My guess is that most of you have already penciled in pumpkin pie on your Thanksgiving menu — more likely written it in pen, or if you’re like my family, had it engraved.

So this week I’m taking a look at the broader spectrum of pumpkin desserts, ones that have actual pumpkin in them, not just pumpkin spice. I opted to feature independent bakeries as a contrast to the chain grocery stores I showcased in my column on apple pies a month ago.

I called around to several places and was surprised that many did not have pumpkin offerings. And of the bakeries that did, only one had a variety. That turned out to be HaleLife, a vegan establishment.

We went out on a recent afternoon and picked up goodies at four places, then brought them back to the FFF Lab + Photo Studio™, which also serves as our home.

LA SEGUNDA BAKERY CAFE

Pumpkin Muffin

I called ahead and talked to Blue, who graciously set aside one of these, La Segunda’s only pumpkin treat (on this day). A formidable muffin, for sure — spot-on density; not dry, not crumbly, no quite moist enough; sweet but not overly so, with a pumpkin flavor that was more subtle than powerful. The hefty sugar crystals on top provided that familiar sweet, crunchy start.

La Segunda has three other locations in Tampa and Ybor City.

CASSIS MARKET

Pumpkin Cookie

Cassis does terrific cookies. Its chocolate chip is epic. This pumpkin model — I bought two — didn’t achieve that level, but it had all the earmarks of a solid treat. For starters, they were big. Another flavor joined the pumpkin, and I’m sorry but my taste buds aren’t fine-tuned enough to definitively tell you what. The combination worked, although these dense slabs could’ve been more moist.

MAMA G’S GERMAN BAKERY & COFFEEHOUSE

Pumpkin Danish

Mmmmm. The flaky crust was the ideal intro to the lush pumpkin-pie-like filling in the middle. I made quick work of this delicate confection. I should’ve gotten a couple.

Mama G’s has two locations in St. Pete and two in Sarasota.

HALELIFE BAKERY

Pumpkin Smores Cupcake, Pumpkin Cheesecake Donut, Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle Cookie

I’m (obviously) not a vegan, which puts Halelife at something of a disadvantage.

Jackie, the head pastry chef, served us at the counter, and told us that it takes a lot of care and imagination to make desserts without eggs, butter or milk products that “don’t taste like crap.” She absolutely succeeds.

Her pumpkin confections sure had creative names.

I’m not a cupcake fan, but I bought this one because it wasn’t brown. It surprised me with its blend of flavors and the big helping of cream that ran down into the middle and was criss-crossed with chocolate on top. I didn’t taste a whole lot of pumpkin, but it didn’t matter.

The Pumpkin Cheesecake Donut had a thick glaze on top and cream in the middle. It was grainier than your everyday donut, and I didn’t detect much cheesecake flavor, but that didn’t matter either.

The big cookie — my first ever snickerdoodle — was on par with a lot of conventional (non-vegan) cookies I’ve had.

It was agreeably crumbly, had a balanced sweetness, and an earthy pumpkin flavor. I don’t what chai tastes like, so no comment.

HaleLife has locations in north St. Pete and South Tampa.

Now We Rank Our Pumpkin Desserts …

1 — Pumpkin Danish, Mama G’s

2 — Pumpkin Cookie, Cassis

3 — Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle Cookie, HaleLife

4 — Pumpkin Muffin — La Segunda

5  — Pumpkin Smores Cupcake, HaleLife

6 — Pumpkin Cheesecake Donut, HaleLife

Take these rankings with a grain of … salt. I liked all of them, and would gladly eat each one outside the purview of Friday Food Fight.

A Final Note: Most of you know this, but just in case — independent bakeries, unlike grocery chains, tend to change their offerings frequently, often by the day. So it’s best to call ahead to see what’s available — pumpkin or otherwise.