Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Imagine if gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies had a baby. That's this cookie. Chewy, moist, riddled with pumpkin, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, chocolate chips and... wait for it... NO BUTTER! I made these incredible gems with healthy almond butter instead. And, these are vegan, gluten-free and paleo friendly! Did I miss anything?

And this was a TOTAL experiment too. I've replaced butter in my cookies before - but never ENTIRELY with nut butter. The almond butter adds the fat you need to keep the cookies moist, but it's HEALTHY, heart-healthy fat that you can feel good about eating. And the subtle flavor of almonds (almost undetectable) partners perfectly with the pumpkin, warming spices and chocolate.

You can easily make these cookies gluten-free by substituting almond flour or oat flour for the all-purpose flour. You can also use an all-purpose, gluten-free baking mix.

For vegan cookies, substitute one flax egg for the whole egg. To make 1 flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal/ground raw flaxseeds and 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before using.

For paleo cookies, substitute coconut sugar for granulated sugar and opt for paleo chocolate chips.

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar (see note above for paleo cookies)
1/3 cup smooth unsweetened almond butter
1 large egg (or flax egg for vegan cookies)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (see note above for gluten-free cookies)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, almond butter, egg, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix until well blended and a cookie "dough" forms.
Use a cookie scoop (or your hands) and scoop or roll the dough into 30 mounds. Transfer the rounds to the prepared pans and press 5 chocolate chips into each mound, flattening the mound into a cookie shape, about 1/2-inch thick.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just set (they will be firm to the touch, not sticky).
Cool the pans on wire racks for a few minutes before transferring the cookies to the racks to cool completely. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container.
Makes 30 cookies