Happy Halloween but more importantly bring on the bank holiday weekend J ! Hopefully you have something scary and relaxing planned for the weekend, which may or may not include the marathon! For those of you running the marathon a big good luck and for those of you who are not get out there and cheer on those heros!
Halloween is synonymous with the barmbrack and the pumpkin which means pumpkin soup and/or roasted pumpkin for at least a month in our house! The pumpkin, which is actually a fruit, is a great addition to your plate anytime during the autumnal months as it contains high quality nutrients to support health and performance. One such nutrient which we need in abundance to support the immune system particularly at this time of year when the weather turns colder is Vitamin A. A cup or 200g of cooked pumpkin contains 60% of your recommended daily Vitamin A requirements. Surprisingly, the fruit also contains the anti-inflammatory fat omega -3 in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This along with its high antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients makes the pumpkin an ideal food to eat after exercise to support the recovery process.
Traditionally, pumpkin is added to soups, baked or roasted or found in a pumpkin spiced latte!! However, this recipe ventures towards the sweet treats. Who doesn’t feel better eating a cookie that has a health and/or performance benefit however small?
These cookies are a delicious addition to using some of the pumpkin pulp you have left over from making soup or may be tempted to discard once you have carved that scary face! These treats are a great homemade Halloween taste to produce to kids and family members over the back holiday and only take 10 minutes to rustle up and enjoy.
- Serves: 12
- Calories: 93kcal
- Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Protein: 3g
- 100g of cooked purred pumpkin
- 2 heaped Tbsp of almond butter
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 150g oat four (blended porridge oats)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 50g of dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- Pumpkin seeds to decorate
- Blend the oats and dark chocolate separately in a blender (I use a Nutribullet) and then mix in a bowl with the baking soda, cinnamon and mixed spice.
- Blend the cooked pumpkin, almond butter, maple syrup, egg and vanilla extract in a Nutribullet until the mixture is mixed thoroughly (this should only take a minute) and looks like a sticky paste.
- Add this mixture to the oat flour etc., and mix thoroughly with a spoon.
- Using your hands shape a dessertspoon size portion of the batter into cookie shapes, this is easier if your hands are wet as the mixture is sticky. The mixture should make 12 cookie.
- Place 2-3 pumpkin seeds (from your pumpkin!) on top of each cookie.
- Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and cook for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Leave them stand for 10-15 minutes once cooked as they may be slightly brittle when they come out of the oven first.
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