Healthy Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin is EVERYWHERE right now! It simply amazes me every year when fall roles around how much pumpkin products hit the market. I'm not one to poo-poo a good thing. Pumpkin beer, pumpkin burgers, pumpkin desserts and my favorite ... pumpkin ravioli with sage sauce! Instead, embrace the month and eat and drink as much pumpkin as you can or until you're orange in the face!

I have been making a lot of Pumpkin Morning Glory Muffins and Pumpkin Energy Bites lately for my morning snacks. This being Halloween week, I decided to sweeten my life a little and have some chocolate chip cookies! I've also been overloading the kids on chickpea cookies so I thought a simple, easy cookie was what we all needed. Also, I've been so anti-sugar lately ... even my organic cane sugar and coconut sugar (for reasons I don't really know). I have wanted nothing but honey and maple syrup in anything sweet that we do. I seriously can't get enough honey, which is a good thing because my allergies have been going crazy! A little extra local honey a day can do nothing but good good good!

You may be amazed that I've even been making all of these sweets lately, I swear it's not the pregnancy (which, by the way, I'm a happy healthy 20 weeks already!). We actually are re-doing our patio and some friends are helping us out. I can't have people doing manual labor at my house without filling them up with food! Everyday it's a quick breakfast sweet or a little before-lunch-appetizer. Today is their last day so a fresh pan of cookies is well deserved ... I love our new patio as much as these cookies!

Healthy Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

1 c whole wheat flour*
3/4 c almond meal**
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c pumpkin puree*
1 egg (or flax egg)
1/2 c honey (or maple syrup)
1 t vanilla extract
3/4 c chocolate chips (regular or vegan)

*To make gluten free, simply substitute your favorite AP Gluten Free Flour instead of the whole wheat flour!
**If you have a nut allergy, use all flour instead of the almond meal.

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a bowl, mix flour, almond meal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, egg, honey and vanilla.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients and then add in chocolate chips.

Drop large rounded tablespoons onto a prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the outsides start to brown. Let cool for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack so they can completely cook.