Pumpkin Spice Cookies are Loaded With Nutrition
Want to make this season extra sweet? Homemade pumpkin spice cookies may be just what you need and here’s a yummy recipe for you to consider. Pumpkin spice cookies are not only delicious they’re also nutritious. Pumpkins are incredibly rich in vital antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. This humble, backyard vegetable is very low in calories and is a good source of vitamin A, flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants like leutin, xanthins and carotenes. This vegetable contains no saturated fats or cholesterol and is a rich source of dietary fiber.
Pumpkin isn’t the only beneficial and nutritious ingredient in homemade pumpkin spice cookies. This recipe also calls for cinnamon, a spice derived from the brown bark of cinnamon trees and a perfect compliment for baking in winter months. Its essential oils have been found to be effective for anti-clotting, anti-microbial, and blood sugar control. It’s been used traditionally in Chinese medicine to warm the blood– rightly so, this herb has proved to be a good source iron, fiber, and calcium. It’s also been found to be effective against cold or flu when mixed with tea.
Hungry yet?
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup of butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups of raw sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and raw sugar (save some sugar to garnish the cookies on top before baking). Add pumpkin, egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture on a cookie sheet; flatten slightly.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
Bonus: You can cover your pumpkin spice cookies with a maple glaze made with powdered sugar, maple extract, and water. Or consider serving your pumpkin spice cookies with hot spiced tea. Or consider providing a marshmallow dip for dunking the cookies in. You can make the dip with marshmallow fluff, powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and cinnamon.