Day 24: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites

The recipe for these cookies starts as the filling for a vegan pumpkin cheesecake. You add flour and sugar and chocolate chips and get these wonderful little nimblers. Usually I use regular flour, but this time I decided to try almond flour. Which led to the "cookie bite" part. Almond flour is an awesome gluten free alternative, BUT it creates an extremely mushy dough - much more like a batter. As I was mixing in the almond flour (made from raw almonds in my food processor), I realized there was no way the dough would stay together on a cookie sheet, so I busted out those little mini Christmas cupcake liners and made cookie bites! They really are just mush in cup (sorry in advanced family, it'll be a challenge eating these little guys), but the flavor still holds true to the original cookie recipe..well mostly, those little chunks of almonds are a little different. They taste a lot more wholesome than the regular cookie, and are kind of cute with their Christmas outfits on! So, the moral of this story is...use regular flour if you really want a cookie, but if you don't mind the mush, almond flour all the way!

Oh another moral is this (lessons from Grandpa Sturm)...wait until the cookies cool a bit before popping them in your mouth. Ice cubes and cookies make for water-y cookie mush..not OK...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites
makes 4 dozen

• 12 oz. silken tofu
• 8 oz. vegan cream cheese (Tofutti) or Neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour of choice
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger*
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg*
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon*
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves*1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

*note for spices: these are all approximate, I've also made these using 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350F. Line mini muffin tins with muffin liners or baking sheets with parchment paper. Place all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in food processor or blender. Blend thoroughly (make sure everything is completely incorporated and there are no chunkers left in there). Pour into a large bowl and stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonful into mini muffin cups or onto parchment lined baking sheets. If using mini muffin method, bake at 350F for about 16 minutes. If using drop cookie method, bake at 350F for about 9-12 minutes. Remove and let cool! 

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Blessings for a spectacular celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!