Every year for Halloween, my neighborhood organizes a block party. We gather at the end of our quiet street in the early evening, and the little kids run around in their costumes until the sun goes down, the sign that it’s time to start trick-or-treating.
Someone always sets up a large folding table with lots of paper plates and napkins, and each house brings a dish to share. We end up with all sorts of sweet and savory options: warm baked dips, casseroles, “mummies” in a blanket (hot dogs wrapped up in crescent roll dough!), brownie bites, mini cupcakes decorated with bat-shaped sprinkles…
This year, I decided to bake sugar cookies in fun festive shapes, so on the Saturday before Halloween after checking online to make sure some were in stock, I drove to Target to buy a set of Halloween cookie cutters. I walked to the aisle with all of the seasonal treats, but…
No cookie cutters. I even asked an employee, and after scanning the barcode of the empty bin, she revealed that the store was completely sold out—there weren’t even any in the back!
On a whim, I decided to drive to a different Target in town, about another 15 minutes away. I probably looked like a crazy lady as I nearly sprinted straight to the back of the store…
But as soon as I scanned the shelves, I found the exact set of Halloween cookie cutters that I needed! It came with a ghost, a piece of candy corn, and a pumpkin. Perfect!
And I used the last of those three to make these Healthy Pumpkin Sugar Cookies! They’re irresistibly sweet and soft with the same flavors as pumpkin pie, including lots of cozy cinnamon. Yet they contain no eggs, refined flour or sugar and only 60 calories!
Definitely my favorite fall sugar cookies!
Let’s go over how to make these healthy pumpkin sugar cookies! I learned a lot about the science of baking pumpkin-flavored sugar cookies while developing this recipe, so I’m sharing that nerdy knowledge with you so your healthy pumpkin sugar cookies turn out perfectly, too!
Nerd Alert #1: Flour + Spices
Instead of traditional recipes that call for all-purpose flour, you’ll actually use whole wheat pastry flour in your healthy pumpkin sugar cookies. It’s made by really finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, which gives whole wheat pastry flour a lovely light and tender texture, very similar to that of all-purpose flour. Yet it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, like extra fiber!
Hint: I included my preferred gluten-free option in the Notes section of the recipe, if you prefer!
Because all pumpkin baked treats require spices, in my humble opinion, you’ll also mix cinnamon into the flour. This is my favorite kind because it has a stronger, richer, and slightly sweeter flavor!
Nerd Alert #2: Leavener
For your healthy pumpkin sugar cookies, you’ll only use a teensy bit of baking powder. Just enough to give the cookies a lighter, not so dense texture! You don’t want your cookies to rise very much. Flat, even tops are much better.
I’ve actually found that chilling the cookie dough for at least 24 hours leads to the most even and flat healthy pumpkin sugar cookies! When I chilled the cookie dough for only an hour or two, I still saw some air bubbles. (You can easily flatten them though—just put another baking sheet on top of the cookies once they come out of the oven!)
Nerd Alert #3: Butter + Coconut Oil
Next, you’ll need a small amount of melted butter or coconut oil. Both will work equally well! I just prefer the rich flavor of butter. But to make these pumpkin sugar cookies healthy, you’ll only add a small amount to your cookie dough: just 2 tablespoons, instead of a stick or two like in traditional sugar cookie recipes!
That really helps keep these healthy pumpkin sugar cookies low calorie and low fat!
I’ve also found that melted butter or coconut oil creates a more chewy texture in cookies. That’s true in these healthy pumpkin sugar cookies too! They have a lovely soft and chewy texture—my favorite!
Nerd Alert #4: Extracts
You’ll actually use two different baking extracts to make these healthy pumpkin sugar cookies! Vanilla extract and butter extract (this kind). The butter extract gives these healthy, low-fat pumpkin sugar cookies the same rich buttery flavor as traditional recipes. Such a cool trick, right??
Both baking extracts are shelf-stable and keep for ages, so it’s definitely worthy buying and using both!
Nerd Alert #5: Pumpkin
Of course, you can’t make healthy pumpkin sugar cookies without the pumpkin! You’ll need 6 tablespoons of pumpkin purée. Not pumpkin pie mix! That contains added spices and refined sugar, which we’re avoiding in this healthy recipe.
I tried using ½ cup of pumpkin in my initial batch of healthy pumpkin sugar cookies, but those extra two tablespoons added too much moisture to the cookie dough. It never fully firmed up, even after chilling for a full day, and the cut-outs stretched into weird lopsided pumpkin shapes when I tried to transfer them to the baking sheet because of the extra moisture. Oops!
