During our trip to Vermont, we stayed at a charming little inn tucked away in the lush green hills. With its homey décor, it felt more like a cozy yet upscale B&B on the inside, yet every room came with its own bathroom like in a traditional hotel (always much appreciated!).
Instead of numbers and key cards, each bedroom at the inn had a name (I stayed in Miss Kate’s room!) and a regular key attached to a soft brown leather keychain. They were all uniquely decorated as well, and mine had floral wallpaper with matching curtains and a view overlooking the adjacent meadow and forest.
Despite busy schedules in the morning and afternoon, we still ended up with at least an hour or two of downtown in the early evenings before dinner. I always spent part of mine sitting in one of the comfy chairs in my room, looking out over the countryside. (I thought about settling into one of the deck seats on my balcony, but the weather was a bit too chilly for this California girl!)
For an even cozier feel, I usually brewed a cup of coffee using the Keurig in the inn’s main living room first. The innkeeper always set out a selection of coffee and tea options for the guests to make at any time of day, and I loved how many of the flavors were locally produced.
I enjoyed every minute of those cozy autumn evenings with my warm cup of coffee and beautiful view, yet it still felt like a little something was missing…
A small baked treat to go along with my coffee, like these Healthy Pumpkin Pie Thumbprint Cookies! They’re perfect for when you’re craving a little something sweet, especially during the fall, or even when you’re craving pumpkin pie but not all of the leftovers! 😉
Even with the same warm spice and sweet pumpkin flavors, these healthy thumbprint cookies are much easier to make than pie and ready to enjoy much sooner, too. Plus they’re just 41 calories!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY PUMPKIN PIE THUMBPRINT COOKIES
So let’s go over how to make these healthy pumpkin pie thumbprint cookies!
You’ll start with one of my favorite cookie dough bases, which includes white whole wheat flour (this kind!) and cornstarch. Yes, cornstarch! It isn’t just for thickening sauces and soups. In this cookie dough, the cornstarch helps keep your healthy pumpkin pie thumbprint cookies really soft and chewy!
White whole wheat flour may also sound a bit surprising, but I promise it actually exists—and it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour! Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture. That lets the soft and chewy texture of your healthy pumpkin pie thumbprint cookies truly shine!
Unlike many traditional recipes with a stick or two of butter, you only need 1 ½ tablespoons for this recipe. That really helps keep your pumpkin pie thumbprint cookies low in calories! Then you’ll also add my semi-secret ingredient…
Extra vanilla extract! Vanilla extract actually enhances butter’s rich flavor, so by adding slightly more than in traditional recipes, your healthy pumpkin pie thumbprint cookies taste just as rich and buttery. Such a fun trick, right?
You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your cookies with coconut sugar (like this!) instead. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts! However, it doesn’t actually taste like coconuts. It has a rich, caramel-like flavor similar to brown sugar. You can usually find it on the baking aisle right next to the granulated and brown sugars!
While the cookie dough chills, it’s time to make the filling! It’s super easy… Just stir together a few ingredients in a bowl! And those ingredients are pumpkin purée (like this—not pumpkin pie mix!), milk, cinnamon, and liquid stevia.
Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also really concentrated, so you just need ¼ teaspoon! You can find it at many health oriented grocery stores, but I buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Now all that’s left to do is assemble and bake! Roll out the cookie dough into balls first. The cookie dough is usually still a bit sticky, so I moisten my fingers and palms with a bit of water in between rolling each piece of dough.
Then press your finger into the center of each (I wet my fingers again here too!) to make a deep indentation. Transfer the filling into a zip-topped bag, cut off a piece of one corner, and pipe the filling into each cavity until it’s full. Then pop your baking sheet full of healthy pumpkin pie thumbprint cookies into the oven, set a timer…
And enjoy! 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 healthy pumpkin pie thumbprint cookies!
| Healthy Pumpkin Pie Thumbprint Cookies | Print |
- for the cookies
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- for the filling
- ¼ cup (61g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- 2 tsp nonfat milk
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp liquid stevia
- To prepare the cookies, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until incorporated. Chill the cookie dough for 20 minutes.
- While the cookie dough chills, prepare the filling. Stir together the pumpkin, milk, cinnamon, and stevia in a small bowl. Transfer to a zip-topped bag, and cut off one corner of the bag.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Roll the cookie dough into 24 small spheres (see Notes!), and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Using your index finger or thumb, make an indentation in the center of each, and pipe in the filling. (If the dough cracks, gently pinch it back together with your fingers.) Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack. (If the cookies stick to the baking sheet, slide a knife underneath each cookie first!)
