Fun Food Friday - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a confession to make.  I really, really don't like pumpkin spice lattes.  The first time I ordered one, I was really excited to try this amazing coffee that everyone seems to get so excited about.  After one sip, I was shocked that anyone would do that to a perfectly good cup of coffee.  Perhaps my dislike of the PSL comes from the fact that I don't really like pumpkin pie either.  There is a texture and spice blend that happens that really doesn't work for my palate.  I do like pumpkin in other recipes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soup; you get the idea. 

So I do appreciate pumpkin.  But I've noticed, pumpkin is in everything as soon as fall hits.  There is a pumpkin spice cliff bar and pumpkin beer.  It feels like a right of passage for fall let's put pumpkin in everything! So this year I said to myself "I'm not going to make pumpkin recipes."  It just feels like too much and there are other wonderful fruits and vegetables that are at their peak this time of year that deserve a spot light - squash, sweet potatoes, turnip, a massive list really.  

But then I picked up my crop share this week, only to find this at the bottom of my bag.....

I thought about keeping it as a decoration but then I wouldn't be using a perfectly good piece of produce for its real purpose.  So I chopped and baked and cooked a bit more and pureed.  Then I decided to bake some cookies using coconut flour.  The extra moisture in the pumpkin works perfectly to balance the sometimes dry texture coconut flour creates in baking.  

Aside from a high moisture content, pumpkin is high in dietary fibre, low in calories and provides a ton of antioxidants.  Pumpkin is high in vitamin A which is an important antioxidant for helping maintain and protect the skin, mucous membranes and eye sight.  Finally pumpkin is a good source of B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium and phosphorus.  So all around, pumpkin is a great addition to a lot of your cooking and baking and is perfect in the fall when pumpkins are at their peak freshness.

After whipping up these cookies, I still have a great deal of pumpkin left.  I can see my future now - pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin gnocchi.....

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Denise Boyd Dunlop

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

6075232

Ingredients (36 cookies)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Cream together butter, eggs and maple syrup. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla. Sift coconut flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Stir into wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips.

Scoop dough by tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

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