During my freshman year of college, I attended a potluck-style Thanksgiving party held by one of the Christian groups on campus since I had been friends with a few of the older members back in high school. Seven of the upperclassmen lived in a house together in the residential area near the university, so they offered to host the dinner.
Although all of us freshmen lived in the dorms, we still wanted to bring food to share, even though none of the older college kids expected us to. Many of my classmates tossed together salads or picked up store-bought rolls as easier yet still thoughtful options, but… I took the harder route.
Because my specific dorm originally had been an apartment building before the university transformed them, it had a decent-sized kitchen on the first floor, complete with an oven and stove. On the morning of the party, I biked to the grocery store for ingredients, lugged my mixing bowls and baking sheets down to the kitchen, and baked my favorite recipe for super soft pumpkin cookies.
When the evening rolled around, I piled the six dozen cookies onto four paper plates, covered them with foil, and walked a few blocks to the upperclassmen’s house along with my other freshman friends. We set down our contributions onto the long tables in the dining room already loaded with food, and by the end of the night, only a few slices of pumpkin and pecan pie were left—but none of my cookies!
As much as I still enjoy that recipe’s soft and chewy texture, those cookies are full of refined sugar and all-purpose flour, so I set out to make a healthier version this year. These Pumpkin Pie Protein Cookies are the result! They’re just as addictive as the originals—if not even more so—and they’re both clean-eating and lower-carb too!
These cookies start with two very important dry ingredients: coconut flour and protein powder. The coconut flour is what makes these cookies lower in carbs compared to the originals, but it behaves very differently than other flours. Coconut flour is about three times as absorbent, so it’s incredibly important to measure it correctly because any extra will quickly dry out the cookies and turn them cakey. I highly recommend a kitchen scale for this! I own this inexpensive one, and I use it in every recipe I make for this blog. It’s worth its weight in gold!
This recipe was specifically designed for whey-based protein powder. I used this brand, and I love it because it has a mostly sweet vanilla taste with very little whey flavor. It also contains very little fat and sugar—a really nice bonus! Not all protein powders act the same, so if you use a different whey-based protein powder, you may need to add a tiny bit more if the dough is too wet or add a hint of milk if it’s too dry.
However, I do not recommend using plant-based protein powder. In general, plant-based protein powders are much more absorbent than whey-based, so these cookies would turn out dry and cakey. Save those plant-based powders for these protein bars or energy bites instead!
For the pumpkin pie flavor, we’ll use cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin purée. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling! That contains extra spices and sugar, and in order to keep these cookies healthy and clean-eating friendly, we’ll go with pumpkin purée instead.
Most of the sweetness comes from two stevia-based sweeteners: Truvia and Swerve. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener. I prefer to blend a few different brands because some are easier to find and less expensive than others.
Now with all of those better ingredients, these cookies are practically healthy enough for breakfast! And I’d almost never turn down a cookie for breakfast… Would you?
| Pumpkin Pie Protein Cookies | | Print |
- ¼ cup (28g) coconut flour (measured correctly)
- 2 scoops (84g) vanilla whey protein powder (I used Jamie Eason's Lean Body for Her)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (183g) pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup (60mL) agave
- 2 tbsp granulated Swerve
- 2 tbsp Truvia
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and vanilla. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Stir in the agave. Mix in the Swerve and Truvia until completely dissolved. Stir in the coconut flour mixture until completely incorporated. Let the cookie dough rest for at least 10 minutes.
- While the cookie dough rests, preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the cookie dough into 12 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. (Between ¼” to ½” is best.) Bake at 325°F for 11-13 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
If the cookie dough looks too dry, add 2 teaspoons of milk at a time until everything comes together. If it looks too wet after letting it rest, add 1 teaspoon of coconut flour at a time until the texture is thicker.
Xanthan gum helps hold the cookies together and make them chewy.
Maple syrup or honey may be substituted in place of the agave.
Swerve and Truvia are both no-calorie, Stevia-based sweeteners. You may use all of one or the other, or you may substitute your preferred granulated sweetener instead.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Protein Powder Recipes: Tips & FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower carb, high protein}
Hi Amy! These look delicious, as usual! How do you think chocolate protein powder would work? I know pumpkin and chocolate chips are a great combo, but I don’t want the powder to overwhelm the chocolate. I don’t have vanilla whey powder at the moment, but am excited to try these!
I think the chocolate protein powder would overwhelm the pumpkin and mostly taste like chocolate cookies, as opposed to the fall flavors of pumpkin pie. I’d probably stick with vanilla whey protein powder instead. I hope you enjoy the cookies Lauren!
