Cookies worth drooling over

  For most pumpkin seems to be a gourd enjoyed most in the fall and winter months. While I see nothing wrong with this, pumpkin is bursting with flavor and nutrients and my family and I enjoy it year round in cookies, pancakes, soups, chili, and more. Wednesday being the chilly day it was called for comforting warm food - and pumpkin naturally. As Eli napped, Darius and I headed down to the kitchen and whipped up a new recipe featuring pumpkin of course, then again for dinner. Dinner was not an original recipe, but seeing as it was a truly nourishing and delicious [and vegan!] chili, here's the link to the recipe I found courtesy of pinterest [does anyone else thing pinterest is fabulous when they find a golden pin like this one??]
  After some taste testing on these cookies by many, it has been declared that they are amazing, and a recipe worth sharing. So, without further ado, here's the cookie creation Darius and I pulled together this week. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Protein Cookies

an original recipe created by me

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 c. vegan butter, at room temperature
7 medjool dates, pitted
1/3 c. vanilla egg protein powder
1 lrg egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. pumpkin puree [not pumpkin pie filling]
3 1/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c. dark chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 375* and line two baking sheets with a silicone baking mat, or parchment paper, and set aside.
2. in a blender, combine pitted dates, pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla. Pulse blender, scraping down sides as needed, until dates are fully incorporated into the mixture.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until fluffy, then add pumpkin mixture and continue to beat. With beaters running, slowly add protein powder.
4. Stop mixer and add all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips. Mix until fully incorporated. Add chocolate chips and blend until evenly distributed.
5. Spoon mixture onto cookie sheets by the rounded tablespoon [a cookie scoop is great for this!] and pop in over. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for two minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield 3-4 dozen

These cookies are slightly crisp on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside fresh out of the oven. While these cookies are not vegan, I was trying to find something to replace the sugar content, and the protein powder my husband bought currently seemed like a good fit as it is sweet without being filled with sugar or additives.