Healthy Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Yields: 16 cookies

These are definitely the best pumpkin sugar cookies I’ve ever had! They taste just like pumpkin pie, and they’re really soft and chewy. They’re perfect for any fall-themed party, like Halloween or Thanksgiving, or any time you’re craving something sweet and pumpkin-y! Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator—if they last that long!

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.

Notes: White whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat pastry flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, but the cookies will have detectable “wheat-y” taste.

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}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/11/06/healthy-cut-out-pumpkin-sugar-cookies/