{"id":19159,"date":"2015-10-05T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-05T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=19159"},"modified":"2021-01-04T19:19:28","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T05:19:28","slug":"review-hostess-limited-edition-donettes-pumpkin-spice-mini-donuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/10\/05\/review-hostess-limited-edition-donettes-pumpkin-spice-mini-donuts\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/theimpulsivebuy\/21770311420\" title=\"View 'Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts' on Flickr.com\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"640\" style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5771\/21770311420_9a4f987e78_z.jpg?resize=523%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts\" width=\"523\" title=\"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just don\u2019t know what\u2019s wrong with me, Doc.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stared at me through horn-rimmed glasses. I\u2019d seen the look before on psychologists, and knew I\u2019d better continue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just have no enthusiasm anymore. Worse yet, I\u2019m completely ravenous. Nothing seems to satiate me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInteresting. What <i>have<\/i> you been eating?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEh, I guess the question is what <i>haven\u2019t<\/i> I been eating. It\u2019s fall, you know, and pumpkin spice is my jam. Actually it\u2019s more like by butter, because I\u2019ve never heard of pumpkin jam. But anyways&#8230;just this morning I stopped and picked up a bag on Hostess Donettes Pumpkin Spice Donuts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She blinked rapidly. \u201cAnd tell me, how did those make you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought about it for a moment. I\u2019d been anxious to pick them up; each glazed orange cake donut calling my name. I\u2019d loved Donettes as a kid, and now that Hostess had built a pumpkin spice version, life seemed complete. Yet here I was, mere hours after mindlessly eating the entire bag, feeling so&#8230;incomplete.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/theimpulsivebuy\/21335667364\" title=\"View 'Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 2' on Flickr.com\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"480\" style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/644\/21335667364_34f5775210_z.jpg?resize=640%2C480&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 2\" width=\"640\" title=\"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 2\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHorrible,\u201d I blurted out, the memories suddenly coming to the forefront of my mind. Then every lackluster pumpkin spice product I\u2019d ever eaten entered my stream of conscious, overflowing in a river of confectioner\u2019s sugar glaze and a mere trace (trace, mind you) of cinnamon. I\u2019d been holding the memories back, repressing the thoughts of <a href=http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/09\/15\/review-little-debbie-pumpkin-spice-rolls><\/a>pumpkin spice rolls that tasted instead of Twinkies and <a href=http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2013\/09\/03\/review-pumpkin-spice-mms><\/a>pumpkin spice M&#038;M&#8217;s that tasted of, well, M&#038;M&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the case many times, with increasing frequency. What you seem to have is MPSFS\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMisspsfs? Say what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMPSFS. Mediocre Pumpkin Spice Fatigue Syndrome. Tell me, were cinnamon, ginger, and allspice listed in the ingredients of these donuts? How about pumpkin puree?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/theimpulsivebuy\/21770544908\" title=\"View 'Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 4' on Flickr.com\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"386\" style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5765\/21770544908_922a515549_z.jpg?resize=640%2C386&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 4\" width=\"640\" title=\"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 4\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I thought back to the ingredient list, remembering I <i>had<\/i> seen cinnamon and pumpkin. But then I remembered where they were listed. The dreaded \u201cless than 2%\u201d section, with pumpkin puree coming in dead last, even behind \u201cBlue 2 Lake.\u201d I kid you not, you can\u2019t make this stuff up.<\/p>\n<p>I hung my head in disappointment, more memories materializing. Each donut had the presence of cinnamon, but nothing more. Something between just the aroma and a slight taste of something slightly spicy, the cinnamon flavor had been fake and one-note, like a Red Hot candy without the heat. No other spices rounded it out, and despite the orange hue, pumpkin had never registered on my taste buds. (Thankfully, neither had Blue Lake 2.) A decent packaged donut, cloying glaze and all, but nothing more.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/theimpulsivebuy\/21968176361\" title=\"View 'Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 3' on Flickr.com\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"432\" style=\"display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/649\/21968176361_bf1b6653db_z.jpg?resize=640%2C432&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 3\" width=\"640\" title=\"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 3\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I looked back up at the doc, my eyes beginning to water up in shame. How could I have been so duped? And by Hostess, no less!<\/p>\n<p>She must have noticed my shame, saying, \u201cThere\u2019s a cure, you know. But you\u2019ll have to give up cheap imitations of pumpkin spice\u2014including the Donettes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was fine by me. After the Donettes, I was ready to leave anything pumpkin spice behind, even the memories of great pumpkin spice products. I got up to leave, ready to embrace whatever it is people embrace when they decide to forsake an entire season\u2019s worth of flavors. That\u2019s when she stopped me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll find something someday that will remind you of why you love pumpkin spice. Don\u2019t let a few bad apples, um, <i>pumpkins<\/i>, ruin what pumpkin spice should be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With that I smiled, knowing lackluster Donettes couldn\u2019t be the last word on pumpkin spice.<\/p>\n<p><small>(Nutrition Facts &#8211; 3 mini donuts \u2013 210 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 1 grams of protein..)