12 Fast Food Bakery Items We May Never Eat Again

The American fast food landscape has changed a lot over the years. From the 1960s wave of portable snacks to the 2000s onslaught of healthier-for-you menu options, the bites served across the United States' thousands of drive-thrus and counters reflected the times in edible form. So, it makes sense that fast-food bakery items look a little (or a lot) different today.

It seems that, over time, major chains have done away with favorites and underperforming creations alike. This has led to many customers who grew up with or were avid fans of the menu items venting their disappointments on social media and online forums. They've started petitions, attempted their own at-home recreations, and called out the companies directly. And, when these actions haven't worked, they've gone back to the internet to lament with others who remember the foods that defined affordable dining.

Gone are the days of old-fashioned sweets like apple pie and cinnamon raisin Danishes. Gone are the wholesome, grain-based options once offered at otherwise cheese-and-meat-focused giants. This especially goes for American chains' bakery selections, both sweet and salty. Endless bagel menus, lava-hot fruit pie pockets, and other once cherished traditions of the drive-thru and walk-up dining rituals are, at least for now, no longer with us. These discontinued fast food items have been scooted out of the way for more modern, cost-efficient picks in this age of protein-maxing, TikTok trend hopping, and menu minimalism. Read on to dig into what was left behind.

This is one of the fast-food bakery items that countless customers miss. As one of the many recently discontinued foods at Starbucks, the almond croissant was flaky, lightly sweet, delicate, and sublime for dunking into frothy cappuccinos. Part of the 2000s' wave of new food offerings that turned the coffee company into much more than an espresso stop, this option was nuttier than a traditional croissant, with a not-too-rich sugary topping.

This dance between airy and decadent flavors made it a favorite among regulars. So much so that when Starbucks attempted to discontinue it the first time, the public rallied and started petitions to save it on Change.org. In 2018, the Starbucks almond croissant was back in full force before it was officially axed in 2022. New petitions have since cropped up, with many garnering the signatures of hundreds of people. Meanwhile, there are many Reddit threads lamenting the loss of the pastry, with some even saying that not even high-end bakeries' versions of the treat can compare. One thread shows a cartoon of the almond croissant meeting the Grim Reaper — when the Starbucks item asks if it was a good pastry, the Grim Reaper replies with, "No ... I'm told you were the best."

While there's still an apple pie at McDonald's, many millennials and older generations remember the superior version of this fast-food bakery item. Since 1992, they've been baked rather than fried. Encased in a bubbly, glass-shatteringly crunchy crust, the old apple pie is one many still reminisce over.

When Ray Kroc was on the hunt for a dessert to add to the McDonald's menu, an eastern Tennessee man named Litton Cochran suggested a Southern treat: fried apple pie. He and his wife spent months making up to three versions of it nightly, tapping family members for taste tests — their loved ones kept notes to narrow down the best combination of spices, fillings, and crust type. When it was perfect, they demonstrated the crafting process for Mr. Kroc, who picked it as the fast-food chain's first dessert in 1968. This cardboard-boxed treat was portable, easy to eat without making a mess, and suited for the era's fast-paced lifestyles. Today, the original molds used to test this iconic item still hang in the family's home.

The apple pie remains among many McDonald's fans' favorite foods from the 1980s and earlier. During the 2000s, some franchises were quietly selling them to those desperate for a taste of fried nostalgia. Online forums even took to making maps of these spots so others could easily find them. It seems that not even burned mouths from the lava-like apple filling can mute fans' love of the fast-food bakery masterpiece.

This discontinued Dunkin' menu item was a fun twist on a cinnamon-sugar donut. Somewhere between a fry and a churro, these were a less messy option at a chain known for ultra-sticky bakery goodies. Sugar would still pepper the lap or table of the eater, but at least there were no post-snack gooey fingers to deal with.

Easy to snack on, this brainchild of the Dunkin' Test Kitchen was introduced in July of 2018. However, earlier in the year, the fast food chain soft-launched them across the company's home city of Boston to see what customers thought before a nationwide rollout. Word got out, and non-Bostonians took to social media to ask Dunkin' to bring them to their neck of the woods. By July 2, they got their wish at participating restaurants across the United States.

