First Sign of Fall & Nut Butter Face-Off
Starbucks has become so ingrained in our culture that I’ve read so many blog posts, Facebook updates, and tweets heralding “Pumpkin Spice Latte is back, which means Fall is here!” In fact, it was so popular that it was a trending topic on Twitter. Now, I do love Starbucks (and when those red cups start showing up, I’ll be one of those annoyingly cheerful first people to proclaim my happiness that the holiday season has arrived), but the Pumpkin Spice Latte is not the first sign of Fall for me.
Aside from the fact that it’s already September and it’s starting to get chilly and the leaves are starting to change colors, I know that Fall is right around the corner when I start seeing Pumpkin Bread…
Hello, September. My first sign of Fall.
Today, I bought my first pumpkin bread from the Hi-Rise Bread stall at my farmers market. I actually like pumpkin bread chilled (like a dessert) but for breakfast, I decide to warm it up in the toaster a little bit and top it with a teaspoon of… well, I wasn’t sure what to top it with, so I decided to do a little Nut Butter Face-Off:
the contenders
I lined up the four jars of nut butter I had, like little soldiers ready for battle. (Yes, I have 4 different kinds at home, most of them chocolate flavor. Don’t judge me.) I did a very scientific test of dipping a finger in each jar for my taste test. My thoughts:
Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams – this is, and has always been, my favorite. So even though I keep trying different brands and different kinds, I still keep going back to this. And for this taste test, I unabashedly pick this is the winner. It has a smooth, creamy consistency, and it’s not too sweet, just right.
MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond Spread – when I discovered this last year, I thought it would be my new favorite nut butter. It is rich, nutty, and chocolaty. However, I think it is a little too dense/heavy, so it still hasn’t toppled Dark Chocolate Dreams as my favorite. This comes in second place.
Peanut Butter & Co. Smooth Operator – very basic and all natural. This is the odd man out, since it’s the only non-chocolate jar, but it holds its own because it is a classic. I think next time I will use this jar to make Miracle Cookies, but today it’s not going on top of my pumpkin bread. This comes in third place.
Justin’s Chocolate Peanut Butter – this is my first jar of Justin’s flavored nut butter (I usually just get the plain almond butter), and it’s the one I like the least from my collection. It is too sweet and too oily. It almost taste like frosting, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s just not something I want to eat on a regular basis. This comes in last place.
So with four fingers worth of nut butter, I looked down at my pumpkin bread and decided… that I want something else. I don’t want to use any of these. I want something less sweet, more melty:
I wanted plain, salted butter
In my nut butter face-off to decide what to top my pumpkin bread with, no nut butter was used. But butter stepped up. Cold, creamy, melty butter. Warm pumpkin bread with butter… mmm-mmm
we have a winner
And with that, my first sign of fall was consumed. Happily.
Do you have any plans for this last unofficial weekend of summer? What’s your favorite first sign of fall? I hope you all enjoy the Labor Day weekend!
Fall leaves photo by *Micky via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Hi! I’m Bianca Garcia. I love food, running, yoga, sangria, and my job. I'm an advertising professional, social media enthusiast, blogger, freelance writer, and obsessive list-maker. I think about dessert constantly. 
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