10 Discontinued Fall Starbucks Foods Customers Still Miss To This Day

Starbucks' menu has seen many changes since first opening its doors in 1971, perhaps none as iconic as the introduction of the Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2004. Since then, Starbucks' seasonal menus have been a time-honored tradition for fans to look forward to, especially during fall. But the coffee chain doesn't just roll out limited-edition seasonal drinks each autumn; it also brings to life a variety of fall-themed pastries.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Many of customers' favorite fall treats have long been discontinued by Starbucks, never to return to menus. Whether it's a treat like the Pumpkin Scone, which was dishonorably pulled from the pastry case after more than a decade, or something akin to the Butternut Squash & Savory Sage Square (which only true Starbucks fans will remember), we've rounded up a handful of Starbucks treats that are now lost to the sands of time. Besides their autumnal flavors, the one thing these pastry case foods have in common is the fact that customers still reminisce about them today. 

Starbucks customers all know and love the brand's Pumpkin Spice Latte, but there was — dare we say it — an even better pumpkin-flavored treat that the coffee chain used to offer. Gone but not forgotten is the Pumpkin Scone, which was a highlight of Starbucks' fall menu for at least a decade. It was ultra-moist with a strong pumpkin flavor and featured notes of warming spices. Each scone was topped with a thick layer of melt-in-your-mouth white icing and graced with drizzles of light orange stripes for its signature seasonal look.

Sadly, Starbucks discontinued the scone for good back in 2023. Fans have made it no secret that they'd pay good money to have it re-added to chain's fall menu. "The pumpkin scones are the only pumpkin product in the world that I like," mourned one commenter on Reddit. "Is there a way to petition for the pumpkin scone to ever come back?" asked another on a different thread.

Fans of the missing pumpkin scone will be delighted to know that there is, in fact, a petition begging Starbucks to bring it back. Unfortunately, it seems like that's not happening — at least not this year. But true Pumpkin Scone stans never lose hope.

Scone lovers, we're sorry to bring back mouthwatering memories of Starbucks' Maple Oat Nut Scone. Made with — you guessed it — oats in the batter, they were thick and chewy, making for a satisfying treat. They were also covered in a generous amount of brown maple syrup icing. It's a shame Starbucks discontinued them many years back, because they would have made a beautiful pairing for the chain's line of pecan-flavored drinks (a great alternative to Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte).

"Those were my favorite. I was upset when they discontinued them. They got me through law school," commented one Instagram user. Today, your best option for enjoying a Maple Oat Nut Scone is to make one yourself using our 14 tips for baking a better scone, of course. But let's face it — no matter how good a homemade scone might be, it's just not the same as Starbucks' fall version. 

Starbucks first introduced its Baked Apple Croissant as a fall-exclusive item, and needless to say, it was popular. Rather than being a traditional bakery-style croissant, the Baked Apple Croissant was shaped like a muffin, with flaky layers of pastry and an apple filling. "We are normally sold out by around the end of breakfast," commented one Starbucks employee on Reddit in 2023. Another agreed, adding, "They're one of our most popular pastries at the moment, and I honestly think they live up to the hype, they're so good..."

Unfortunately, according to Starbucks employees online, the croissant's downfall might have actually stemmed from its popularity. After its initial autumn release, the brand decided that it was successful enough to add to its year-round menu. But apparently, there really can be too much of a good thing, because outside of the fall season, the Baked Apple Croissant (supposedly) failed to sell well. After its unsuccessful main menu debut, the flaky treat was never seen again. It seems that Starbucks' line of apple flavors is destined to haunt the customers who love them, much like Starbucks' Apple Crisp drinks.

For those who fondly remember Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha, the Salted Caramel Cake Pop was essentially the pastry case version of this drink. It was first released in 2012, back when cake pops were in their heyday. It hit all the same notes that the Salted Caramel Mocha did, with a chocolate-caramel cake base, milk chocolate coating, caramel drizzle, and a sprinkling of salt on top. 

"Does anyone remember these?" asked one poster on a Reddit thread discussing the Salted Caramel Cake Pops. "They were literally the best. I wish they would bring them back." Another agreed: "I miss the old Starbucks." These days, Starbucks' fall cake pops are more focused on vanilla or chocolate flavors. While we love the adorable woodland animal-shaped cake pops that grace Starbucks' menus each autumn, we can't deny that the Salted Caramel Cake Pop was a top-tier flavor. (And, in case you were wondering, here's where Starbucks' cake pops actually come from.) If only they were still around, we'd order a few dozen and freeze them to enjoy year-round.

The Caramelized Apple Loaf was another Starbucks fall best-seller in such high demand that the chain simply couldn't keep up. It was composed of two different types of pound cake batter: cream cheese and apple spice. The loaf's marbling was lined with a cinnamon-y caramel apple filling. The top of the loaf featured a layer of cream cheese icing.

