Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights

Another treat that brings me back to my childhood are Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights.  My mom used to buy them for us kids.  My sister buys them for her daughter every year and always has some in her freezer.  I think it's been years since I've actually had one.  So, in the name of the blog, I am going to sacrifice a few calories and indulge in this pre-packaged treat.

Their presentation is irresistable.  The pumpkin face smiling back at you is so welcoming.  Though, maybe a little creepy, too!

I decided to take the box that I bought several weeks ago on our fall camping trip, to both try and share.  I think that they are pretty good for a pre-packaged creation.  They're a soft and moist cake-like cookie with a pumpkin filling.  The eight individually-wrapped cookies greet you with the sweet smell of spices as soon as you open the little package. 

When you bite into a Pumpkin Delight, you mostly taste cinnamon and a slight pumpkin flavor.  The filling is mostly in the eyes and mouth, but there is a thin layer in the middle. They taste kind of like Little Debbie's oatmeal cookies, as my friend pointed out.  That is probably due to the molasses.  My nieces and nephews enjoyed them - one of my nieces even had her Pumpkin Delight warmed over the campfire.  Yum!

Stats:
150 calories per cookie (not too shabby)
8 cookies per box

This week's blog plan: http://mypumpkinobsession.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-week-october-17-21.html.

Recipe: Mrs. Fields Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Do you remember Mrs. Fields?  I don't remember much about her, except for her epic 90s hair, slew of good-looking kids, and popular recipes.  Last year, my mom gave me her copy of Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book, while she kept the copy that was her mom's, my Grammy's.  Her note in the book said to enjoy baking cookies for my husband and new daughter.

There were two Post-Its to recipes I had tried at least a decade ago to, of course, chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread men.  My handwriting hasn't changed much.  But what interested me this time around was her pumpkin spice cookies.  What happened next I wouldn't expect!  I made them, following her directions exactly, and they turned out to be some of the best cookies EVER!  I am going to share them with you now! :)

Ingredients!

Mrs. Fields Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, softened (room temp.)
1 large egg
1 cup pumpkin (canned or freshly cooked)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces raisins (about 1 cup) -- optional
2 ounces walnuts, chopped (about 1/2 cup) -- optional

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 300 F.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.
• In a large bowl, blend sugars with an electric mixer set at a medium speed.  Add the butter and beat to form a grainy paste.  Scrape sides of bowl, then add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla.  Beat at a medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Add the flour mixture, raisins, and walnuts --- OR, IF YOU'RE ME: CHOCOLATE CHIPS.  Blend at a low speed until just combined.  Do not overmix.
• Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for 22 to 24 minutes until cookies are slightly brown along edges.  Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface. (I ususally transfer them to a cool, clean cookie sheet.)

The result are cookies that are soft and delicious.  They are like muffin tops or little pumpkin cakes!  I don't know what I did without them!  Without the chocolate chips, they taste reminicent of pumpkin pie due to the two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice - yum!

Chocolate Chips: For the first time, I made them with an entire 12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips.  Toll House brand, of course.  They are SO delicious, but the chocolate kind of overpowers the pumpkin taste.  But it's so nice to have a chocolate chip cookie that is soft and stays soft, which is the way I like 'em!
Calories per cookie (24 cookies): Approx 200.

Bibliography:
Fields, Debbi. Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book! Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1997. 57. Print.


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