I'm giving this 4 stars for one reason: this is a very finicky cookie. I made exactly as stated the first time, and found them dry and not all that flavorful. Since I love pumpkin, I decided to try again. I shortened the baking time, used part brown sugar as someone suggested and added some cloves to the icing, and just those 3 changes helped immensely. I found that these are very touchy cookies. 1 minute is the difference between mushy and overdone, so trying to find that magic window in those 60 seconds can be a real pain.

Reviewed On: Oct. 27, 2009

I wasn't sure if we were supposed to make the ground beef as directed on the taco mix package, but that is what I did. I used a seasoning packet and the 3/4 cup of water it calls for, and let it boil then simmer for 10 minutes as called for. If I had not done this, it would have been WAY too dry. I think the recipe should be a bit more specific regarding this. Even with that step I still felt it was a bit dry, so next time I might use more salsa and/or more cheese. (Can you ever have enough cheese?) Other than that, definitely a keeper. I made it as stated with the exception of baking it in a 9x9 pan, and also I used canola oil instead of corn oil. We toyed with the idea of adding corn, red peppers, onions and refried beans to the beef mixture, but I always try to follow the recipe as closely as possible the first time.

Reviewed On: Oct. 11, 2009

When we made this when I was younger, we called it Puppy Chow! (And you will find very similar recipes under that name.) I looked this recipe up because I LOVED it as a child, and wanted to make it for my daughter. Still as good as ever! My only comment, I was just shy of a cup of chocolate chips, so I added some pieces from a gourmet milk chocolate bar that costs an obscene amount per ounce. Learn from my mistake: it does NOT taste any better. Save the gourmet chocolate for eating. ;)

Reviewed On: Oct. 8, 2009