The Discontinued Little Debbie Treat You Likely Forgot About

Since the McKee family started their bakery in 1934, they have provided generations with classic treats, with the "Little Debbie" brand officially launching in 1960. Some of its early creations, like the Oatmeal Cream Pie and Swiss Roll (which is not the same as a HoHo or Yodel), have become mainstays and famous in their own right. But, as is often the case in the snack industry, some products are heavy hitters without the staying power. One such treat was originally released in the 1970s under the name Apple Flips.

Their timeline is a little fuzzy, but they were discontinued after a good run, then reintroduced as Apple Delights sometime in the 1990s. In the late '90s or early 2000s, they were pulled from production again, though the company occasionally brings them back as a promotional item. For those who may not remember, Apple Flips had a profile similar to a classic apple pie, but in a cookie-like format. They consisted of a light, flaky pastry crust filled with a sweet blend of dried apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The Apple Delights were essentially the same, though shaped like an apple with a smiley face revealing the red-tinted filling (which definitely did not look creepy or possessed).

The Apple Delights box depicted a classroom scene with a large chalkboard. Across Facebook, Reddit, and other online forums, many people fondly recall finding these cookies in their lunchboxes.

Little Debbie usually doesn't make announcements when it discontinues a product, but the company has noted in a Facebook post that certain "snacks were discontinued because the sales volume was not sufficient to warrant their production." By the time Apple Flips became Apple Delights, Little Debbie had shifted to offering more seasonal products, with a focus on the back-to-school season. This change in strategy likely made it easier to discontinue the product later on in favor of new apple treats and snack cakes.

While loyal customers may be disappointed, Little Debbie has since offered two similar products that might satisfy the craving for those nostalgic apple treats. The Mini Apple Fruit Pies are the closest reincarnation, described on its website as a "mixture of apple and cinnamon fruit filling inside a flaky pie crust and covered with a sweet glaze." Sound familiar? This version isn't a cookie like the Flips or Delights, but that may simply reflect what the market is more interested in nowadays. Little Debbie also offers Apple Cinnamon Donut Sticks, a spin on its iconic original Glazed Donut Sticks. This variety gives fans who miss the old Apple Delights two different ways to enjoy a similar treat — though for true loyalists, they may just stand as a reminder that some foods simply don't taste as good as they used to.