Ah, the changing seasons. The summer sun has set for the final time, and before the bitter cold lays into us, we have a few months (or if you're in the northeast, a few minutes) to enjoy the fall foliage, the crisp autumn air, and the perennial appearance by all things pumpkin. The reintroduction of this nostalgic flavor and the robust spice profile with which it's associated make for some seriously irresistible snacking.
October in particular is my favorite fall month. It's not just because of my birthday (that'd be October 24th - mark your calendars), but also because it's the official kickoff of a season that provides me with a glut of gourd-inspired goodies. I defy anyone to taste or have tasted as many pumpkin flavored, shaped, and associated treats as I have. It's a personal goal every autumn to stalk down all of these squashy snacks.
That, my friends, is why I've been desperately seeking Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights.
Now, my extensive snack research rarely allows for something this delicious looking to slip through the cracks, but these babies have thus far escaped me somehow.
When I finally did notice them in the very handy "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section on Amazon.com (I believe I was purchasing Jell-O Pumpkin Pudding - don't worry, we'll come back to that), I practically cried out with joy. Had it been real life, I would have jump shotted those puppies into a shopping cart from a half court distance.
In a cruel twist of fate, however, all eight of these "filled soft cookies" were ripped from my eagerly outstretched hands before I could even lay eyes on the box. Because of the seasonality of the snacks, the seller had run out of stock sometime between when I clicked "purchase" and when he went to fill my fall order.
I've scoured the internet and the snack aisles of oh-so-many grocery stores since, hoping to plug this pumpkin shaped void in my heart, but to no avail. It's a difficult thing for me not to be able to sample every pumpkin offering under the autumn sun, but such is the frustratingly finite nature of the seasonal snack.
I suppose I will have to wait until next year. But if anyone, anywhere has information on the whereabouts of this item, I'm not opposed to sharing the stash. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy a plethora of other pumpkin treats, like this pudding. It is duh-licious.
