Pumpkin flavored coffee may be among the best parts of fall. Yesterday, the Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte returned to us earlier than usual. I have a Starbuck's gift card sitting in my purse and I was about to use it today…until I read this article.
Sugar-filled, delicious lattes used to be my drink of choice at any coffee shop- I had no other thought about it other than I need it and I want it now. Over the past two years, I've slowly stopped the addiction. They first turned into an occasional treat as I was concerned about the fat and calories in most lattes. I then would only order lattes that could include sugar free syrup and low fat milk. Now, the whole sugar free syrup thing is an occasional treat (because we all know the artificial flavoring is just as bad) and the full sugar lattes are probably more like a once a year or never type of thing. If I do order one on a rare occasion, I ask for 1/2 the amount of syrup or less.
Why? Why do I deny myself of this amazing wonder of our world that is the flavored latte? Because Nick just had to read a book about sugar this past spring and tell me all about how it is poisonous. Sure, we still have sugar within fruits and small amounts in other foods, but when we buy food we have a certain standard to how much sugar is allowed if we're going to spend money on it (the standard all depends on the type of food). We aim to treat our bodies like temples as much as we can stand to. We pretty much observe the whole 80/20 principle to the best of our abilities…80% healthy and 20% indulgent treats.
So, knowing that a Grande PSL has 50grams of sugar kind of turns me off. And I was going to just put that out of my brain, get a tall, ask for half the syrup and love my life. Then, this morning, I see this posted by a friend on Facebook…
Looking at this photo is enough, but actually reading the article kind of makes Starbuck's sound pretty bad, and it makes me not want to go there at all, to be honest (except for just coffee maybe...since I have that gift card.)
So, as my dreams of PSL's quickly turned to nightmares, I realized something pumpkin flavored in my day might help bring my spirits back up. Pinterest is the best, really. I found some great recipes for healthy pumpkin flavored baked goods that were easy enough to make with the ingredients in my cupboard (when I search any recipe, I usually search "easy" along with what I'm searching for). What ?I didn't already have, though, was a can of pumpkin.
Well, it's a bit early for finding cans of pumpkin in stores, apparently, but Whole foods came through for me with a bit-too-expensive of an option. I realized, though, that it was way less expensive than a Grande PSL and way less likely to poison me, so I bought two!
Next I chose a recipe for pumpkin cookies. Other than today being a day that I felt in need of something pumpkin flavored, it was also, way more importantly, Nick's first day of teaching! I wanted to make something that he would enjoy at the end of his long day, so cookies were it! Also, I wanted cookies that wouldn't make me feel bad about eating five at a time (as I mourn over my loss of the PSL).
First day as a full time, elementary phys. ed. teacher! The handsomest one there ever was!
What I found…cookies that are only 42 calories each! Still, I modified the recipe just a little more to fit my sugar standards. If I make a baked good that I don't feel guilty about indulging in for breakfast and for an after dinner dessert within the same day, I'm happy! These definitely fit that standard!
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup of all purpose flour (I used gluten free because that is what I had on hand)
-1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 4 packets of stevia in the raw
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp sea salt (do not underestimate the value of this ingredient!!!)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup of canned pumpkin
- cooking spray (I use coconut oil cooking spray and love it!)
Here is the original recipe. My modifications were in the flour and sugar department, where I used half of the amount of sugar and a different type. Also, I added chocolate chips because everything is better with chocolate. Since I took away half the sugar in the recipe, adding chocolate is fine, right? ;)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Mix together the pumpkin, applesauce, brown sugar, stevia, and vanilla
2. Mix together all dry ingredients in a separate bowl
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
4. Spoon mixture onto sprayed cookie sheet in small, even sized blobs.
5. Put cookie sheet into oven (and eat the rest of the mixture that remains in the bowl with spoon or fingers).
6. Allow about 15 minutes to bake, take out of the oven, and enjoy!
These cookies are soft and almost spongey in texture which is typical of a cookie recipe with applesauce replacing the butter and oil. In short, they are miracle cookies. They are so delicious, and I probably could have reduced the sugar even more, and they would still be amazing.
To me, these cookies just go to show that so many recipes have way more sugar than needed. I added 4 stevia packets to make up for what I left out…but apparently a 1/2 cup of sugar should be compensated with 9 stevia packets. 9 stevia packets would have been way too sweet! I encourage you to experiment with using less sugar in your baking in whatever way you find works best for you- it's way better for you and eventually, your taste buds won't even want anything way-too-sweet anymore…ours don't!
Also, if you just can't pass up a PSL, but you'd like to pass on Starbucks, there are so many recipes on Pinterest for cleaner alternatives to make your own Pumpkin Spice Latte!
Happy Almost Fall! What are you doing to get into the spirit of the best season?
*PS: Please don't hate me for knocking the PSL!!*
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