Pumpkin Cherry Cookies

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.

Cream together:
1-1/2c plain greek yogurt
1c brown sugar, unpacked
1/4c honey

Add the following to the mixture above:
1 egg white
3tbls ground flax seed
1tsp vanilla extract
15oz pureed pumpkin

Combine the wet ingredients to the dry and add 1c dried cherries.
Using an ice cream scoop, place mounds on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Let cool. Makes approximately 34 cookies.

Nutritional info (1 cookie):
Calories: 121
Total fat: 1g
Carbohydrates: 25g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 4g

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