October & Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

Where have you been?!  Well, really, where have I been?!  It's been a crazy month of October and this long post reflects just that.  I wish I could say our leaves are changing to beautiful hints of red and yellow, but if you know the south at all, you know they turn a nice shade of autumn brown and drop dead to the ground.  Something about the rains and the heat and something or other, but it's not pretty.  Regardless, our brown October has involved a lot of weddings, travels, and friends, and has added a lot of miles to our new little zip around.  It's a lot easier making road trips when you get 30mpg as opposed to 17. Believe me, it was time for an upgrade.

Pineapple-Cilantro Margarita

Cafe du Monde

So, I'll give you a taste of where my husband and I have been this month with the pictures below.  The first trip was to New Orleans which included fried green tomatoes (how very southern of us), beignets, and the freshest margaritas I've ever tasted:

Fried Green Tomatoes!

The second trip took us to fields of Mississippi Delta cotton and the joining of two do-it-yourself-creative friends in marriage:

Mr. and Mrs. Hodges!

Where's Waldo??

The third trip involved a best friend's wedding in the middle of the Midwest (literally, the geographic center of the country) where I was honored to stand as witness to this couple's testament of love.  My mightily talented husband was the photographer, capturing every happy moment: 

Yellow and Grey Wedding!

Roomies :)

www.sullyclemmer.com

The fourth trip took us back to the Mississippi Delta where we played in a good ole fashioned croquet tournament.  Both my husband and I made it to the finals, but didn't bring home the bacon. :(  Here's one of our hosts demonstrating his unique form <<<(ha!).

I'd say this month was one of those do-laundry-when-you-can-because-we're-taking-another-trip-tomorrow, try-to-cook-more-than-cereal-tonight, where's-that-pair-of-shoes, wait-I-have-to-work-tomorrow-morning? type of months.  I'm ready to stop....drop....and roll... into the holiday season! 

Now, food.  That is the idea here, right?  I didn't plan on blogging about these treats because I really didn't think this "healthy" recipe would be that good tasting.  You know, when you read recipes or labels that contain words like "half-fat Splenda wheat substitute", all I can conjure up in my mind is a mass of something that tastes like wood with the texture of play-dough, the kind of thing you put in your mouth with your eyes closed and your nose all scrunched up, all for no good reason except, "it's good for me, it's good for me, i think i can, i think i can."  This recipe does not include "half-fat Splenda wheat substitute", but it could be a Weight Watchers recipe for those that count points or a health-conscious recipe for those that count calories, or beyond all that, a taste and smell of fall that I've been craving.  With the busyness of this month, it was hard to find time to enjoy the kitchen.  Most nights it was something quick and the weekends were away, so that left little time for creative cooking, let alone a reason to blog about the latest quick meal.  Anyway, the night before our final October trip presented an opportunity to bake these little pumpkin gems and after observing my husband's wide-eyed reaction to his first bite, I knew I found a winner!  And, they're healthy!

On another note, I'm not sure about you, but when I read "1 tablespoon-sized cookies" I thought in no way was that big enough for me.  But trusting the recipe's instructions, I used a tablespoon to measure out the dough and plop them on the baking sheet.  I made exactly 32, the number on the recipe, and these cookies were not too small!  Just the right size actually. Because I did not plan on blogging about these until after they were baked, I have one picture of my own to show you, but the website where I found them has many others to capture the process.  Check it out for lots of other skinny recipe ideas.  These are too good not to share!  Happy Fall!

Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

"Chewy, low-fat oatmeal cookies made with quick oats, pumpkin, and chopped pecans."

Recipe from Skinny Taste, a great website for skinny recipes!

Servings: 16 • Serving Size: 2 cookies • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories:  165.2 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 3.3 g • Carb: 26.3 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Sugar: 13 g
Sodium:  149.4 mg
Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 6 tbsp canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°; line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silpat.
In a medium bowl,  whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice and cinnamon. In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars on medium speed.

 Add the egg, followed by the pumpkin and vanilla extract.

Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the pecans.

Drop 1 tablespoon of the dough at a time onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies become light brown at the edges.
Cool on baking sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 32 cookies, 1 tbsp each.

(If you must)

Splenda Lovers: Substitute all the brown sugar with 1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend, and all the white sugar for 1/4 cup Splenda sugar blend. Points remain the same.