HEALTHY PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I DID IT! THEY WORKED! AND THEY ARE SOOOO DELICIOUS!

remember these delicious cookies from 2 days ago. well the pumpkin ones worked and they too are sooo good. i also experimented with less sugar and it turned out great as well. i added 1/2 as much sugar, but increased the banana to 1 1/2 instead of just one. i also just completely omitted the oil and i could tell no difference. these things are going to be the death of me! they are delicious! to all of you out there who said you had pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for breakfast when i had brownies...i will probably be having that tomorrow morning (but mine have flax and oatmeal and NO OIL!) love that!

YUMMY!

HEALTHY PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 ½ cups oat flour (i made my own just by blending oats in the Vitamix)
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (also did the same with these)
¾ cup rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (you could use raw or i am sure honey or agave would be good)

½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chocolate chips (i used semi sweet with these ones)
½ cup shredded coconut (we used sweetened, but if you had unsweetened you could use that too)

1½ bananas mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, until
well combined.

Use a medium-size ice cream scoop or a large spoon to scoop batter onto a cookie sheet lightly greased or covered with parchment paper.

Bake for 14-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking, or bake until the edges of the
cookies are light brown.

Makes about 12-14 cookies.

ENJOY!

i also put up my christmas decorations last week. i am usually an after thanksgiving kind of girl, but i honestly couldn't help myself. it could have had something to do with cleaning out the garage and bringing the decorations inside. the box in the kitchen was driving me insane, so rather than put it back out in the garage i just put the stuff up. i love it though, it is peaceful and simple and totally us.

this is it. the extent of my decorating skills. i have a wreathe on the door and stockings (below that i made last year).

the tree has very few ornaments on it, but they are all special. my inlaws got me this nativity last year for christmas and i just love it. i have been waiting a whole year to put it up. the little angel on top is from my parents. i cherish it. it was given to me at a time that i really needed angels surrounding me and they were there.

[the little one] loves to hold and kiss (stick their heads in her mouth) the sheep and Jesus. it is really sweet. sometimes i think kids know about Jesus before we actually teach them about who He is. it seems to me like that is a part of life before earth that they just still remember. when i say His name her face lights up as though i am showing her the most special thing (i am).  

and today i baked a pumpkin pie with a lot of other women from our neighborhood at a pie making class. it was really fun....and yes there is an empty pie tin on the kitchen table as i type. oops. [the man] ate the whole thing. just kidding. we shared, but i would like to say he ate it all.

so yeah, today was a great day. the highlight...those cookies! and [the man] getting off work a little early ANDi got a backdrop stand that i ordered for photos, so i am excited to use that next week for a brand new baby!!!