Happy Halloween!
As promised on Monday, today’s recipe is for a No Grain, No Refined Sugar, No Cholesterol, Gluten Free and yet still tasty, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie! Whew, that was a mouthful.
Before I dive into these yummy Grain Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, I wanted to thank all of you who have taken the time to browse my site, “Like” me on Facebook, share the link with your friends/family, and for your overall support. It means so very much to me, because of you, I am both encouraged and excited about this new venture!
Now for these cookies, for those of you who have already scrolled to the bottom to look at the ingredients list or perused the pictures, don’t be scared off by the chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans)! I promise you cannot taste them.
I stumbled across these yummy pieces of goodness several months ago when looking for a flour/grain free cookie. I keep a pretty decent stock of chickpeas as I add them to my daily lunch salad and I had a can of Trader Joe’s Organic Pumpkin Puree that I was looking for an excuse to use, so these cookies were the perfect solution.
The original recipe called for cashew butter but all I had on hand was almond butter and it worked perfectly. And look at that honey, yum!
I mentioned in my Roasted Acorn Squash and Farro Salad post that I spent this past weekend making, photographing and editing (not to mention eating) three different desserts to feature here, including this one. The other two are Black Bean Brownie Cookies and Sweet Potato Fudge Brownies, both recipes I plan to post soon!
I think three may have been a little ambitious for one weekend, but I’m happy to say that overall it was pretty successful. In an effort to get these sweets (albeit healthy) out of the house, I sent three platefuls with Josh to work. It was a bit nerve-wrecking and exciting to get the feedback from his co-workers.
Typically when making desserts that others will be eating, I throw healthy somewhat out the window in an effort of making sure it tastes good! Healthy or not, I typically always bake or cook from scratch (cause that’s what my mom did), but I don’t typically make cookies for company made from beans! Know where I’m coming from?
Anyway, I’m happy to say that the overall feedback seemed to be positive. SIGH OF RELIEF
There are still a few adjustments I want to try out on the Sweet Potato Brownies before posting them, but the flavor is wonderful, the texture just needs a bit of work.
Once all ingredients are mixed together, it is important to put the “dough” into the fridge for at least an hour to help them firm up. I ran out of time on Saturday as we had my niece’s birthday party to get to, so I left them in the refrigerator in a sealed glass container overnight and they turned out great.
I brought a couple of these cookies to my work as well, I work in an office full of people who love sweets, and those that ate them couldn’t believe they were made with chickpeas. The pumpkin helps keep them really moist and soft, so if you’re one of those who loves a crispy cookie, these may not be for you. They are moist and soft.
HEALTHY BENEFITS OF CHICKPEAS (GARBANZO BEANS):
- Chickpeas are naturally low in fat, high in dietary fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals.
- They also provide a unique supply of Antioxidants, containing nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, beta-carotene, and manganese.
- Adding chickpeas into regular diet can help manage weight, boost intestinal health and reduce risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Studies have shown chickpeas to help decrease cardiovascular risks as well as help regulate blood sugar.
- Chickpeas can help reduce cholesterol levels, elevated cholesterol levels increases risk for stroke or heart attack.
For those of you with little ones, I hope you have a wonderful time trick-or-treating this evening!
No Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
No Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, gluten free and no refined sugar! Loaded with chickpeas, pumpkin, almond butter, honey and chocolate chips
- 2 cups canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Rinsed and drain chickpeas, then add them to bowl of food processor. Pulse 2-3 times to until chickpeas are well ground, but not quite pureed.
- Add the next ten ingredients, all but the chocolate chips, and process until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into medium bowl, then fold in the chocolate chips, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (longer is fine).
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Once dough is set, use small spoon and scoop heaping spoonfuls on to the baking sheets.
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Keep an eye on cookies as they bake, you want them to be slightly firm, but of course not burnt! (Bake time will depend on the size of your cookies, I made smaller cookies and got 42, if your cookies are larger you will need to bake for additional 2-4 minutes)
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet, then EAT! Or remove and store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Keepin’ It Kind’s Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Nutritional Benefits taken from WHFoods.com and LIVESTONG.com.