The Best Grocery Store Bakery Pumpkin Dessert Puts A Seasonal Twist On A Beloved Classic

There are many wonderful things that come with the arrival of fall, like crisp autumn evenings and colorful foliage, but few are as anticipated as the slate of seasonal desserts that begin arriving in grocery stores and bakeries. Pumpkin is back on the menu, and nowhere is it done better than Trader Joe's, where the grocery chain's Pumpkin Cream Cheese Croissants deliver pastry packed with fall flavor.

Technically, calling these pastries croissants is a bit of a stretch — the word "croissant" literally translates to "crescent," and these pastries resemble hand pies – but the reasoning for the name is clear. These pastries are made with an all-butter croissant dough filled with a center of spiced and lightly sweetened pumpkin alongside tangy cream cheese. The name may be something of a stretch, but the product itself was a clear first choice in our ranking of grocery store pumpkin desserts.

According to our reviewer, these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Croissants were carried by the combination of layered pastry and layered flavor. The dough was crisp on the outside, delivering the flaky experience of a good croissant, but softer within, allowing it to show off the luscious butter, warm spice, and sweet pumpkin flavors. These desserts manage to be rich while still keeping a certain lightness.

Straight out of the package, these shelf-stable pastries are already a treat, as many voices across the internet attest to, but according to customers, the real trick appears to be heating them before eating them. "You HAVE to do airfryer for 5 minutes," one Redditor writes. "The croissant actually bakes up quite nicely and the texture is almost like what you'd get at a bakery." Any dry-heat cooking method will accomplish this task, though, so ovens and toaster ovens are also fair game — just don't try the microwave.

Not every customer thinks that these Trader Joe's seasonal fall products belong on the grocery list, however. The general sentiment is one of excitement, but few products are for everyone. Some buyers complain of the shape being wrong for a croissant, the texture being too soft, or an overall lack of filling. "Maybe worth trying one time but I wouldn't buy them again," writes one less-than-enthusiastic Trader Joe's customer on Reddit.

Despite the few naysayers out there, for those who enjoy autumnal desserts, there's no time like the present to pick up a package of this favorite Trader Joe's pumpkin product. Two-packs of these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Croissants retail for around $3.99 and will only be on shelves for a limited time.