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!
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Thanks so much Yogesh! I’d love to hear what you think if you try these pumpkin sugar cookies! 🙂
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Love sugar cookies, so of course these festive ones are even better 🙂
You’re so sweet! Thanks Liz!! 🙂
My daughter cannot eat stevia. She had a reaction to it last year, when she was 3. Is there something I can use to replace Stevia? What about coconut sugar, or plain sugar? How much should I use? Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Diane! Unfortunately, coconut sugar and refined 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 stevia and don’t require stevia, you can use this recipe of mine! They’re drop-style cookies, but they’re just as delicious. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try them!
Hi Amy, alot of your recipe uses coconut oil. I woild like to see if it can be substitue with avocado oil.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Winnie! I’m actually severely allergic to avocados, so I have no experience with it. I think it’d be fine in muffins and cakes and cupcakes, but I’m honestly not sure about cookies. I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try these pumpkin sugar cookies! 🙂
These cookies are the perfect autumn fix! But there’s more to this story: As with many of your recipes, I was struggling to find a way to substitute the liquid Stevia (as I never have any). Can’t add more honey/molasses or granulated sugar, as that will affect the outcome. This has been a consistent roadblock for me! However, I recently stumbled upon a way to make liquid Stevia from granulated Stevia and water! I was skeptical initially. Seemed too good to be true. The whole time the cookies were baking, I was biting my nails and tapping my fingers, hoping against hope that I wouldn’t end up with a wacky batch. But it worked like a charm in this recipe! So happy to find a way to make the recipes as you’ve written them, instead of scrambling to find a substitute 🙂
I’m so glad you loved these cookies Celina!! And thank you SO much for letting me know about your homemade liquid stevia — that’s so wonderful that it worked! Yay!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe you decide to try next! ♡
I made these cookies and they turned out delicious. Its a unique taste with the maple standing out with the pumpkin flavor. They were easy to make and quick! So grateful to have your genius delicious AND healthy recipes. I can make these for my family and feel good about what I feed them, can’t thank you enough! 🙂
I’m so glad you loved these cookies Adriana! That means the world to me! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
My only recommendation is please include the size of the cookie cutters you used, for reference when looking for something similar 🙂
I actually link to the exact cookie cutter that I used in the Notes section! I know it can be easy to miss. 😉
These cookies look so adorable! As usual, your photos are gorgeous 🙂 Can’t wait to try this recipe!
You’re so sweet — thank you Cindy!! I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try them! 🙂