So 6 tablespoons of pumpkin is perfect! It still adds lots of flavor to these healthy pumpkin sugar cookies but not too much moisture.
Nerd Alert #6: Sweeteners
Yes, plural! You actually need two sweeteners to make these healthy pumpkin sugar cookies: pure maple syrup and liquid stevia (this one!).
Why?
Well… It goes back to the same problem as extra pumpkin purée! If you only used pure maple syrup, that would add way too much liquid to the cookie dough. It’d have the same texture as muffin batter, not cookie dough!
But if you reduce the amount of maple syrup to be the correct amount of liquid, that’s only 2 tablespoons… And then your healthy pumpkin sugar cookies would have the right soft and chewy texture, but they’d taste more like bread instead of sweet sugar cookies. Not good.
So that’s where the liquid stevia comes in! Stevia in a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s extremely concentrated, and it contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). This is the kind that I use because I don’t notice any strange aftertaste like in some other stevia products. I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found (and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
By mixing in just 1 ¼ teaspoons of my recommend liquid stevia, that adds the same sweetness to the cookie dough as another ½ cup of maple syrup. Super cool, right??
With my trick of two sweeteners, pure maple syrup and concentrated liquid stevia, you end up with really sweet healthy pumpkin sugar cookies that still have the perfect soft and chewy texture!
Nerd Alert #7: Chilling
Yes, chilling is mandatory for these healthy pumpkin sugar cookies! The cookie dough will still be a bit soft after you first mix it together. Chilling it stiffens the cookie dough, so it has the right texture for rolling and cutting into shapes.
To chill the cookie dough, cut an extra long sheet of plastic wrap. Place the cookie dough in the center, and shape it into a 1”-thick rectangle. (This makes rolling it out easier later!) Place another extra long sheet of plastic wrap on top, and fold up the excess.
And remember from earlier… Chilling for at least 24 hours means that your healthy pumpkin sugar cookies turn out with perfectly flat and even tops! You only need to chill for 1 hour (and that’s what I normally do because when I get a craving for cookies, I want them ASAP!), but chilling for less time often results in air bubbles, which means the tops of your cookies won’t be quite as flat. But we can fix that—remember, just put another baking sheet on top of the cookies once you remove them from the oven!
Nerd Alert #8: Rolling + Cutting
There’s actually a reason you used two extra long sheets of plastic wrap to chill your cookie dough… You’ll roll out the cookie dough in between the plastic wrap, so you don’t need to flour your work surface or your rolling pin. It makes the process much easier (and clean-up is a breeze!).
After rolling out your cookie dough into a thin layer, it’s time for the fun part… Cookie cutters! This is the pumpkin cookie cutter that I used. Try to maximize the number of cookie cut-outs you get by placing them as close together as possible!
Before transferring your shapes to your baking sheet, peel away the excess cookie dough first. By peeling away the unused cookie dough, it’s much easier to transfer the cut-outs to your baking sheet without them turning lopsided from too much tugging. That’s my #1 tip for perfectly shaped healthy pumpkin sugar cookies!
Nerd Alert #9: Rerolling
Yes, it’s totally fine and completely acceptable to reroll the unused cookie dough to cut out more shapes! I gently massage it back into a ball with my hands, then flatten it some with my palms before putting it back in between the plastic wrap sheets to roll out again. Just be as gentle as possible!
Nerd Alert #10: Baking
We’re so close to the end… It’s time to bake your healthy pumpkin sugar cookies! They shouldn’t spread at all while baking, but still leave some space in between them to ensure they bake evenly. They only take a little bit to bake, between 7-9 minutes, but when they come out of the oven…
You’ll end up with the best ever, absolutely perfect healthy pumpkin sugar cookies! And if you figure out how to eat any less than three at once, please let me know your secrets! ? 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 sugar cookies!
| Healthy Pumpkin Sugar Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup + 6 tbsp (165g) whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp butter extract
- 1 ¼ tsp liquid stevia
- 6 tbsp (92g) pumpkin purée, room temperature (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, vanilla extract, butter extract, and liquid stevia. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Transfer the dough to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap, and shape into a 1”-tall rectangle. Cover the top with another large sheet of plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days*).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Leaving the cookie dough between the sheets of plastic wrap, roll it out until between ⅛” and 1/16” thick. Carefully peel back one piece of the plastic wrap. Lightly flour your cookie cutter, and press it into the dough, making sure each shape lies as close to its neighbors as possible to minimize unused dough. Peel the unused dough away from the shapes, and place them onto the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the unused dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, and repeat.