<\/small><\/p>\n<p><b>Item:<\/b> Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts <br \/>\n<b>Purchased Price:<\/b> $3.00<br \/>\n<b>Size:<\/b> 10.5 oz bag<br \/>\n<b>Purchased at:<\/b> Walmart<br \/>\n<b>Rating:<\/b> 4 out of 10<br \/>\n<b>Pros:<\/b> Light crumb and cakey interior. Crispy, sweet glaze. Possible dual use as an air freshener.<br \/>\n<b>Cons:<\/b> Overly artificial \u201cfall spice\u201d flavor. Cloyingly sweet. Too dry to be a really good cake donut, but not airy like a yeast donut. A lifetime of repressed pumpkin spice disappointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI just don\u2019t know what\u2019s wrong with me, Doc.\u201d She stared at me through horn-rimmed glasses. I\u2019d seen the look before on psychologists, and knew I\u2019d better continue. \u201cI just have no enthusiasm anymore. Worse yet, I\u2019m completely ravenous. Nothing seems to satiate me.\u201d \u201cInteresting. What have you been eating?\u201d \u201cEh, I guess the question [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1504,1562],"class_list":["post-19159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-hostess","tag-pumpkin-spice"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19085,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/09\/21\/spotted-on-shelves-hostess-limited-edition-donettes-pumpkin-spice-mini-donuts\/","url_meta":{"origin":19159,"position":0},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts","author":"Marvo","date":"September 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I wonder if Hostess will pumpkin spice-ize their Ho Hos, Ding Dongs, Sno Balls, and Suzy Q's. (Spotted by Chris N at Walmart.) If you\u2019re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spotted on Shelves&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hostess Limited Edition Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/653\/21399156218_dd65052e23_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19082,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/09\/18\/spotted-on-shelves-hostess-donettes-maple-glazed-mini-donuts\/","url_meta":{"origin":19159,"position":1},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Hostess Donettes Maple Glazed Mini Donuts","author":"Marvo","date":"September 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"After seeing Pumpkin Spice Cup Cakes and Pumpkin Spice Twinkies from Hostess, I'm surprised there isn't a pumpkin spice version of these. Well, I guess there's always next year. (Spotted by Jake at Frys.) If you\u2019re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spotted on Shelves&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hostess Donettes Maple Glazed Mini Donuts","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/664\/21321973468_af8e60721a_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/664\/21321973468_af8e60721a_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/664\/21321973468_af8e60721a_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17814,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/19\/spotted-on-shelves-hostess-donettes-gingerbread-spice-mini-donuts\/","url_meta":{"origin":19159,"position":2},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Hostess Donettes Gingerbread Spice Mini Donuts","author":"Marvo","date":"November 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I guess we'll see Hostess Donettes Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts next year. (Spotted by Sarah at Walmart.) If you\u2019re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spotted on Shelves&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hostess Donettes Gingerbread Spice Mini Donuts","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7467\/15826973072_20d53f4094_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":72886,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2025\/10\/02\/spotted-seasonal-edition-10-2-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":19159,"position":3},"title":"SPOTTED (SEASONAL EDITION): 10\/2\/2025","author":"Marvo","date":"October 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you've tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments. (Spotted by Charles P at Target.) (Spotted by Tommy at Shaw's.) (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.) (Spotted by Allison H at Wegmans.) (Spotted by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spotted on Shelves&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rolling Pin Autumn Mix Freeze Dried Candy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rpautumnfrdrcy-600x800.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rpautumnfrdrcy-600x800.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rpautumnfrdrcy-600x800.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20756,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/10\/26\/review-hostess-limited-edition-pumpkin-spice-twinkies\/","url_meta":{"origin":19159,"position":4},"title":"REVIEW: Hostess Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Twinkies","author":"Marvo","date":"October 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Is that photo on the Hostess Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Twinkies box supposed to be appetizing? My goodness, it's like watching meat come out of a meat grinder. Or a pig being born. Or Vienna sausage being made. It's like staring at potted meat. Don't know what potted meat is?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hostess Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Twinkies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5715\/29934406853_4fcb2839b7_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5715\/29934406853_4fcb2839b7_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5715\/29934406853_4fcb2839b7_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19177,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/10\/09\/review-hostess-limited-edition-pumpkin-spice-cup-cakes\/","url_meta":{"origin":19159,"position":5},"title":"REVIEW: Hostess Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cup Cakes","author":"Jeff S","date":"October 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"There are no pumpkin spice jokes left to be made, are there? Yes, it's everywhere. Yes, people have found some preposterous things to infuse with it. But who cares? It's popular because it's a delicious signifier of autumn\u2019s arrival. You may have already come across 57,346,922 pumpkin spice junk food\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hostess Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cup Cakes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5832\/21426384904_a30ac9c100_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5832\/21426384904_a30ac9c100_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5832\/21426384904_a30ac9c100_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19159\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}