In a Reddit thread from 2016, employees and customers discussed the sudden shortage of Caramelized Apple Loaves, which, for some stores, was just a few weeks after they were first released. "It was here for what, two weeks? And poof — gone," said one barista. "We were told it was a warehouse shortage," added another, saying that Starbucks hadn't been able to predict how popular the Caramelized Apple Loaf would be.

The Caramelized Apple Loaf returned for another year in 2017. Little did customers know that would be its very last year. Today, it's still fondly remembered by some Starbucks shoppers, even if the memories of this loaf are growing faint. "every fall i mourn the caramel apple loaf ..." reminisced one user in a Reddit thread. Same.

Who knew the Starbucks 2016 fall menu rollout would prove to be so disastrous? The issue, apparently, was that the chain's fall pastries were simply too delicious for customers to resist. The Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar launched in 2016 alongside the Caramelized Apple Loaf, much to customers' delight. This treat featured swirls of cheesecake and pumpkin spice on top of a pumpkin-flavored cake base. 

At the time of its release, you could buy the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar by the box — which may have contributed to its eventual shortage. After a sellout in the first year, it came back for another autumn in 2017. But by 2018, the bars had been discontinued to make way for new seasonal pastries. "These were so good!" one Reddit commenter said of the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar. Another replied, "I had forgotten about these and now I'm sad." 

Currently, there's only the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin on the Starbucks fall menu, but that wasn't always the case. The Maple Pecan Muffin debuted in 2018, featuring a maple-flavored muffin base mixed with crunchy pecans and sprinkled with sugar granules. During its release, one Reddit commenter said it "Tastes like pancakes and maple syrup." 

On a later thread discussing Starbucks products customers and employees still miss, another Redditor wrote, "Maple Pecan Muffins[,] they were delicious, but even if you didn't want to eat them just warming one up made the store smell AMAZING." Others have also stated online that the sweet treat was especially good with a little bit of butter. While maple flavors are practically non-existent at Starbucks these days, at least we have the store's pecan product line to enjoy (for now).

Madeleines are a long-lived Starbucks pastry, though they're technically not sold from the brand's pastry case. Instead, you'll find them at the cash register as a grab-and-go item. Each package comes with three madeleines inside. Year-round, they're sold with no specific flavor; but Starbucks used to offer a pumpkin spice version during the fall.

The Pumpkin Spice Madeleines were, of course, made with a pumpkin spice-flavored cake base. They also came with delicate swirls of vanilla icing across the top of each pastry. They, too, were only sold as a grab-and-go register product.

The Pumpkin Spice Madeleines were fairly popular, with several baristas reporting online that their stores often sold out of the sweet. Long after their disappearance, customers still think about them. "These Madeleines were SO GOOD," an employee commented on Reddit.

The Washington Apple Pound Cake joined menus around 2013, and — for those who still remember the company that used to make Starbucks' pastries — was introduced by La Boulange after Starbucks acquired the bakery. It seemed to have been most widely known as the Washington Apple Pound Cake, but in some cases, the cake was actually made with New York apples, and therefore would have been marketed as such. This round, single-serve cake was, as expected, made with caramelized apples, chunks of which could be found throughout the cake.  

"Washington apple pound cake is new to us at our store, and we're all hooked — concept wise it sounded blah but the cake-y part is amazing!" wrote a barista on Reddit in 2014. Sadly, by fall of 2016, the pastry had been replaced by the Caramelized Apple Pound Cake. It's possible this had something to do with the fact that Starbucks shuttered La Boulange bakery in 2015, but the brand may have simply wanted to experiment with new seasonal pastries by that point. Regardless, that doesn't change the fact that customers still remember and miss the Apple Pound Cake — whether it was made with Washington or New York apples. 

These days, Starbucks' Savory Squares are but a distant memory. The chain used to feature just as many savory pastry options as it did sweet ones, and a popular option was the pastry squares with a saucy filling. (They even made our list of 10 forgotten fast food breakfast items that need to return ASAP.) For fall, this meant bringing in the Butternut Squash & Savory Sage Square: a glorious autumnal treat made with butternut-sage filling and topped with pumpkin seeds. 

The Savory Squares as a whole are looked back on fondly. "I will never know peace until I taste of Savory Square in this era," argued a Redditor in 2023. Another discussed the flavor of the Butternut Squash & Savory Sage Square specifically on a separate thread: "It tasted amazing! One of the few that actually felt like a small meal..."

The Savory Squares were another victim of La Boulange's discontinuation, so it's unlikely that we'll get to see them again. But who knows what the future holds? Hopefully, Starbucks sees our pleas and brings back a few of these formerly favorite foods. And hey — there are a few discontinued Starbucks fall drinks worth reminiscing about, too.