Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a lover of all things pumpkin – be it in oatmeal, pie, muffins, cakes, or risotto.  It makes everything smooth, nutrient and fiber-rich, and oh so warm and tasty.  Adding chocolate to it puts the icing on the cake.  But let’s face it, short of the oatmeal, the other ways I enjoy pumpkin aren’t the lowest in calories or fat.  So I continue to try to find different ways to include it in foods I love. Like the cookie.

Let me backup by explaining something: I do not believe in approaching clean, healthy eating by depriving oneself.  Does that mean we should enjoy sweets like cookies on a daily basis?  No.  But it is something that I allow in my diet and my family’s.  I believe that allowing oneself to enjoy foods deemed “treats” on an occasional basis is a healthier approach to eating well.  By not depriving ourselves, we are less likely to perseverate on the food, and in turn less likely to binge when we get our hands on it.  It’s a much easier way to enjoy life – and isn’t enjoying life the point?  Plus, I want my children to grow up understanding that there are “sometimes” foods and “anytime” foods – so that as they grow into young adults they can make healthy decisions on their own.

Okay, back to the cookies.  I wanted to enjoy the flavor of pumpkin but also the high levels of antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, phytonutrients, minerals and b-complex vitamins.  All in one sweet little package .  Here is what I came up with (after two attempts thus far).  I’ll keep chugging away at ingredients but for now, these were slightly sweet, soft and flavorful.  I have yet to master the crunch-factor with these but I’ll get there.  Enjoy the clean ingredients (yes, butter is in it but I believe it’s cleaner than a tub of margarine (even if it’s trans free) here.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yields 3 dozen cookies

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

½  cup all-purpose flour

1/2  teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup pure cane sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 large cage free organic egg

1 can (15 ounces) organic pumpkin puree

¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. Turn mixer speed to low and slowly add flour and pumpkin puree, alternating between flour and puree; mix just until combined.
3. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto two baking sheets , about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets once during baking. Immediately transfer cookies to wire racks, and cool completely.
4. When cookies have cooled, set them (still on rack) over a baking sheet or waxed paper. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water; stir until almost melted. Remove from heat; stir until completely melted. Pour chocolate into a resealable plastic bag. Snip off a corner with scissors or a knife to make an 1/8-inch hole; pipe chocolate over cookies. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes.

Per cookie (yields 36):

Calories 90

Total fat 4 g

Saturated fat 2 g

Cholesterol 12 mg

Sodium 75 mg

Carbohydrate 14 g

Dietary fiber 1.5 g

Protein 1.5 g