Fall Recipe

There are tons of fall recipes but my favorite is the “skinny” pumpkin chocolate chip cookies recipe! This recipe replaces granulated sugar with agave and pumpkin pie filling with pumpkin puree, making it a healthier choice to comfort food. Just by replacing the butter with coconut oil you can make it vegan as well! It is low fat and low calorie and perfect for autumn.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, pumpkin, and vanilla. Stir in the agave. Add the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. (If chilling longer than 1 hour, cover the top of the bowl with foil.)
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. Drop the cookie dough into 12 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly, and press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the cookie dough. Bake at 325°F for 15-17 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Notes: This cookie dough spreads a little, but not very much. If you prefer wider and thinner cookies, flatten the dough a little more before baking. (Flatten to no less than half of the rounded scoops’ original heights.)

Regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat pastry flour.

Granulated sugar may be substituted in place of the agave. However, when made with granulated sugar, the cookie dough does not spread at all while baking, so you will need to flatten the rounded scoops of cookie dough on the baking sheets before placing in the oven. They’re generally done baking in about 13-15 minutes instead.

For a vegan version, substitute melted coconut oil in place of the butter.

Do NOT overbake these cookies! They’ll turn out cakey instead of chewy if baked for too long.