Each pack came with five donut fries. Served warm, they had the buttery, flaky goodness of croissants. Today, many still daydream about them, hopeful for a cinnamon-sugar return.

Turnovers are, clearly, a popular fast food bakery item in the United States. They're portable, easy to hold, and usually less messy than other desserts thanks to the folded nature of the dough. Arby's has long embraced this tradition, and though today it still serves fruity versions, it's the chocolate turnover that people miss.

The premise was simple: a triangle of pastry dough, a blanket of chocolate in the middle, and a zigzag of cocoa icing on top. But it clearly left an impression. By 2016, when it had left the menu, a slew of Change.org petitions, attempted recreations, disappointed Reddit threads, and complaints on social media cropped up as a result. Arby's took to X to explain that it removed the treat to make room for new Ghirardelli chocolate cookies. Even years later, people still retweeted the post to express their dismay, with one tweet from 2021 stating, "Bring back the turnovers, cowards." That still hasn't happened.

Jamba, or Jamba Juice as it was once called, used to carry some pretty great snacks. But the cheddar jalapeño twist from the 2000s was special. Spicy, buttery, salty, and, of course, twisty, it packed the perfect, umami punch to accompany the sweet smoothies. There was just nothing like an after-school meal of these cheesy bakery items and the fruity blended beverages. It's called balance.

The snack was introduced during the fast food wave of salty bites that hit the market right before the 2010s. As fast food chains sought to increase sales, they started innovating in the category, bringing forth savory goodies that could be enjoyed between meals — like snack wraps from McDonald's, which are making a comeback. Despite being firmly planted in the beverage and smoothie category, Jamba followed the trend, bringing twists into the world.

The menu advertised the cheddar jalapeño twist's calcium and iron content and mentioned that it even had 10 grams of protein. According to Jamba, this was a cheesy baked snack that could "build strong bones and put a pep in your step." Today, neither the twist nor the pep it put in your step is available.

This is another apple-based, classic Americana fast food bakery item that many miss. The Dutch apple pie from Burger King was old-fashioned in the best way, featuring a rich, fruity filling that made for a wonderfully bright, spiced, and sweet-and-tart contrast to the thick, decadent crust.

Unlike fellow fast food joints, this now-discontinued Burger King menu item came in the traditional slice, rather than as a turnover or sweet pocket in a box. It brought almost an elevated, yet homemade feel to the behemoth chain. Some even enjoyed it with vanilla shakes on top in a sort of à la mode twist. But, in 2020, it left the menu when the supplier stopped crafting the pie, and stock ran out. Many customers felt devastated over the loss, as generations of fast-food-goers had grown up eating the Dutch apple pie as children. Today, online forums are still filled with the complaints of Burger King customers who miss the treat.

There have been so many great bagels from Starbucks that are no longer with us, the cinnamon raisin and the asiago from the 2000s included, but the multigrain was especially noteworthy for its nuttiness, heartiness, and wholesome taste. The New York-style bagel dazzled with a confetti blend of oats, cracked wheat, barley, millet, triticale, sunflower seeds, and two kinds of flax. It was heavenly with a generous slathering of cream cheese and, if you asked, fresh blueberries (they came with the oatmeal, before Starbucks switched to largely using dried fruit) on top.

The multigrain bagel was a popular pick among health-conscious guests and was even featured on the Starbucks blog in the 2010s in an article titled, "What Your Bagel Says About Your Mood." According to the site, those who go with a multigrain bagel have a lot of exercise and errands to do, want to keep their nutrition on track, and are on the hunt for easily accessible and wholesome snacks.

Now, there are only two options in the United States, the plain and the everything bagel, and neither packs the complexity and nuttiness that this Starbucks bakery item did. Many still grieve the loss, taking to online forums to share old photos of this beloved goody.