- Bake the cut out cookie dough at 350°F for 7-9 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Use a store-bought gluten-free flour blend (like this one!) for the gluten-free option, but make sure you measure it carefully, like this or with my favorite kitchen scale!
It’s very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your cookie dough and make your sugar cookies crumbly.
This is my favorite cinnamon. It has a stronger, richer, and slightly sweeter flavor than regular cinnamon (and it’s really affordable!).
If using coconut oil, the cookies may have a faintly detectable coconut flour.
Vanilla extract may be substituted for the butter extract, but the cookies will not have the same iconic “sugar cookie” taste.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
This is the liquid stevia that I use. It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!), and I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. You cannot substitute additional pure maple syrup for the liquid stevia because cookies require a precise balance of wet and dry ingredients. (See Nerd Alert #6 in my blog post above for more information.)
This is my favorite plastic wrap. It clings SO much better than other brands I’ve tried! And this is my favorite rolling pin. Its surface is much more even than traditional wooden rolling pins, and it’s perfect for rolling out cinnamon roll dough too!
If chilling the cookie dough longer than 2 hours, it may be necessary to “thaw” the cookie dough on the counter for 15-20 minutes before trying to roll it out. It gets stiffer the longer it chills, so letting it rest on the counter for a short period of time makes it easier for you to roll it out!
If your cookies have air bubbles in their tops after baking, place another (room temperature!) baking sheet on top of them shortly after removing the cookies from the oven. Leave the baking sheet on top while they cool to room temperature.
This is the pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter that I used.
For more information regarding the ingredients and instructions, please see the Nerd Alerts (#1-10) in my blog post above.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Pie Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Cut-Out Chocolate Sugar Cookies
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy pumpkin recipes!
How much of the powdered stevia do we use? I saw the conversion for drops to powdered stevia but wasn’t sure for your measurement. Let me know, thank you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Morgan! What’s the exact brand and powdered stevia product that you’d like to substitute? Many brands and products have slightly different sweetness levels, so the amount you’ll need (and any other recipe modifications you might need to make!) will depend on the brand and product. 🙂
Hi! Thank you for your response. I use ‘truvia’ in place of the liquid stevia. Please let me know what amount to use for this recipe. Also I tried making these and the dough had a gummy like texture – is that normal? Lol
It’s my pleasure, Morgan! Unfortunately, Truvia won’t work in place of the liquid stevia in this recipe. In my recipes, Truvia is a one-for-one substitute for granulated or coconut sugar. These cookies require a precise balance of wet and dry ingredients, and Truvia would add too much volume, which means that the cookie dough would be too wet and not possible to roll out. ???? I haven’t had this cookie dough turn out with a gummy consistency before… When your cookie dough had that gummy texture, had you made any modifications or substitutions to the recipe (including those listed in the Notes section)? Also, did you use an electric or stand mixer to make the cookie dough?
That makes sense! Is there any powdered stevia that you recommend? Well I added the same amount of truvia as what you said for liquid stevia but it wasn’t sweet at all so I added more and still wasn’t sweet and so I added sugar. I definitely botched it ???? I also used gluten free flour. I’m learning how to bake gluten free and love your recipes!
Thanks for sharing Morgan! I’m so honored that you’re enjoying my recipes — that really means a lot to me!! 🙂 Did you use the gluten-free flour blend that I recommended in the Notes section? Or something else?
Seeing as the liquid stevia is the equivalent of over ½ cup of sugar… And 1 ¼ teaspoons of Truvia is the equivalent of 1 ¼ teaspoons of sugar… That would definitely be why your cookie dough didn’t taste sweet! 😉 Is there a reason you’re against using the liquid stevia? It tends to work the best in my baking recipes, so that’s why I highly recommend it! (And you’ll use it in all 220+ of these recipes of mine too, so it’s not a “one-use” ingredient. I promise! 🙂 )
Ok help!?? These turned out super chewy and barely edible. They barely rip apart. I’m great at cooking but only decent at baking. Not sure what happened here. I measured gluten free flour the right way, used all the right ingredients and didn’t substitute. Left in the fridge 6 hours. Any advice?????
