

I had mixed feelings on this one. This non-dairy ice cream overall has a pretty subtle flavor and isn't too sweet. I feel like when it comes to pumpkin-flavored treats, they're either super pumpkin-y or lean into more of a pumpkin pie spice flavor. This one definitely leaned more toward the pumpkin side — aside from a hint of ginger, I didn't really get that cinnamon-sugar, spice-y taste. If you're a fan of pumpkin cheesecake, I'd highly recommend this to you, because — personally — I thought it tasted a lot more like that than it did like pumpkin pie. It was creamy and refreshing, but I found the aftertaste to be a little strange and sour. I didn't dislike it, but I don't think I'd seek it out again on my own.

9.Pumpkin Petite Bundt Cakes (with cream cheese frosting)

OK, first things first — I thought these were sooooo cute, and I was so excited to try them. They definitely have the vibe of a quick dessert you can pick up at the store that feels a little more fancy than just a pack of cookies or cupcakes.

The cake itself was moist and fluffy, and I enjoyed the texture. Honestly, though, I thought the flavor was just OK. I didn't really taste pumpkin, just a slight spice flavor. All in all, it just tasted very sugary. I'm not the biggest fan of cream cheese frostings in general, but I liked this one and that it didn't have that strong tangy or sour aftertaste they can sometimes have. Overall, I think this is fairly middle-of-the-road flavor-wise for a prepackaged dessert. If you're looking for something that feels really seasonal or pumpkin spice-y, though, I think there are better options.

8.Apple Cinnamon Pecan Trail Mix

This trail mix is made up of apple-flavored pecans, cinnamon-yogurt flavored pretzel balls, apple chips, and cranberries.

The best way I could describe this trail mix is "fall in a bag." Opening up the package immediately reminded me of smelling a Bath & Body Works candle, in the best way possible. Essentially, it brings all the best fall flavors into one trail mix. I appreciated that this is a bit healthier of a trail mix option, but overall, it's still pretty sweet. It definitely was more of a natural, sugar-and-spice kinda sweetness, especially compared to the super sugary, candy sweetness of the Scarecrow Trail Mix (ranked higher). I kinda wish the nuts weren't also sweet or that they'd mixed in something a little salty to add some variety, though. Still, it was a nice snack!

7.Pumpkin Spice Hot Drink Bomb

This was really cute! The hot cocoa had a strong pumpkin spice flavor, but it didn't feel overpowering. It was rich, creamy, and had a good sweetness to it. You could definitely taste the difference in quality of this vs. a traditional, powder-based hot cocoa. All in all, I think this is a really fun treat! If the trail mix I ranked right below this was "fall in a bag," then the best way I could describe this one is "fall in a mug." It had me ready to put my boots on and head to the pumpkin patch, even if it was, like, 85º when I was drinking it.

6.Pumpkin Spice Pretzels

The pumpkin spice flavor of these is pretty subtle — it really had more of a cinnamon spice flavor than pumpkin. The pretzel inside felt a little soft and was a tad bit too salty in my opinion, like with the candy apple one. I actually enjoyed the hint of salt — it felt like a nice contrast from the sweet coating — but I thought it was just a biiiiit too much. Still, I quite enjoyed these and definitely will be cracking back into this bag later. 👀

5.Candy Corn Crunch Trail Mix

This trail mix is made up of honey-roasted peanuts, candy corn, raisins, and white chocolate pretzel balls.

I'm famously not much of a candy corn fan, so I wasn't expecting to like this mix as much as I did. It was surprisingly really nice! This trail mix had the most variety of flavor, compared to the other two in the collection. There was a good mix of natural sweetness from the raisins and sugary bits from the candy for contrast. Honestly, I didn't hate the candy corn in this mix, either! I've never really liked how wildly sweet candy corn is, but this one was actually a little more mild. It was still pretty sweet, but not feel-your-teeth-rotting sweet, which I appreciated.

My one criticism of this is that I wish they'd thrown in salted peanuts instead of the honey roasted ones. I think a little contrast would've taken this to the next level and made it rank a lot higher for me, but all the sweet flavors kinda melded together after a while and became overwhelming. Still, though, I think this is a fun, festive treat, and I absolutely will be eating more of it.

4.Scarecrow Crunch Trail Mix

This trail mix is made up of peanuts, peanut butter candy, milk chocolate-covered cereal squares, white chocolate oat cereal, and milk chocolate marshmallow bits.

If you're a peanut butter and chocolate fan, this one is for you. In terms of trail mixes, this definitely falls more on the sweet, mostly candy side. However, I ranked this one higher than the other trail mixes I tried because I think the peanuts added a much needed contrast (that I was really looking for in the other mixes), and I very much enjoyed it as a savory element. I wish there were more of them in the package, but think the bit of salt really made a difference, because the flavors felt a little less same-y after just a few bites. I've found myself reaching for the bag of these the most since the taste test, so, can confirm, they're (very) addicting.

3.Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

These were sooooo good! I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The pumpkin flavor was subtle, but it balanced well with the slight tang of the cheesecake and the sweetness of the graham cracker. I like that they're packed in little bites, making it an easy, defrost-and-you're-done dessert for a get-together or a nice frozen treat if you just want one and aren't patient enough to defrost them (me). These were a great treat; I highly recommend them!

2.Pumpkin Spice Madeleines

Pumpkin spice madeleines have somehow made themselves a fall classic everywhere, and you know what? I'm not mad about it at all, because they're honestly always pretty good — and these are no exception. These madeleines have a subtle pumpkin flavor and aren't overly sweet. They're fluffy, and I liked that the spice flavor wasn't overwhelming. My only criticism is that the cookies were a tad bit greasy, but I feel like packaged madeleines tend to be that way. All in all, I enjoyed these!

1.Caramel Apple Crisp Cookies

I'm gonna be honest — I very much underestimated these cookies. They were absolutely the underdog of the group, but ended up being my favorite by far. I wouldn't exactly describe the flavor as candy apple — especially compared to the other candy apple flavored snacks I tried from this line. It actually tasted very cinnamon sugar-y, almost like a churro. The cookies had a nice crunch to them without making me feel like I'm gonna knock my front teeth out biting into them. Actually, they were surprisingly a little softer in the middle with a nice chew from the bits of apple. These would be the perfect treat to have with a cup of tea or coffee, and I will be promptly finishing this whole box. Highly recommend!

Before I leave you, here's a quick rundown of all the snacks and how they ranked:

#17: Maple Truffle Butter Cookies (2.5)

#16: Apple Caramel Crunchy Clusters (2.6)

#15: Candy Apple Pretzels (2.6)

#14: Maple Shortbread Cookies (2.7)

#13: White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Popcorn (3)

#12: Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Artisanal Crisps (3.1)

#11: Caramel Apple Coffee (3.2)

#10: Pumpkin Pie Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert (3.5)

#9: Pumpkin Petite Bundt Cakes (3.6)

#8: Apple Cinnamon Pecan Trail Mix (3.7)

#7: Pumpkin Spice Hot Drink Bomb (3.9)

#6: Pumpkin Spice Pretzels (4)

#5: Candy Corn Crunch Trail Mix (4.1)

#4: Scarecrow Crunch Trail Mix (4.3)

#3: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites (4.4)

#2: Pumpkin Spice Madeleines (4.7)

#1: Caramel Apple Crisp Cookies (5)

There you have it, folks! Happy fall, and happy snacking!

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