I’ve never once eaten a Nutri-Grain bar for breakfast. So why is my breakfast blog reviewing these new Pumpkin Spice Nutri-Grain bars?

Well first, the box does call them “breakfast bars.” And second, they’re listed as “Limited Batch,” which is a much cuter, more exclusive, and more alluring term than “Limited Edition.” But most of all, Nutri-Grain bars hold a special, nostalgic place in my heart.

Seriously: whenever I have one of these miniature, flaky fruit burritos, I’m transported back to elementary school snack time. Even if I just smell a Nutri-Grain bar, my brain instinctively imagines the subtle odor of Crayola crayons in the background.

(Kindergarten me didn’t mess around with RoseArt.)

So because of my wistful relationship with Nutri-Grain “breakfast” bars, I’ve long wanted to review them on this site. And what better way to start than with Kellogg’s Pumpkin Spice Nutri-Grain bars, which are brand new for 2016?

I hope somebody brought the orange crayons.

Each Pumpkin Spice Nutri-Grain bar is about 1.5 crayons (or about 0.7 Dixon Ticondeeoga #2 pencils) long. Its golden brown, ever-fragile shell still looks like a flat-bottomed egg roll, and its external appearance gives no indication of the oodles of spiced pumpkin puree that lurk inside.

Let’s clear one thing up first: these bars still smell and taste like an elementary school classroom—but during the annual class Halloween party! My own elementary school had an annual Halloween costume parade, so eating this bar took me back to those grueling, chilly hours spent doing a death march around the parking lot in an uncomfortable fake mustache while a budget brand Jason Voorhees kept stepping on the back of my out-of-place Skechers.

(Despite how it sounds: this was a good memory. We got lots of fun-sized Kit Kat bars as rewards for our suffering.)

But for those of you who don’t intuitively know what autumn elementary school tastes like, let me elaborate. The crust has a very flaky exterior, and as you bite in, chunks fall off like leaves. This gives way to the pillowy interior crust, which is fluffy and warmly baked. The Nutri-Grain crust formula is a magical, buttery sweet trio of wheat, oats, and corn bran with a pleasant dash of vanilla.

In the case of Pumpkin Spice Nutri-Grain Bars, this formula has been pumped up with the addition of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. The spices are very subtle—you won’t notice a burn or bite—but they work together with the crust’s floury chewiness and oiled sweetness to produce a very spot-on re-creation of pumpkin pie crust.

But that’s not much of a surprise: from apple to blueberry, most Nutri-Grain Bars taste like tiny pies.

Let’s have a peek at that real pumpkin filling. There’s a lot of it, and like a giddy orange puppy that’s happy to see its owner come home from work, this stuff positively bursts out of the Nutri-Grain bar’s shell. The filling has a great flavor that combines cinnamon-sweetened pumpkin with something that tastes a little bit like apple butter.

But that’s not much of a surprise, either: from blueberry to strawberry to the actual apple cinnamon ones, most Nutri-Grain Bars taste a little bit like apple butter.

The problem with Pumpkin Spice Nutri-Grain bars is the filling to crust flavor ratio. There’s so much crumbly and fluffy crust that the gooey innards have their flavor swallowed up in a golden, browned sugar void. The intricate filling taste notes won’t grace your tastebuds unless you sit there and suck on your Nutri-Grain bar like it’s a straw on a pumpkin smoothie.

So nostalgia aside, I still really liked these Pumpkin Spice Nutri-Grains bars. But that’s because the crust is my favorite part of a pumpkin pie, and these bars require you to be a pie crust addict to truly enjoy them. And I’m talking “folds his pumpkin pie in half like a New York-style pizza slice to get more crust” levels of crust addiction.

Great, now I’m just waiting for Domino’s to release a Pumpkin Spice Pizza.

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The “Bowl:” Kellogg’s Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Nutri-Grain Bars

The Breakdown: Heavy on the buttered crust, light on the potent spice, and with an innovative filling that’s betrayed by its surroundings, these seasonal breakfast bars will appeal more to Nutri-Grain and pie crust fans than to true pumpkin spice diehards.*

The Bottom Line: 8 chipped plastic hockey masks out of 10

*Unless you really want to use it as a straw for a pumpkin smoothie. In which case, please send pictures.

**Our friends at Junk Banter reviewed Pumpkin Spice Nutri-Grain bars, too, and they also talked about pie crust ergonomics a lot. Check it out!

(Quick Nutrition Facts: 140 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein per 1 bar serving)