Season 2, Episode 17: Pumpkin GAINS

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Season 2, Episode 17: Pumpkin GAINS


As I have mentioned previously, pumpkin spice has a serious image problem. Typecast as a dessert/junk food flavor, it rarely gets the chance to shine as a part of something healthy (or healthy-adjacent)

So today (and as I do on every week on my pumpkin spice runs) I kept my eyes peeled for anything with a semblance of nutritional balance.

And DID I.

Day 17: The Complete Cookie - Pumpkin Spice

Item: Lenny & Larry’s Complete Cookie, Pumpkin Spice
Purchase Location: CVS
Cost: $2
Manufacturer’s Description:
When you think of pumpkins, you probably think of a certain holiday season. But pumpkins aren’t just for fall! Our Complete Pumpkin Spice cookie was such a seasonal success that we decided to add it year round.

Creamy pumpkin pies, sweet cinnamon, tangy spices…now you recapture the nostalgic feel of the holiday season with Lenny and Larry’s Complete Pumpkin Spice Cookie. Indulge in a rich, cake-like treat that’s packed with protein to keep you going.

Protein-fortified foods aren’t for everyone. I get it. They can sometimes have an aftertaste and they are not always as good as the OG version of whatever they are. It’s a fact of life.

But I like to have protein/granola bars on hand in case I find myself in a pinch while studying and need something to tide me over. Some bars can be too gritty or be overly sweet because manufacturers will use artificial sweeteners to reduce the label count of total sugar (and as we’ve discussed before, artificial sweeteners have a MUCH higher sweetness to weight ratio than regular sugar).

And that’s where the Complete Cookie comes in.

I first found out about the Complete Cookie while shopping at Trader Joe’s and decided to give it a shot as an alternative to my usual bars. They have 16g of protein per cookie and 10g of fiber, without any corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.

Personally, I prefer the chocolate chip flavor. Compared with similar products, I find that they are not as sweet and have a better overall taste/aftertaste than most I’ve tried.

Now onto the pumpkin spice.

Right away, this cookie gets bonus points for containing real pumpkin, real sugar, and real spices. I think it says a lot about the product itself that they rely on actual ingredients to provide flavor instead of essences.

Opening the package, I notice that the cookie smells more like a pumpkin cake than a regular cookie. I don’t really know how to explain it, but it had a different scent profile than a regular cookie. I also noticed that (just like the other cookies in their line) it was on the cakey side.

It had a nice orange hue to it, but because it was made with real pumpkin, I wasn’t worried about artificial colors. The smell of the cinnamon came through right away, and I also was able to pick out notes of the pumpkin!

Biting in, the pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavors were really nice. The texture of the cookie was velvet, but I wish that they had put some chunks of something to add a textural contrast.

There is a slight aftertaste, but I can’t really put my finger on where it’s from.

Overall, I really like it! I think it’s interesting that the company made this a year-round flavor, but I don’t know if I’ll indulge outside of pumpkin season.

Final Rating: 4/5 pumpkins.


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