During the four weeks leading up to Thanksgiving last year, I tested my recipe for the ultimate healthy pumpkin pie countless times, tweaking ingredients and instructions and baking times until it was finally perfect. With so many iterations, my fridge held three different full-sized pies at one point, each slightly different, and the entire kitchen smelled like pumpkin pie whenever someone opened the refrigerator door!
By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, my family felt a little overwhelmed by the thought of baking even more pies to serve at our small five-person feast (even though those desserts always disappear at least four days before the rest of the leftovers!). Because Mom and I refused to completely give up pie, we settled on a compromise the afternoon before.
With the majority of the best and final pumpkin pie still sitting in the fridge, we decided to mix up just a third of our traditional pecan pie filling recipe (Mom’s Thanksgiving favorite!) and bake it in my mini pie plates without a crust. While the turkey rested the following day, we planned to quickly whip up a small batch of buttery pie dough, roll it out, cut it into strips, and pop it in the oven on a baking sheet to serve alongside the crustless pecan pie.
However, we hit one tiny snag on Thursday afternoon while Dad and I worked on prepping the stuffing, whole wheat rolls, sweet potato casserole, and easy roasted Brussels sprouts. Mom decided to taste a tiny spoonful of one mini pecan pie for quality control, just to double check that we did the math correctly when dividing the ingredient amounts… Which turned into another… And another… And another… And a few tastes for Dad as well…
By the time Dad pulled the turkey off of the grill, only one of the three tiny pecan pies remained!
So just in case anyone gets the same idea this year, I planned ahead and created the recipe for these Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies for my family to nibble on instead! They have the same sweet, cozy flavors as pecan pie, but they’re perfectly portioned and so much easier to make. And with only 50 calories with no butter, refined flour or sugar, they’re basically guilt-free too!
Because I’m sure you’re already a master cookie maker and already know how to whip up cookie dough, let’s just go over a few quick things! We’ll start with two key ingredients. Instead of all-purpose flour, you’ll use white whole wheat flour. It’s made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, which gives it a lighter taste and texture that’s very similar to all-purpose flour. However, white whole wheat flour still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour (like extra fiber!), which comes from a heartier variety of red wheat.
Instead of refined sugar, you’ll use coconut sugar in these cookies. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: sweetener that comes from coconuts! However, it doesn’t actually taste like coconuts. It has a rich, caramel-like flavor very similar to brown sugar, and it has the same pourable consistency as granulated sugar. Many mainstream grocery stores have started to stock it right next to the regular sugar on their baking aisles, and you can also buy it online.
If you remember to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale, then the cookie dough will be very wet when you first mix it up. Therefore, chilling is mandatory! This stiffens and thickens the cookie dough so it’s not quite so gooey when you drop it into the baking sheet.
However, it will still be slightly sticky, so use a spoon and spatula to drop dollops onto the silicone baking mat. To make those mounds round and make a well in the center, moisten your fingers with just a tiny bit of water to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
Time to add the filling! It’s super simple: just finely diced pecans and pure maple syrup. I used a tiny dessert spoon and my favorite mini spatula to fill each well. You’ll want to gently press down the filling with the spatula just before baking since it doesn’t spread and completely holds its shape in the oven.
But just a few minutes later…
Time to eat your delicious treats! And if you’re like my parents… They said these tasted exactly like pecan pie—if not even better!—and finished off the cookies I gave them in the blink of an eye. We may need a double batch on Thanksgiving after all! ?
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- ¼ cup (28g) finely diced pecans
- 1 ½ tsp pure maple syrup
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until incorporated. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- To prepare the filling, stir together the pecans and maple syrup in a small bowl.
- Roll the cookie dough into 24 small spheres, and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (If it’s still sticky, use a spoon and spatula to drop the cookie dough into 24 rounded scoops instead. Moisten your fingers with a tiny amount of water, and gently shape into rounded mounds.) Using your index finger or thumb, make an indentation in the center of each, and fill with the pecan mixture. (If the dough is still sticky, moisten your finger with a tiny amount of water first.) Gently press the pecan filling into each well with a spatula. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
The cornstarch helps keep the cookies soft.
Brown sugar or granulated sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
It’s important to dice the pecans very finely, no larger than half the size of mini chocolate chips, so that the filling fits into each cookie dough’s well and can be gently down to fit together with a spatula.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
I used my tiny dessert spoons and my favorite mini spatula to fill each well. You’ll want to gently press down the filling with the spatula just before baking since it doesn’t spread and completely holds its shape in the oven.
If you’re short on time (or feeling lazy!), then mix the filling into the cookie dough at the end of Step 1 instead.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Easy Pecan Hand Pies
♥ Butterscotch Pecan Tartlets
♥ 5-Minute Candied Pecans
♥ Skinny Slow Cooker Sticky Pecan Buns
♥ The Ultimate Healthy Pumpkin Pie
♥ Healthy Classic Apple Pie
♥ Cranberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Peanut Butter Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookies
Can I use flax egg instead ?
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Monisha! I don’t have much experience with flax eggs, but I know that Ener-G will work. My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute! Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them!
HI Amy! How are the cookies able to taste buttery with just 1 tbsp of butter?
I use a bit more vanilla extract than many “traditional” cookie recipes. That extra vanilla enhances and amplifies butter’s rich flavor, which makes these low-fat cookies taste buttery and sweet. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of them if you try making this recipe, Ruby!
Ur recipe came at 11.58. It.s now 17.51. 2 batches made. 2 batches gone. I recommend chilling for longer. Put my away and went shopping. Super super yummy. This one will be written down and will become a regular.
Thank you.
From England,
Diana
Oh my goodness — two batches made and gone already?? That’s the BEST kind of compliment there is! I’m truly honored, Diana! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. You just put the biggest smile on my face!