Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Yields: 15 cookies

These healthy pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies are perfect for fall! They’re full of cozy spice flavor and perfectly soft, with lots of comforting oats and pumpkin in every bite. They’re easy to make too! Leftovers will keep for at least five days (if not closer to a week or more!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They also freeze really well!

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
1 tsp baking powder
2 ¼ tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice (see Notes!)
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp (14g) vegan butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly (see Notes!)
¾ cup (183g) pumpkin purée (room temperature – and see Notes!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
¼ cup (60mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk (room temperature)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter or coconut oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Stir in the pure maple syrup. Stir in the milk. Add in the oat mixture, and stir until just incorporated.
Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet. Flatten to ⅜”-thick using a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 8-11 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will dry out the cookies and make them cakey, bready, or dry, instead of soft and chewy.

IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These breakfast cookies aren’t overly sweet — and that’s intentional! They have a sweetness level similar to muffins or breakfast scones. For sweeter cookies, substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for an equal amount of milk. (For example, add an additional 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate.) Alternatively, use my true “dessert” pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe instead.

These cookies taste better if you let them rest for 24+ hours after they’ve been baked! That gives the spices time to meld and marry, so the cozy spice flavor will be more pronounced on the second day.

For a stronger spice flavor, increase the ground cinnamon by ¼ to ½ teaspoon.

IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These cookies don’t spread. They’ll look the same before and after baking (just no longer raw!).

Do not over-bake these cookies! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the centers still feel slightly soft and underdone. The heat from the warm baking sheet will continue to cook the centers all the way through while you let the cookies rest for 10 minutes after pulling the pan from the oven.

OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats and come in large canisters or bags, just like old-fashioned rolled oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal.

In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free if needed) may also be substituted, but be very careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours!

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE + ALTERNATIVE: For the homemade pumpkin pie spice, use the following blend: 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. (I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon! ← I buy it online there, and it’s really affordable. It tastes slightly stronger, richer, and sweeter than regular cinnamon. It’s practically the only kind I now use in my baking!)

Store-bought premade pumpkin pie spice may be substituted. (See the “Pumpkin pie spice” header in the “Key Ingredients to Make Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies” section above for why I prefer to make my own!)

VEGAN BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one), rather than tub-style, for the best results. Unsalted butter may be substituted for the vegan butter.

PUMPKIN NOTES: Pumpkin purée is also called “100% pure pumpkin” or “canned pumpkin.” For the best results, the only ingredient on the label should be “pumpkin.” I don’t recommend substituting pumpkin pie mix because it contains other ingredients, which affects the way it behaves in baking recipes.

I haven’t tried using homemade pumpkin purée, so I’m not personally sure how that will work. If you do, would you leave me a comment below? I’d love to hear how your cookies turned out!

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Alternatively, substitute ¼ cup (48g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar AND 2 ½ tablespoons (38mL) milk for the pure maple syrup. Regardless of which you use, make sure it’s at room temperature. If chilled, it will re-solidify the melted butter or coconut oil.

I don’t recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup. Because it’s often water-based, it makes the cookies cakey or bready.

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats and certified gluten-free oat flour. Alternatively, for a non-oat-flour version, use the following: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.

DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: No modifications needed!

NUT-FREE VERSION: Use the stick-style vegan butter option, or substitute unsalted butter. Substitute your preferred nut-free milk (ie soy milk, rice milk, nonfat milk, etc) for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should last at least five days, if not closer to a week (or more!). Once baked and fully cooled, these oatmeal cookies also freeze really well!

For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.

{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, nut-free option}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.