Kick off the pumpkin season with these healthier soft pumpkin & chocolate chip cookies. They’re super easy to make & require very little effort. Free from refined sugar & vegan friendly.
Well then, are you ready for the season of ‘all things pumpkin’? Although I’m still holding on to the last warm days of the British Indian summer, I’m really excited about autumn. Cosy warm jumpers, woolly hats, long walks to the soothing shuffle of the falling leaves whilst holding onto pumpkin spice lattes… And a lot of comfort baking, of course!
So, if you’re after delicious soft pumpkin & chocolate cookies that are kinder to your waist, you’re in the right place! These cookies are super simple to make, so it’s a perfect recipe to keep the little ones involved in too.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE HEALTHIER PUMPKIN & CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES FROM SCRATCH?
- Porridge oats. We will be blitzing the oats into fine flour, so if you already have oat flour in the cupboard, you can use it instead of oats.
- Spelt flour (you can substitute for wholemeal or all purpose wheat flour)
- Baking powder
- Pumpkin spice: nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon & ground cloves
- Pumpkin (or butternut squash) puree. You can either use tinned pumpkin (Look for 100% pure pumpkin puree on the front of the label) or homemade. To make your own, cut the pumpkin into quarters, brush the flesh with a tiny bit of olive oil to stop it from drying out in the oven and roast at 180C Fan/356 Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size) until soft. Once cooled, dab the pumpkin quarters with paper towel to get rid of access oil & moisture, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and blitz in a food processor until smooth puree forms. If your pumpkin puree looks too watery, place the puree in a sieve to remove excess liquid.
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- Maple syrup
- Nut butter of choice (I used almond). If allergic to nuts, replace with sunflower butter (not oil).
- Dark chocolate chips
TIPS ON MAKING YOUR HEALTHIER PUMPKIN & CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES TASTE THE BEST
- Avoid overmixing the batter – it’ll result in drier cookies
- If you’re making your own pumpkin/butternut squash puree, make sure to remove extra oil & moisture (see note above) to avoid altering the cookie batter consistency
- Use an ice cream scoop/measuring cup to make your cookies the same size to ensure even baking
- Let the cookies cool down for a few minutes to allow them to crisp up on the edges
- Don’t overbake the cookies – it’ll result in your cookies being too dry.
WHY SHOULD I MAKE THESE COOKIES?
- They’re super easy to make (which make it a great activity to get the little ones involved)
- There’s no need to use refine sugar = healthier for your waist
- It’s a great way of sneaking in veggies into your diet
- They make a perfect fibre rich snack and keep you full for much longer
HOW TO STORE PUMPKIN & CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
It’s best to store the cookies in a zip-lock bag or airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. If you’d like to serve your cookies warm, give them a little blast in a microwave (2-3 seconds on the highest setting) just before eating. It’ll make them warm, soft and will allow the chocolate inside the cookies melt a little.
If you’d like some more dessert inspiration, check out:
- Quick & easy nectarine tart
- Upside down blood orange cake
- Healthier raspberry & rhubarb crisp
- Chocolate & blood orange tart
- Vegan peanut & caramel bars
- Vegan strawberry mousse cake
As always, if you recreate this recipe, I’d be delighted to read your comments and hear your feedback. Be sure to drop a comment here on the blog, tag me in your photos on Instagram @Fit Foodie Nutter, Facebook or Pinterest so I don’t miss them.
See you next week.
Healthfully yours,
Tania x
Pin for later:
HEALTHIER SOFT PUMPKIN & CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (VEGAN)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup oats (100g )
- ½ cup spelt flour (70g )
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp dark chocolate chips
Wet ingredients:
- ½ cup pumpkin puree, tinned or homemade* (130g )
- 1 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 heaped tbsp nut butter of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C Fan/365F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Blitz the oats in a food processor for 2-3 minutes until fine oat flour forms. Skip this step if using ready-made oat flour.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients apart from chocolate chips and mix well to incorporate. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix, just enough to combine. Avoid over-mixing. Fold in 2 tbsp of dark chocolate chips.
- Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, place a scoop of cookie dough on the cookie sheet and gently press with your fingers to flatten (until it’s 7-8cm wide). Using the remainder of the chocolate chips, dot them around the cookie and slightly push them with your fingers to ‘sink’ them into the cookie. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool down for a few minutes before eating.
Notes
I CANNOT wait to try this. Looks SO good!
Thank you Katie!
Thank you for the recipe, sounds delicious and I have pumpikns growing in my garden
You’re very welcome Laura! Hope you’ll enjoy these cookies as much as I did!
Great flavor combination and love that they are healthier!
Thank you Andrea!
All of my roommates are vegan and we all LOVE cookies, so I have a feeling this is going to become a staple for us. They look incredible!
I’m sure you’ll score a lot od brownie points from your room mates Nathan!:) Let me know how you’ll get on!
I love using ground oatmeal in cookies, it makes a great texture. Also, I am ready for all things pumpkin and these cookies look totally delicoius. I love you added chocolate chips to the cookies.
Thank you so much Jere! Truly excited about the pumpkin season!