During my day off from school, I decided to get into the kitchen and experiment with a pumpkin cookie recipe. I have found pureed pumpkin to serve as a very versatile ingredient. Not only is it a vegetable with great nutritional qualities, but it also works as a great substitute in recipes to decrease the calorie content by taking the place of butter. The original recipe called for chocolate chips, but I used some cherries I'd picked up on Greenbluff from last summer, then pitted, dried, and frozen. It turned out to be a great combination! The other substitutions I incorporated I listed below: Instead of 2c packed brown sugar, I used 1c unpacked and 1/4c honey. Instead of butter, I used plain greek yogurt. One large egg white and 3 tablespoons ground flax seed worked in the place of 1 egg. Pumpkin Cherry Cookies Mix in a large bowl: 3c whole wheat pastry flour 1c unbleached white flour 2c Quaker oats 2tsp baking soda 2tsp cinnamon (heaping) 1tsp salt Set aside.
Meghan Faulkenberry - Retired Professional Triathlete