This is yet another cinnamon raisin fast-food bakery item that bit the dust. The cinnamon raisin Danish from McDonald's was a star for years, but by the 2000s, it had left the menu.

Much like a Hot Pocket or Pop-Tart, these breakfast pastries used to be heated up in a toaster before coming out to customers. They were well-spiced, featuring raisin treasures within and a lattice of lightly sweet icing on top of the buttery, flaky dough. 20th-century ads for the company's hot breakfast highlights often included images of the adorned Danish, cementing it as a key part of the fast food chain's breakfast lineup. Childhood memories at McDonald's among Gen-Xers and older generations often include the cinnamon raisin Danish, which was eventually replaced by cinnamon rolls.

Despite having been gone for two decades now, many customers still think about and crave the breakfast treat.

This discontinued Jack in the Box item was pretty historic, having been served by the fast food chain since the 1950s. Old menus show that at the time, it was sold for just 17 cents (though by the mid-1970s, it had gone up to a staggering 25 cents). For decades, this hot bakery treat was served steaming hot, providing all of those fruity, rich, buttery flavors that just scream American dessert. But then, in the 2000s, it disappeared like so many other fast-food apple pastries.

Like the old McDonald's fried apple pie, the Jack in the Box bakery item led to many burned mouths, but it was beloved all the same. There were even reports that in 1965, upon being told the safe was locked, an armed man trying to rob a Canoga Park franchise opted for an apple turnover instead. Needless to say, it was an iconic piece of the menu, and many customers still think about it.

This is another discontinued fast food bakery item that was of the whole-grain variety. In 2013, Auntie Anne's introduced the honey whole grain pretzel as part of the chain's 25-year anniversary celebration promotion (which even included a chance to win a $25,000 cash prize, an Apple iPad mini, a year's worth of Coca-Cola beverages, or a $25 Visa gift card). Advertisements for the snack showed the pretzel, appropriately, floating in a bright blue sky above flowing fields of golden yellow wheat. And there were even sampling events leading up to the official launch.

Between the slightly sweet notes brought in from the honey and the nuttiness from the wheat dough, the pretzels were quite balanced. Compared to the other options at the time, this was framed as an opportunity for customers to snag a healthy bite at Auntie Anne's. Listed for $2.79, the honey whole grain pretzel was a short-lived but easy pick for those who liked a wholesome flavor profile.

The fast food apple pastry decimation continues with this bakery item from Taco Bell: the caramel apple empanada. While the chain now offers caramel empanadas, this original treat is long gone, much to the dismay of fans.

Introduced as a dollar menu item in 2000, the caramel apple empanada featured a glass-thin shell of pastry, chunks of apple, and buttery caramel sauce. It was easy to carry and eat, and offered creamy, sweet, tart, and flaky elements that made for a beautiful harmony of textures and flavors. This perfect fast-food fall dessert brought together a fruit famously embraced by American cooks and a spice that winds its way through traditional Mexican cuisine. Paired with the caramel, it was, like Taco Bell, a delicious fusion.

This gem was discontinued in 2019, but online forums are still flooded with wishes for its return. Although Taco Bell has temporarily brought it back as part of its nostalgic Decades promotions, it's still cut from the permanent menu.

It's difficult to emphasize just how many fast-food bakery items have come and gone from the Starbucks menu. But some have left larger impressions than others.

While the raspberry scone seemingly doesn't receive the same lamentations across online forums and social media that goodies like the almond croissant do, it's dearly missed by longtime Starbucks-goers. With the juicy red fruit studding the pastry like holiday lights and a layer of crunchy sugar on top, this treat was outrageously tasty for those who tend to opt for berry desserts over chocolate ones — and it could be eaten for breakfast.

The raspberry was similar to the blueberry scone, but was fatter in shape, brighter in flavor, and featured a more fluffy rather than crumbly texture within that signature crust. And, best of all, it was topped with extra raspberries by hand before serving. It was sweet, tart, and slightly floral, and read very "springtime teatime snack." Today, fans try to recreate it with their own recipes now that it's no longer on the Starbucks menu.