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Emily! I’m happy to help! 🙂 What’s the gluten-free flour that you used? When you say the “right way,” did you use measuring cups or a kitchen scale? How did you measure the pumpkin purée? Did you use an electric hand or stand mixer to make the cookie dough? How did you roll out the cookie dough (did you leave in between the sheets of plastic wrap), and how thin was it? How many times did you re-roll the cookie dough? How long did you bake them? Finally, how was their flavor — was that okay?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but once I know your answers to all of them, I’ll have a much better idea of what might have caused that issue and what you can do differently to make sure your cookies turn out soft, not tough or gummy! 🙂
I used Bobs Red Mill 1:1 using a fork to scoop into the measuring cup. I measured the pumpkin in individual tablespoons removing with a small spatula. I used a hand mixer and yes put between plastic wrap. I flattened to about 1 inch when putting in the fridge then rolled out after. The first round was from the original roll out and it was really tough/chewy. I used butter not coconut oil and the flavor was lacking..it was kind of bland for the amount of cinnamon (and I added sprinkles of pumpkin pie spice on top for baking brushed with butter). The dough seemed at the right texture for cookies. How do these not get too chewy with no eggs? Could I add eggs or whites and make them fluffy instead? They had almost no sweetness and I used the stevia and maple syrup. I almost wanted to add brown sugar on top with cinnamon. All the pieces seemed perfect just didn’t get the right outcome. Thanks for the help!
Thank you so much for sharing all of this information Emily! Like I said, I’m always happy to help! 🙂 Regarding the sweetness, did you use the same liquid stevia that I did? Or did you use another stevia product?
For the texture, the culprit is actually the hand mixer! It’s really easy to overmix healthy recipes (both batters and doughs) when you use an electric or stand mixer, and overmixing leads to a tough or gummy texture. For the best results with my recipes, only use a mixer when explicitly instructed (I’ll literally write “using a stand or electric mixer” in the Instructions so there’s no confusion! 😉 ); then use a whisk where instructed and a fork for everything else. This should help guarantee that your baked treats turn out with the proper texture every time!
About how long can you refrigerate the raw cookie dough (for most of your cookies, especially sugar cookies)?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Sue! For my sugar cookies, the dough will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 or 3 days, possibly 4 or 5 days (but that might be pushing it!). It’ll be much harder to roll out the longer it’s in the refrigerator, but you can let it “thaw” on the counter for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to roll! My sugar cookies also freeze really well (if they’re plain and undecorated!), in case that helps with your cookie baking during the holiday season as well. 🙂
For my other (non-sugar) cookie recipes, I typically don’t recommend refrigerating the dough for longer than the recipe calls for because it can negatively impact the texture and how they bake in the oven. If you’re wondering about another specific cookie recipe of mine, rather than cookies in general, then just leave me a comment underneath that particular recipe — that’ll enable me to help you much better!
I’d love to hear what you think if you try these pumpkin sugar cookies — or any of my other cookie recipes!
Can I substitute brown or granulated sugar in place of the liquid stevia?
I’m honored by your interest in my recipe, Sue! Unfortunately, brown sugar and granulated sugar both add too much moisture to the cookie dough, so you won’t be able to roll it out and cut it into shapes. (See Nerd Alert #6 for more info!) If you’d like pumpkin cookies that don’t contain or require stevia, you can use this recipe of mine. They’re drop-style cookies, but they’re just as delicious — and you can use brown or granulated sugar to make them too! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of either cookie recipe if you decide to try making them!
Can I use brown sugar in these cookies and not make the shape? Basically, I’ll be making drop-style cookies!
I’m honored by your interest in my recipe, Sue! If you’d like to make drop-style pumpkin cookies using brown sugar, then I’d actually recommend this recipe of mine instead. You won’t have to make any modifications to it (since I shared in the Notes section that brown sugar works as a 1-for-1 substitute!), so that’s probably easier than trying to adapt this recipe! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of those pumpkin cookies if you try making them!
How many cookies does this make? I made your pumpkin breakfast cookie and they were good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the breakfast cookies, Libbie! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
The number of cookies this recipe yields is actually included directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box, as well as on the nutrition information (located directly underneath the recipe). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these sugar cookies if you end up making them too!
Hi Amy,
I wanted to make these cookies with a bat shaped cookie cutter and decorate with black icing. Would you recommend icing on top of these? And do you have any healthy/sugar-free icing (hard) recipes to use?
Yes, you can use icing on top of these! I don’t have any sugar-free royal icing recipes on my blog. Most of my sugar-free icing recipes are on the softer side. They’ll stay put and won’t run, but if you gently press your finger into them, you’d leave an indentation. Here and here are two of my sugar-free icing recipes, in case that’s helpful!
I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you end up making them, Jennifer!