These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and cake-like, warm with the flavor of pumpkin and autumn spices. They are simply perfect for a cosy November day, wrapped up in a warm blanket in front of the fireplace with a hot tea at hand. These cookies are naturally sugar-free, vegan and gluten-free, perfectly sweet and savory. Incredibly quick to bake, your house will be soon filled with the delicious scent of these heavenly treats. If you're a pumpkin pie lover, these cookies are definitely for you, plus you get a sweet chocolatey bonus.
Pumpkin Benefits
Pumpkin is packed with antioxidants and is also a great source of numerous other nutrients. It is incredibly rich in vitamin A, but also supplies you with a good amount of vitamins C as well as some vitamin B2 and E. Pumpkin is also a good source of protein, fiber, potassium, copper, and manganese, as well as iron.
With the benefits listed above, among a few others, pumpkin is a delicious ingredient, ideal for any type of meal, including desserts. This is especially true during the fall season, where you just feel like wrapping yourself up in a blanket in front of the fireplace with a warm tea and cookies at hand as the rain pours outside and the delicious aroma of pumpkin pie spice fills up your home.
Furthermore, pumpkin is extremely advantageous in baking, especially if you're looking for vegan, low-carb recipes. Pumpkin can help replace eggs and butter, providing a moist yet tender texture without having an overpowering texture.
For the healthiest cookies, make your own homemade pumpkin purée. Here's how:
You might argue that using canned pumpkin is much more time-efficient, but I really don't see how. All you need is about 3 cups of chopped up pumpkin and 10-15 minutes.
What I did was chop up the pumpkin into chunks, small enough to boil faster and to fit in the pan, though you don't have to waste time making them unnecessarily small. Then, just pop them right into a pot or sauce pan with boiling water and leave it to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until tender. This did not slow my baking at all since I left the pumpkin to boil at the same time that I set up the other ingredients for the cookies. Once that was done, go ahead and pour out the water (you can use it to make soup) and process the pumpkin until forming a smooth and even purée with a food processor or stick blender.
That's all it takes! No complications, right? Plus, you get to avoid any canned additives.
How to make homemade pumpkin pie spice:
America has the tradition of baking lots of pumpkin or pumpkin-pie-spiced goods during this season, so you might have access to pumpkin pie spice mix at your local stores. Unfortunately, this delicious custom is not a thing where I live, so there was no way for me to stock up on it to bake some of my healthy, vegan goods. Fortunately enough, though, it is quite simple to make it yourself, and you might even have the right ingredients at home. Here's how:
Just mix the following ingredients
3 tablespoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Let's jump right into the oven:
NOTES:
*I didn't use exactly 1/4 cup of maple syrup, I put just a bit under, but you should taste test it to your liking.
The cookies keep best in an airtight container for about a week, or a bit longer if refrigerated.
If you try this recipe, be sure to tag @summermonkee in your beautiful photos!
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