I can’t stop eating these.

It might be because it’s fall and as soon as the air starts to cool, I get into baking/nesting/eating mode. It could be because these are amazingly delicious. Who knows? All I’m certain of is that these are really good – and they’re another treat I’m happy to put in my kids’ lunches.

When I first made a batch of these, I decided to play around with the flour types and amounts. Let’s just say that a teensy amount of almond flour results in a cookie that my 6-year old won’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

Clearly a fail.

So I went back to a tried-and-true classic blend. I combined oatmeal and whole wheat flour with pure maple syrup instead of white sugar. I added a bit of brown sugar as well and combined it with cinnamon and nutmeg. And, of course, chocolate chips.

The result is pretty great.

And the thing I like the most is that my kids are getting fresh, roasted pumpkin into their little bodies. (Something they don’t usually eat and are pretty unwilling to try.) For this recipe, I bought a pumpkin, cut it open and scooped out the insides, then roasted it for 40 minutes and processed it into a puree. But you can also easily use a can of pumpkin puree.

Here’s how this one comes together:

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin puree – I prefer to make it straight from a pumpkin, but canned also works great

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 and 1/2 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup packed brown sugar – you can also use coconut sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put aside for later.

In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, egg, vanilla and maple syrup and mix well. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix – again, just until combined.

Drop by spoonfuls or balls onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack.

Enjoy the pumpkin-y goodness! These ones are going fast in my house… I might just need to head back out to the pumpkin patch.