Thanksgiving, Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Cake-ies, crunchy moms, pumpkins, holidays, recipe, cookies, crunchy mom, organic, crunchy, food, health, cake-ie

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I can’t help but give in to the pumpkin displays and buy a can every time I go to the grocery store. Luckily I have found a brand that is organic and has no extra ingredients, so I don’t feel so bad eating sweets so often!

My favorite recipe to make with pumpkin is my pumpkin chocolate chip cake-ies. They are shaped like a cookie, the texture of cake, have the perfect amount of spice, and rich dark chocolate chips. I’ve also substituted half of the butter with applesauce in these egg-free delights to make them even healthier!

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Cake-ies

You’re going to need the following ingredients:

Wet ingredients:

  • ½ C butter, room temperature
  • ½ C white sugar
  • ½ C brown sugar
  • 1/3 C applesauce, unsweetened (or 1 jar of baby food)
  • 1 can organic pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

  • 2 ½ C all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 C dark chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Using a whisk, whip the butter, both sugars, and the applesauce until smooth. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and beat on medium speed until the texture and color are consistent.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. If you have a paddle attachment, switch from the whisk at this time. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture. The dough will be soft but not runny. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon and small spatula, drop dough onto a greased or non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 16-20 minutes.

The cake-ies will be softer than most cookies—almost like a muffin top. They are also more filling than regular cookies, so if you make them for a Thanksgiving potluck, like I did, consider making them with a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon. And then try not to eat them all before the event!