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Starbucks iced pumpkin cream chai
Starbucks iced pumpkin cream chai
Original photo by Amanda Stowe
U Conn | Life > Experiences

Spice Up Your Life: Pumpkin Flavored Desserts And Drinks To Try This Fall!

Amanda Stowe Student Contributor, University of Connecticut
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

If you’re a fall fanatic like me, you get excited when the leaves begin to change and the crisp fall air greets you when you open your door. Fall is filled with fun activities like hiking, apple picking and enjoying pumpkin flavored foods and drinks! Connecticut has a variety of cute cafes, restaurants and coffee shops that offer delicious pumpkin desserts, coffees, teas and much more! 

Pastries

Pumpkin pastries can be found across the state! Whether you’re looking for pies, cakes or donuts, there are plenty of options to choose from.  

In West Hartford, Elmwood Pastry Shop offers pumpkin pie, pumpkin yogurt cake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes, pumpkin cream cheese caramel squares, pumpkin donuts and pumpkin scones. 

The fall menus for Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks came out in August, and they offer several delicious pumpkin desserts. Dunkin’ has iced pumpkin loafs, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin munchkins and pumpkin muffins and Starbucks has pumpkin cream cheese muffins.  

Ice Cream

Ice cream isn’t just a delicious summer dessert. Ice cream shops across Connecticut are open in the fall months and offer some amazing pumpkin flavors! 

Buttonwood Farms in Griswold has pumpkin and pumpkin oatmeal crumble ice cream. The farm also offers many fun fall activities to do after you eat your ice cream! They have a corn maze, pick-your-own pumpkin patch and hayrides.  

Farris Acres Creamery in Newtown has several delicious pumpkin ice cream flavors. My personal favorites are pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie. They also have pumpkin, pumpkin caramel pecan and pumpkin cookies and cream. 

Drinks

If you already planned a trip to Elmwood Pastry Shop because their pumpkin pastries sounded delicious, get excited because they also have pumpkin spice coffee. What’s better than enjoying a pumpkin muffin with a pumpkin spice coffee cozied up at a table in a pastry shop? That sounds like peak fall vibes to me. 

Dunkin’ and Starbucks also offer great fall drinks! Dunkin’ has their pumpkin spice signature latte and Starbucks has a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin cream cold brew and pumpkin cream chai. My personal favorite is the pumpkin cream chai! 

In Sandy Hook, Castle Hill Chocolate makes an amazing pumpkin spice frozen hot chocolate! It’s the combination you didn’t know you needed. Also, while enjoying this delicious drink, you can try some of the store’s unique chocolates. Its signature chocolate for fall is pumpkin shaped milk chocolate that is filled with cinnamon infused caramel. 

Starbucks iced pumpkin cream chai
Original photo by Amanda Stowe

Make sure to take a study break this fall and treat yourself! Whether it’s grabbing a pumpkin spice latte on your way to class or taking a road trip to Elmwood Pastry Shop to try their pumpkin pie, enjoy the flavors of fall by trying some pumpkin desserts and drinks. In addition to the places listed above, many other places across Connecticut have pumpkin flavored foods and drinks, so make sure to look for them on the menu next time you’re at a restaurant, cafe or coffee shop!

Amanda Stowe

U Conn '26

Amanda Stowe is a senior Environmental Sciences major with minors in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) and Climate Science. She is from Newtown, Connecticut. On campus, she is also involved in HuskyTHON, a year-long fundraiser for Connecticut Children's that culminates in an 18 hour dance marathon! She is also an intern for the Office of Sustainability and an ambassador for the UConn College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources.

When she's not writing she loves to hang out with friends, watch the sunrise and sunset, go for a hike, and work out at the Rec.