Cracker Barrel’s New Limited-Time Holiday Menu, Reviewed by a Food Editor

• What Is It: hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and toppings of your choice, including holiday sprinkles, chocolate morsels and a peppermint candy stick
• Price: $4.19
• Available Through: December 22

Maybe it was a fluke, but this new item was anticlimactic. The hot chocolate itself was pretty watery and offered but a whisper of chocolate, and the only toppings I received were two tiny portion cups (like what ketchup comes in when you order food to go) of chocolate chips. That’s hardly a DIY “bar,” IMO.

• What Is It: pecan pie with semisweet chocolate chips
• Price: $5.19
• Available Through: December 22

I admit it: I’m a purist when it comes to pecan pie. (In fact, it’s my favorite classic Thanksgiving food of all time.) Chocolate doesn’t inherently make everything better; sometimes it takes away from the other components of a dessert. I also felt that it made the pie visually less appealing, and the rich, sticky filling—aka the best part—was texturally disrupted by the chips.

• What Is It: cinnamon streusel bread, hand-dipped in batter and griddled, then topped with cinnamon and cream cheese icings; served with two eggs and your choice of bacon or sausage
• Price: $11.49
• Available Through: December 22

Cracker Barrel is famous for its breakfast, and I’m not too proud for an eggs/meat/sweet combo for under $12...but this new menu item wasn’t my favorite. While I loved the bread (despite it being a bit thin for French toast), studded with tiny, warm-spiced pockets of cinnamon, and the hardens-as-it-cools icing, I found the cinnamon topping to be gritty and a bit too intense. If you’re a serious cinnamon stan though, you may enjoy it more than I did.

• What Is It: pie crust filled with sliced, spiced apples, topped with crispy streusel
• Price: $5.19
• Available Through: December 22

Cracker Barrel knows its way around a baked apple. I’m pretty sure this pie stars the same sweet-tart fruit as the fried apple French toast bake, a fall delicacy that I quite liked. They had a solid soft-not-mushy texture; it was the crust and streusel topping that I wished were crisper. I would also love to try this one with a touch of flaky salt for contrast.

• What Is It: pie crust filled with spiced pumpkin filling
• Price: $5.19
• Available Through: December 1

This no-frills fall dessert was as simple as it was satisfying. The pumpkin custard was sturdy yet creamy and thoroughly spiced with what I presume were the usual suspects, like clove, allspice and ginger. I also thought the crust on this pie was the best of the lot. Sometimes less is more, no?

• What Is It: traditional Southern-style pecan pie
• Price: $5.19
• Available Through: December 22

Those crunchy, caramelized nuts?! Swoon. The filling could've been a touch firmer (and I say that as someone who adores pecan pie goop) and some salt on top would've broken up the sweetness of this Thanksgiving favorite. But there was really nothing wrong with this seasonal staple. It also pairs exquisitely with vanilla ice cream, which was generously served alongside all the pies.

• What Is It: cinnamon rolls baked into pie crust, topped with sweet cream cheese icing
• Price: $5.19
• Available Through: December 22

I was kind of shocked by how much I liked this, especially after the underwhelming French toast. The cinnamon rolls were objectively delicious and impossibly moist, as well as very sweet. I lowkey adored the molten later of cinnamon filling between the roll and the pie crust, and I loved that the icing covered the crust as well as the roll.

• What Is It: freshly brewed iced tea with sweet winter fruit flavors
• Price: $3.69
• Available Through: December 22

I’m an iced tea girl through and through. This was sweet but not cloying, sort of like a toned-down raspberry tea. It wasn’t nearly as syrupy or candy-like as the fall menu’s Granny Smith apple tea, but both varieties left me craving a spritz of fresh lemon for a touch of acidity. (P.S.: There’s a new sparkling plum mimosa at select locations that comes with sparkling wine and edible glitter, in case you’re feeling like boozy brunch.)

• What Is It: broccoli with cheese sauce and rice, topped with buttery cracker crumbles
• Price: $3.69
• Available Through: December 22

If it’s cheesy, it’s safe to assume the chain is going to knock it out of the park. I wished the cracker crumble topping stayed crunchy, but nevertheless, I loved this starchy side that tasted like broccoli cheddar soup. It was super savory and decadently rich. Its texture was so creamy that I was impressed the toothsome broccoli still had some bite to it.

• What Is It: hand-breaded, fried turkey fillets with herbed pan gravy; served with cranberry relish, buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins and your choice of two country sides
• Price: $13.99
• Available Through: while supplies last

This is what one comes to Cracker Barrel for. It was like a scaled-down, casual Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was crunchy and coated in a flavorful, peppery breading (think thin chicken fingers), and I loved the sage-kissed gravy. As a lover of all things sour, the cranberry was a much-welcome addition to the plate and like a cross between jellied and fresh cranberry sauces. Of course, the biscuits and sides (I went with mac and cheese and mashed potatoes for a nostalgic vibe, but I’m also a huge fan of the beans n’ greens) made this seasonal stunner doubly delicious.