The Softest Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies in the History of the World (and HEALTHY, too!)

This is not speculation my friends, this is a fact.  In a taste test performed by me in my kitchen with no other cookies up against it, I found these to be the softest cookies I have ever eaten. 

Just like Bo knows baseball, Teanna knows cookies. 

A few months ago, my friend Chelsea made these pumpkin cookies that I have not been able to stop thinking about.  They were light as air, with a texture that fell between a cookie and a cake.  Eating one was like eating a cloud in heaven in the fall. That's how good they were. 

So last week, I decided to try to find a recipe in hopes that I would be able to recreate the wonders that Chelsea introduced me to. Of course I found a great recipe on Joy the Baker and decided to go for it. 

And I think I hit the nail on the head.  These cookies are light, soft, super fluffy, and spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. 

Let me tell you something else spectacularly wonderful about these cookies.  They are healthy cookies.  I hesitate to call things healthy just because they aren't fattening, especially cookies, but these are actually good for you.  The pumpkin is a great source of carotenoids, lutein, and xeaxanthin!

What?

I don't know what any of these things are, but I do know that they fight against free radicals! And Pumpkin is high in fiber.  No big words needed there.

Often, when I bake, I work out at the same time. Yes, sometimes, instead of going to the gym, I pop in Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones, a one-hour, hard core workout that makes you want to cry and vomit at the same time. Jillian uses such wonderful phrases of inspiration like "You should be praying for death" to get you through the workout.  I work out 4-5 times a week, running five miles a day and then strength training.  The first time I did the video, I was as sore the next day as I was the first time I worked out. Ever. 

I do these workouts (while the food is baking, not while I'm mixing and measuring, although I wonder how that would work out) to keep me from gorging on the baked goods that I make. I don't want to ruin all of that hard work by bingeing on 5 cookies.  So it helps me keep my will power up. 

But I don't need willpower with these cookies.  Because of the use of pumpkin, there is not as much of a need for fat.  There is only about 1/2 cup of oil in the entire recipe, bringing these bad boys to a grand total of 100 calories per cookie!  Throw in some chocolate chips and add about 25 calories a cookie!  And one cookie is plenty! 

So I dedicate these cookies to Jillian Michaels and her words of inspiration, terrifying as they may be. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies adapted from Joy the Baker 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola or corn oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips, or any chip you like

Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips. 

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool cimpletely.

Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Comments

[Atreyee]

lovely yummy pictures..and lovely way of going about it!
thanks :)

[Bianca]

I've never tried pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! Thanks for posting this! Just in time for Halloween! Looks like I'll be doing a lot of baking soon. Thank you!

[Erin]

I made these last night and they are amazing! I did not have any chocolate chips so I just went without. Mine turned out almost like muffin tops(probably because I forgot to flatten them like the recipe said). Either way they were so delicious I had one for breakfast! Opening that first can of pumpkin officially makes it fall!

[Maria]

I love that these are healthy..they look awesome!

[Tracey]

Love your photos Teanna! Those look so good! Bonus that they're only 125 calories. I haven't tried Jillian's No More Trouble Zones, but I do the 30-day shred and she's not kidding around with her workouts. They are intense!!

[Dessert Lover]

Omg, these sound delicious! I have to try them!

[Phyllis (me HUNGRY!)]

I finally made these, Teanna!! They were really soft, like pumpkin cake/bread and super easy to make. I also added more chocolate chips than the recipe called for (oink!) And I've finally given up on Jillian Michael's 30 day shred LOL

[Amanda Hutchings]

I made these cookies today and my girls loved them, so did I. I did make a few alterations to up the health value and they still taste fantastic. You would never know they were "healthy" So, the changes I made was I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup of oat flour ( I grind my oats to flour) which ups the fiber. I also cut the oil in half and used 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup applesauce. The other change I made was I used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. I also added a few tsp of benefiber which can go in anything and not change consistancy, texture anything which also ups the fiber and nutritional value!

[jentry]

LOVE the recipe, we used sweet potato baby food!!! (because pumpkin is out of season this month) We also used wheat flour and didn't have baking powder so we used a little more baking soda! they turned out WONDERFUL!

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Each of the simple life is desired! Sometimes people can not simply live! Often feel tired! Really frustrating! So people should maintain a childlike innocence

[Pat Devoe]

Well I've been baking for at least 40 years and I must say that these cookies are the best pumpkin cookies. I made a double batch I switched 1/2 of the oil for margerine and added aprox. 1 cup of walnuts. I don't think I have to worry about any of them going to waste..

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[Sadie from allnaturalme.com]

Awesome recipe! I was shy of pumpkin, so I added a bit of applesauce and then a bit more flour ~ turned out super yummy! Thanks for the direction :)

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[Kaida]

Great cookies! Tasty and soft. I used organic coconut oil and 3 cups of flour at my high Rocky Mountain altitude.

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