Healthy Pumpkin Cookies

I have been so incredibly lazy when it comes to blogging lately! I have been baking, not at the same frequency I used to, but it has mostly been things I have already made and posted before. Or I'm just too tired from running my butt off to be bothered with photographing. But, for a split second one morning at 7am, after a 6 mile run, I found the will to photograph the last few of these cookies I had left. No natural light, so excuse the picture.

I really loved these cookies. They are almost like a Lara Bar with pumpkin. They taste chewy, probably from the dates, but are easy to put together as long as you have a food processor!

Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
Fun and Food Cafe

2 cups pecans, toasted and cooled
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup puréed pumpkin
1 tablespoon orange zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped, pitted dates
4 tbsp honey

Take a baking sheet and roast your pecans for about 10 minutes, watching them carefully so they do not burn. you can also do this on a stove in a wok. or you can buy Toasted Pecans in the first place.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Put pecans and oats in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a fine meal forms, about 25 times. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cardamom and nutmeg to the ground meal and pulse another 20 times to combine all the ingredients. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Add pumpkin, orange zest, orange juice, honey, vanilla extract and dates to the food processor. Blend until a smooth puree forms, scraping the sides down occasionally, about 1 minute.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Scrape the pumpkin mixture into the well and fold all the ingredients together with a large spatula.

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten the batter slightly. Bake 20 minutes, until the bottoms are just browned. Remove to a cooling rack and cool slightly before serving. Store in an airtight container.