I love a good chocolate chip cookie, but these Healthy Pumpkin Cookies are a fall staple!! They are melt-in-your-mouth soft, and have all of your favorite cozy, fall spices! I even added a little pumpkin frosting on top! The cookie dough takes about 15 minutes to prep, and an hour to chill. (The hardest, but most important part.) Perfect for anyone who is gluten-free, dairy-free, or loves PUMPKIN SPICE.
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What makes these Pumpkin Cookies Healthier?
You’d never know these Pumpkin Spice Cookies are lower in sugar, and filled with simple whole food ingredients! I never sacrifice taste or texture when making my healthier treats.
🍴Ingredient Notes
- Flour: I used almond flour for this recipe, which makes them naturally gluten-free, and lower in carbohydrates. Make sure you get almond flour and not almond meal. My favorite almond flour brands are Bob's Red Mill and Blue Diamond because they both have a finely ground flour that works well for baking!
- Sugar: For sugar, I used my favorite organic unrefined sugar – Coconut Sugar! Each cookie only contains 4 grams of sugar, compared to 10+ for the average pumpkin cookie! I also shared some simple swaps in the FAQ section if you’re sugar-free or keto!
- Oil: I almost always use coconut oil for my recipes because it’s a great dairy-free alternative! You can also swap for Kerrygold Grass-Fed Butter if you can tolerate dairy!
🍴Step by Step Instructions
Making the Cookie Dough
- Start by mixing the almond flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Use a fork or whisk to blend until fully combined. (Make sure to remove all of the flour clumps.)
- Next add your coconut sugar, egg, melted coconut oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract into a separate bowl. Blend with a hand mixer or whisk until fully combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until a thick dough forms. Use your spatula to form it into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Preparing the Cookies + Baking
- Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator. Roll out 12 balls and place them on your parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Press each dough ball into a flat disk about ¼ inch thick. (Don't flatten out too much.) They will not expand much in the oven while baking.
- Bake at 325 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies sit for about a minute. Then remove the cookies and place them on a metal cooling rack. Enjoy!
Helpful Baking Tips
- When preparing the cookies, I like to roll them into balls first, and lay them out on my non-stick baking sheet. (You can also line your baking sheet with parchment paper.) Once they’re laid out, press down to flatten them into about ¼ inch thick circles.
- You can make them whatever size you want, but just know that they will not expand too much in the oven! For this batch, I made them slightly bigger which yielded 12 cookies. You can certainly make them smaller if you’d like, but remember they will cook a bit faster. You’ll know they’re done when the bottom is golden brown.
How to make the frosting
Add 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree, ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon into a small bowl. Use a fork or whisk to combine. Once the cookies have cooled you can add a small amount to the top of each cookie. Spread using the back of the spoon. It will take at least 5-10 minutes to dry completely. You can use any powdered sugar, but I used Lakanto powdered sugar for this recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
I have not tested this recipe with using just Lakanto Monkfruit, but I've made them with using a little mix of monkfruit and coconut sugar. (I do that with a lot of my recipes to cut down on sugar.) I don't see why it wouldn't work - let me know if you try!
I haven’t tested it, but I would assume that butter will work as a great alternative! If I bake with butter I prefer the brand Kerrygold because it’s flavorful, high quality, and made from grass fed cows.
I use a finely ground blanched almond flour. Almond meal will not work the same as it has more of a grainy texture. My personal favorites are Bob’s Red Mill, and Blue Diamond.
How to Store Leftover Cookies
You can store your cookies at room temperature - I like to leave the cover off the container the first night while they set. (I usually place a paper towel over top.) After a couple days, I would move the container into the refrigerator to keep them fresh for longer. You can also store the cookies in a freezer bag or air tight container in the freezer! PRO TIP: Frozen cookies are actually really delicious! If you don’t want to bake all of the cookies at once, you can store the dough in the freezer for a rainy day!
More cookie recipes!
- Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies (Paleo)
- Healthy Banana Cookie Skillet (Paleo)
- Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (Paleo)
Recipe
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 Cups Almond Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Spice
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ Cup Coconut Sugar
- 1 Medium Sized Egg
- 2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Making The Dough
- Start by mixing the almond flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Use a fork or whisk to blend until fully combined. (Make sure to remove all of the flour clumps.)
- Next add your coconut sugar, egg, melted coconut oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract into a separate bowl. Blend with a hand mixer or whisk until fully combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until a thick dough forms. Use your spatula to form it into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Preparing the Cookies + Baking
- Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator. Roll out 12 balls and place them on your parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Press each dough ball into a flat disk about ¼ inch thick. (Don't flatten out too much.) They will not expand much in the oven while baking.
- Bake at 325 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies sit for about a minute. Then remove the cookies and place them on a metal cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
After you make these Healthy Pumpkin Cookies, make sure to leave a comment & rate the recipe! Your feedback is helpful for me, and for anyone planning to try this recipe. I hope you love them as much as I do! xo Mariah
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