Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Spice Ground Coffee!

Wal Mart sometimes carries the most random stuff -- stuff that you can't find in other stores.  I was there for ice cream, but scanned the aisles for pumpkin stuff before I left.  I saw some muffins and other things that I didn't feel like trying at the moment.

But when I saw this:

The packaging is fun and hard to resist!

... I just knew I had to have it!  I was so excited to brew myself some the very next morning.  Every day, when I brew coffee just for me, I use four tablespoons and four cups of water, which is about 16 ounces of coffee.

When I tore open my bag, it certainly smelled yummy!  It smelled like Dunkin's usual welcoming aroma, but with a sweet mix of spices.

So, I brewed myself some.  Flavored coffee versus coffee flavored by a syrup are very different.  Usually, with flavored coffee, the taste is much more subtle.  Thus, this coffee (of course) doesn't taste like the pumpkin coffee you would order at a DD store.  Instead, it tasted of all the spices of the season - it actually tasted a little too spicey. 

The next day, I used two tablespoons of plain Dunkin' and two tablespoons of Pumpkin Spice.  That was a perfect combination!  When it comes to coffee, sometimes it is a lot of trial-and-error.  The coffee has a BIT of an artificial taste, but it is still so fun to brew, drink and enjoy.


 Dunkin' Donuts coffee in a Starbucks mug?!  Blasphemy!

 On a semi-related note, I can't wait to get some Thanksgiving Blend at Starbucks soon.  It is so good!

Happy coffee hunting,
BeatlesFreak

OTHER COFFEE POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

• Make your own pumpkin spice latte
• Battle of the pumpkin coffees

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Philadelphia Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese!

Last year around this time, I made the most delicious discovery!  I am usually an oatmeal person, 7 days a week, but sometimes I make exceptions.  Like when I discovered Philadelphia Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread!

I waited with baited breath this year to see if Shop Rite would carry it (this time last year we were still Acme shoppers).  Starting around September, every time I passed the eggs and cream cheese, I'd glance to see if it was there.  Then, to my surprise, they had it!  I bought some, even though we were going to go camping that weekend and I wouldn't be trying any until Monday.

Monday rolled around and I couldn't wait to top a Thomas' Whole Wheat bagel with the spread.  It was as good as I remembered.  It's creamy, and you don't have to wait for it to warm up a bit for it to spread nicely.  It tastes faintly of pumpkin and pumpkin spices.  And it has a lovely light orange color. I just LOVE this spread.  Look for it!  I have nothing bad to say.

 Try Philadelphia Cream Cheese Pumpkin Spice!

Stats:

70 calories per 2 tablespoons (not bad)

Catch up on what's been going on this week: http://mypumpkinobsession.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-week-october-17-21.html

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Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Latte

As you may be able to tell by now if you are reading this blog (is there anybody reading this blog?), I love my pumpkin lattes!  But something I don't love is the price, the inconvenience and most of all, the artificial chemical pumpkin syrup. 

Then, a friend of mine posted a blog link from ChickAdvisor.com about how to make your own pumpkin spice latte right at home!  I had some left-over coffee from the night before and some pumpkin in the fridge from when I made those cookies, so I went for it. 

Ingredients: Milk, vanilla, sugar, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and coffee.

Going off my phone for ingredient list because I was too lazy to print it out.



Heating and whipping.



All finished!

Overall, this was a very nice morning treat.  Does it hold up to Starbucks?  No, of course not.  Frothing with a whisk isn't the same as frothing with steam.  But it tasted sweet, had a natural orange color from the real pumpkin and was flecked with spices. I like that it is all-natural and had no chemicals.  It made enough for two and I had a little bit of the second half without any coffee, also yummy!  And I think overall it took only about 5-10 minutes.

To find out how to try it for yourself, go here:  http://www.chickadvisor.com/article/diy-pumpkin-spice-latte/.

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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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Early Afternoon Slump

Pop Quiz!  What do you do when it's the early afternoon, you're fading fast, and it's September?

Answer: You go to your local Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte, of course!

I've already reviewed pumpkin COFFEES, but lattes take it to a different level.*  I even opted for whipped cream.  My Genaurdi's Starbucks employee was tired, but friendly.  My latte is perfect and improving my mood somewhat.  Baby woke up 3x yesterday night, which I'm not used to because she usually sleeps through the night these days.  Darn you, one-year shots!

What do you think of the new Starbucks logo, while we're at it?  I think it's a-okay!  Not like that new Gap logo of a few years back, which was horrendously ugly.  No, this is simply their old logo sans the Starbucks Coffee circle surrounding the mermaid.  And the mermaid is their signature green instead of black.  It does look a little naked to me, but it still screams "Starbucks"!

Now back to work.

*For those of you who stick to regular coffee or tea: instead of mostly coffee and a little milk, lattes are a shot of espresso and lots of steamed milk. 

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