Amy, i love your emails and your recipes! These sound wonderful.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Jen! I hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them!
These look amazing!! It would be amazing if they sold pumpkin in my country!! 🙁 Will have to wait until October!!
Oh no!! That sounds terrible Isabella — I don’t know what I’d do if grocery stores here didn’t sell pumpkin purée. I hope you’re able to find pumpkin soon, and enjoy the cookies when you’re able to try them!
The time for all things pumpkin has arrived. I hope your area cools off soon so that it really feels like fall is coming! Until then, these cookies will surely help.
Thanks Brittany! I love seeing your fall photos of your decorated fireplace mantel. Until this heat wave blows over, I’m living autumn out through you! 😉
Amy, how do you measure a ‘scoop’ for the protein powder? I purchased it from a bulk container so I’m not sure how much to use. Thanks!
When buying regular containers of protein powder, each actually comes with a measuring scoop inside so that the buyer can measure 1 “scoop” of that particular brand. The size and weight of the scoop can vary with the brand of protein powder. Since you don’t have a scoop, I’d highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure by weight instead, and if you don’t have that either, then start with about 3-4 tablespoons as your 1 “scoop.” I hope you enjoy the cookies Jen!
I have the scoops from other protein powders but I think they vary in size. Using the scale seems to be the best option. Thanks for the help!
You’re welcome Jen! I hope the scale works! 🙂
Pinning this for sure and I will totally use NuZest protein powder and my Xylitol sweetened HONEY 😀 Thank you for your delicious creativity!!
Thank you for your sweet comment and pin GiGi! I really hope you enjoy the cookies, and I’d love to hear what you think with those substitutions! 🙂
Have you ever used any other flour? I am allergic to coconut and I was curious if you recommend a substitute. Thank you
I haven’t used any other flour, but it should be possible to substitute Ashley! Since coconut flour is much more absorbent than any other flour, you’ll probably need 2-3 times as much (by volume). I’d start by adding ½ cup of your preferred flour (and if it’s wheat-based, you can omit the xanthan gum!). If the cookie dough seems too wet, add a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches a normal “cookie dough” consistency. If it’s too dry, add any type of milk 1½ teaspoons at a time. I’d love to hear what you try and how the cookies turn out for you! 🙂
Love the looks of this recipe, Amy! Can’t wait to try it!
I have a question… How might this recipe need to be altered if the agave or any other liquid sweetener were to be left out?
Thanks!
I appreciate your interest in my recipe Garrett! The answer depends on the sweetener you’d like to replace the agave with. What specific sweetener did you have in mind? 🙂
Thank you for your quick reply, Amy! It sounds like one is required then? I was hoping to leave the liquid sweetener out completely though I imagine it helps keep things together? Sorry! I’m kind of new at this.
My pleasure Garrett, and no need to apologize! I’m happy to help. 🙂 Yes, the agave both provides sweetness and binds together the ingredients. If you preferred to substitute more Truvia or granulated Swerve, then you’d need an additional 4 tablespoons of either one (or both combined) plus 2 tablespoons of milk (any type will do) to replace the agave. Will that work for you and your diet?
It certainly does! Thank you so much for all the help!
My pleasure Garrett! I can’t wait to hear how your cookies turn out!
Can I use Monkfruit sweetener in lieu of Truvia & Swerve? Would it be the same measurements?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Megan! I’ve actually never worked with monkfruit as a sweetener, so I’m not entirely sure. However, if you’ve been able to substitute it for Truvia and Swerve in other recipes, then it should probably work in this one too! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies if you try them!
Thanks, Amy! I ended up making them yesterday using Swerve & Truvia. They were fantastic and taste just like pumpkin pie without the crust! The one complication I ran into was flattening them out. The dough was super sticky, so it kept adhering to my spatula. Is that normal? I don’t know if my protein powder would have a play in this (I used Optimum Nutrition’s naturally flavored Vanilla Whey).
Nonetheless, I will definitely be making them again. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Megan! I love that flavor comparison to pumpkin pie — it’s so true! 🙂 Yes, the exact whey protein powder that you use will affect the texture. It sounds like yours was slightly less absorbent than the one I use, so if you use a tablespoon or two more, then the cookie dough might not stick to your spatula as much!
I accidentally used oat flour instead of coconut flour. The dough is gummy pasty. Should I add more flour or protein powder?
Either will work Renee! I’d start with the oat flour since it often requires a lot more protein powder to get the correct consistency than flour. Coconut flour is about 3X as absorbent as any other flour, so you just need to keep adding more oat flour or protein powder until the dough isn’t quite so wet and sticky. 🙂