As the Halloween season “creeps” closer and closer, it is inevitable that the sweets and frightfully yummy snacks ooze right in the office door with it. I dread the inevitable downfall my eating habits take as Halloween comes near and treats pop up in every direction at work. There is nothing wrong with a bite here and there of something sweet. Moderation is the key. If you want to bring something to snack on for the staff this year, why not make it a point to do something seasonal yet more on a health-conscious level.
There are a number of recipes available now that use better ingredients and avoid a lot of the heavy sugar that some of the traditional Halloween and holiday treats tend to have. I have had a lot of success finding such recipes on www.eatingwell.com
The recipe I chose to share with you today is Spiced Pumpkin Cookies. Test it or one of the other recipes on the website on your co-workers and staff, see how they like it!
Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, ¾ cup canned plain pumpkin puree, ¾ cup packed light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup canola oil, ¼ cup dark molasses, 1 cup raisins.
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, coat 3 baking sheets with cooking spray.
- Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar (or splenda), eggs, oil and molasses in a second bowl until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients and raisins into the dry ingredients until no traces of dry ingredients remain. Drop the batter by level tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1 ½ inches apart.
- Bake the cookies until firm to the touch and lightly golden on top, 10-12 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Each cookie has: 68 calories, other nutritional information can be found at the website listed above.
As is hinted by its orange color, pumpkin puree is an excellent source of beta carotene. What a difference it makes to swap out some empty calorie ingredients for some healthy ones! Keep in mind that being in a time crunch, these cookies can be made up to 2 days in advance, or more if stored in the freezer.
