Today I was craving cookies. I didn’t want a salad or grilled chicken and broccoli.  I just really wanted cookies.  Not super sweet and processed store bought cookies that make you feel like junk afterwards, but heathy, nutritious soft cookies filled with protein, vitamin A and dark chocolate.  I decided to get creative in my kitchen and was pleasantly surprised with my results.  Actually, I liked them so much that I ended up eating enough to count as my dinner and skipped my usual salad and grilled lean protein. Oops, that is what happens when you make a batch of 24 bite size cookies and you don’t put them away quickly enough (out of sight, out of mind).   Oh, and here is my disclaimer for those of you who like the “real” cookies made with processed shit, butter and lots of sugar, these might be a little too healthy for you.  You might even think they are disgusting.  But for you clean eating health nuts out there looking to stay lean, try this recipe.

Nutrition Facts: (per cookie, recipe makes 24)

43 Calories, 6g Carbs, 4g Protein, 1g Fat

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 scoop cinnamon or vanilla protein powder (I used Dymatize ISO-100 Cinnabun)
• 6 teaspoons Zing natural baking sugar (mix of sugar and stevia) or 1 cup baking stevia
• 1 scoop vanilla Casein protein (if you don’t have this add another scoop of whey)
• 2 tbsp of coconut flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 30 g extra dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 dash nutmeg
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (I started adding this to all my muffin and cookie recipes because it is so damn good)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 can natural pumpkin puree

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 (use multi-rack convection bake if you have it)
• Combine all dry ingredients and mix well

• Add remaining wet ingredients and mix well

• Scoop 1 tbsp size drop cookies onto baking sheet

• Bake at 350 for approximately 10 minutes
• Cookies will be soft and gooey because of pumpkin