Welcome to A Pumpkin A Day, our new series highlighting the finest in fake pumpkin flavors! Beginning mid-September and running through whenever grocery stores and cafes stop selling pumpkin flavored seasonal treats, we’ll highlight one pointlessly pumpkin product per day.
Day three of our pumpkin fiesta brings us into the savory realm, a place some say, pumpkin spice should never go. I’m open minded, so I’m ready to give Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Tortilla Chips their fair chance to prove themselves as a food of fall.
On first sniff they smell exactly like what you think pumpkin spice tortilla chips would smell like. There’s really no other way to describe them. I’m expecting them to be a bit sweet, which I’m okay with because sometimes I eat tortilla chips with beets which are a bit sweet.
Taste Test
Turns out they are not sweet, which the 0 grams of sugar on the bag suggest had I checked the nutrition label first. That’s fine though because honestly, these are delicious. They have a nice coating of salt and taste like they’re made of quality, thick tortillas.
I think they would go really well with hummus, and the bag suggests you eat them with a yogurt-based dip or salsa, so I’m not far off. That said, I don’t think you should try to make nachos on them, melted cheddar cheese seems like a horrible pairing with the cinnamon and nutmeg on these chips. They would make great dessert nachos. Throw some marshmallows and chocolate chips on these, stick ’em in the oven, topped with whipped cream and various sauces, they would be delicious. They also would go really well with pumpkin pie mashed on them. Or as the crust to a pumpkin pie. Or dipped in caramel sauce. I would be all over that.
My main complaint isn’t about the chips themselves but is again about the packaging. This time around Trader Joe (or whoever writes the bags) decided to get really, really punny and alliterative. Don’t try to be cute Joe, just give me my seasonal chips and get on with it.
Even though I’m clearly a pretty big fan of these chips because they’re pumpkin-y and spicy without being nauseatingly sweet, I don’t think they would satisfy that pumpkin spice craving that some people apparently get. If you’re a PSL person, this won’t make you happy. Not sure when tortilla chips have ever been a reasonable alternative to sugary coffee drinks, though. So this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Ratings
Diabetes factor – 0, safe bet that nothing bad should happen to you, health-wise from eating these. Not even a cavity.
Mouthfeel: 10, they feel how a tortilla chip should feel, crunchy but not sharp, so I don’t end up with a sliced up mouth.
Right to exist – 8, I’m a pretty big fan of these. They should exist year round though, and not limit their potential.
Feel of fall- 3, no super strong fall vibes, but they do have that hint of something that reminds me of Ghostface.