It’s important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will make your cookies turn out dry and crumbly, rather than soft and chewy.
The cornstarch helps keep the cookies soft.
Brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! I buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too.
If you prefer not to use the liquid stevia, then substitute 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for the liquid stevia. Omit the milk if using this substitution.
This recipe is easily doubled!
ROLLING THE COOKIE DOUGH: If the cookie dough sticks to your hands, moisten them with a little bit of water before rolling each sphere and making the indentations in the centers.
AFTER BAKING: After your cookies have cooled, if you'd like the filling to look spread out like in my photos above, then use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently spread it around. (It holds its shape and doesn't spread out at all by itself while baking!)
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Use coconut oil or stick-style vegan butter (like this!) and your preferred non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, dairy free option}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Healthy Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Healthy Jam Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Healthy Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Healthy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
♡ …and all of Amy’s other healthy pumpkin recipes!
Can I substitute granulated stevia for the coconut sugar?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Karen! What’s the exact granulated stevia product (brand name + product name) that you’d like to substitute? Nearly every brand’s stevia is slightly different, so I want to make sure I give you the best possible answer! 🙂
Hi Amy,
I made these cookies tonight. It was good. however your recipe mentioned 24 cookies .. I could get only 17 with the same amount of ingredients mentioned. Also, as I am very particular about measurements I have weighed the ingredients. Not sure why it was not 24 :(. I tried making small balls as mentioned. Anyways I liked it.. ( and 2 of them could not make it to cooking rack .. lol. ).
I baked for 9 min.. I wasn’t quite sure when you mentioned 8-10, how to judge if the cookies are ready? What is the trick here to know when to remove from oven?
Thanks for the recipes 🙂
Also, What is the best way to store these cookies.. As the filling in the centre is kind of paste, stacking them in a container doesn’t seem to be a good idea. any suggestion?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Anu! To get 24 cookies, I cut through the dough in my mixing bowl after chilling. I slice it into quarters, then slice each quarter in half. That should yield 8 segments. Then I divide each segment into 3 pieces — for a total of 24 pieces — which I roll into balls. A little nerdy, but it’s the method that seems to work the best! I pull these cookies from the oven when the cookie tops closest to the filling feel mostly firm — not all the way firm! They’ll continue to cook through as the cookies cool on the baking sheet, so pulling them out a little bit “ahead” of time ensures they stay soft and chewy. I’ve actually given the best storage method in the little paragraph directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box! I know it can be easy to miss. 😉 If you put a piece of parchment paper in between the cookies, that should help! 🙂
Thanks Amy. I’ll follow the cutting the dough method 🙂 Also will check for doneness using your trick.
I did read the storage method in airtight container in your recipe. I always make sure to read everything you post. 🙂 I’ll try the parchment paper between the cookies when i store them. Thanks again!
It’s my pleasure, Anu! I’m always happy to help! 🙂 That means a lot to me that you read everything I post — not even my parents do that! 😉 ♡
Can u use a whole egg instead of an egg white for this? Thanks!
If you prefer to use a whole egg, then reduce the butter to 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added liquid from the egg yolk. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies Lucy!
How long will the cookies keep? Can they be frozen?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Winnie! I’ve actually covered how long they’ll keep in the little paragraph of text directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I haven’t tried freezing them though, so I’m not sure about that. I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try them!
As I‘m vegan is there any possibilty to summit the eggwhite?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nicole! 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, although that doesn’t apply to this particular recipe!). 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
These are great!
Made a sub of: 80g white wheat cake flour + 1/4 c coconut flour and it gave a nice coconut flavor.
Such a great little treat with a cup of coffee for a pick me up!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Karen! Thank you for sharing your recipe modifications too — I always love hearing what tweaks work! 🙂
Amy,
I’m not sure what you mean by “unrefined.” Unless you’re eating the actual green stevia leaf, it’s refined. Coconut sugar and agave syrup are also refined. Honey and maple syrup are on the very short list of unrefined sweeteners. Maple syrup has to be boiled down from sap, but at least the sap flows directly from the tree. I’m not trying to be ugly, but this is important information for those who are just starting to follow a real food eating plan. Thank you for the instructions to substitute maple syrup. Best wishes!