Maple & Pumpkin Almond Cookies

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenMaple & Pumpkin Almond Cookies

Skill Level	Easy

Preparation Time	10 minutes	Total Time	30 minutes
Servings	20 (1 cookie per serving)	Cost Per Serving	$0.18

2 cups	Almonds, raw
1/2 tsp	Baking Soda
1/2 cup	Maple Syrup
1	Egg Yolk or Flax Egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water)
2 tbsp	Grape Seed Oil
1/2 tsp	Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup	Pumpkin Butter
1 pinch	Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the maple syrup with the egg yolk (or flax egg), grape seed oil and vanilla extract.
In a food processor, grind the almonds into a flour. Stir in the baking soda and pinch of salt. Slowly pour the flour into the wet ingredients and stir until you form a wet cookie dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon about a tablespoon at a time of cookie batter onto the sheet 2 inches apart from each other. Make a depression in the centre of each cookie and spoon about 1 tsp of pumpkin butter into the depressions.
Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and serve.

PDF link to nutrition facts table for maple and pumpkin almond cookies

Almonds aren’t really nuts, but are the seed of a fruit that grows on the almond tree. Including almonds in the diet has been shown to raise levels of “healthy” HDL cholesterol and lower levels of “lousy” LDL cholesterol, reducing hardening of the arteries and heart disease risk.
Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, which may help to lower “lousy” LDL cholesterol levels. In addition, almonds contain vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants protect cells from free radical damage, which reduces risk of chronic diseases such as cancer.
Data from a large, long-term study suggests that replacing saturated fats with healthy fats from nuts reduces the risk of heart disease by nearly half.