Pumpkin spice is here again

Fun fact: If you stand in front of a mirror and say “pumpkin spice latte” three times, a girl in yoga pants and Ugg boots will appear and tell you everything she loves about fall.

Maybe not, but the crisp air and changing leaves definitely signify the return of the inescapable autumnal flavor.

While a pumpkin-spice-labeled product may or may not contain any actual squash, the blend is most often a warming combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice, most likely with hints of vanilla and brown sugar for good measure.

From coffee drinks to baked goods, the combination of sugar and spice is everywhere. Starbucks is celebrating the 13th year of their cult-favorite pumpkin spice latte (which even has its own Twitter account, @TheRealPSL), but you can find plenty of seasoned treats locally.

Fans of K.C.’s Bagel Café in Waterbury don’t have to wait until the leaves turn for a pumpkin treat — the shop frequently offers chocolate-chip pumpkin bread, an indulgent and moist slice that is delicious on its own, or accented with a swipe of cream cheese and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Down the street, Hender’s Bake Shop bakes a perfect pumpkin chocolate-chip cookie, with a nice zing of ginger to complement the dark chocolate. Maple-glazed pumpkin cake and pumpkin whoopee pies with ginger-cream cheese frosting are also in the works, says owner Jessica Wright.

“I love pumpkin anything because of all the spices,” Wright said, although she isn’t a fan of pumpkin drinks.

“It’s more of a texture thing,” she said, “Pumpkin should be eaten.”

Lauren Schalski, proprietor of Stiff Peaks Macarons, serves an autumn line-up of cookies at Stowe Street Café in Waterbury.

There’s the “Anything But The Pumpkin” macaron, with six spices and Tom Cat Gin sprinkles — “all the flavors of autumn minus the pumpkin,” Schalski said.

She’ll be baking with other fall flavors, including warm spices, toasted marshmallows, apples, cranberries, figs and local liquors.

“I feel like pumpkin has gotten a bad rap recently,” Schalski said. “I personally love it in pie form and dread it in all other things.

“I try to avoid it as much as possible in my own baking, but I will be caving in and showcasing it in at least one flavor.” That’s the “Pumpkin Spice Plague,” a macaron featuring spiced pumpkin cream cheese, a brown-sugar bourbon butter core and “a hint of shame.”

Cold Hollow Cider Mill, though known for its apple goodness, features a wide variety of baked goods — tiny pumpkin pies, whoopie pies, cream-filled pumpkin cake rolls and more. We recommend dipping a warm cider donut into pumpkin butter — Cold Hollow’s house version is available in jars, or you can make your own and slather it on everything (see recipe).

At Black Cap Coffee and Beer in Stowe, a fall latte is s’mores-themed, with flavors of toasted marshmallow, gingerbread (pumpkin spice’s cousin, perhaps) and mocha. Fall treats include mini pumpkin-spiced cheesecakes, pie slices and apple pastries.

Café on Main in Stowe has an ever-changing variety of seasonal soups and pastries. Pumpkin bisque makes an appearance in the fall, as do pumpkin cookies and muffins.

Wherever you turn, you’re bound to see fall’s most famous flavor popping up in treats of all kinds.