I got this recipe from my college cooking professor’s book, “Feeding the Whole Family”. She claimed that children from a kindergarten class she visited “happily devoured” these healthy halloween cookies.
After looking at the ingredients, I was skeptical and was sure my children would sniff out the whole grain, low sugar, and low fat cookies a mile away and treat them like imposters to the world of sweets.
I was very pleased to see that my old teacher was not exaggerating after-all. These cookies where delightful, a little bit like a muffin top with pumpkin pie spices. Not only did my girls love them and keep asking for more, but so did all their friends.
Halloween Cookies
Adapted from Cynthia Lair’s “Feeding the Whole Family”
Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Makes 2 dozen
2 cups spelt or whole wheat pastry flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup pureed pumpkin or sweet potato
¾ cup dried cane juice or brown sugar
½ cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine, pumpkin, dried cane juice, yogurt, and oil. Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir until evenly incorporated.
Lightly oil cookie sheet and drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature before frosting cookies (recipe below).
Yummy Yam Frosting
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Makes ¾-1 cup frosting
1 cup mashed baked yams
2 ounces or ¼ cup softened cream cheese
2 teaspoons melted unsalted butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon or orange juice
Place yams, cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a bowl and puree in a blender or hand mixer until it reaches a smooth spreadable consistency.
