how to make healthy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies:
As soon as my kids go back to school, I go into complete fall baking mode. The first thing I bake every fall is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
My husband and I have been trying to eat healthier this year, so I thought I would try a healthier version of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that had no butter or oil and less sugar than typical cookies.
These Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are so easy to make and no one knew I had substituted healthier ingredients! I always stock up on 100% pure pumpkin at the beginning of the season because we had a pumpkin shortage in Utah a few years ago and that really put a damper on my fall baking haha!
I started by mixing together pumpkin, applesauce, sugar and vanilla until it was well combined. This recipe only calls for 1 cup of sugar, while most cookie recipes have 2 cups of sugar.
Next, I added baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and whole wheat flour and mix until just combined.
I know you are thinking, “chocolate chips aren’t healthy….” BUT I feel so good about these Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels! Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels are dairy and gluten-free (plus so many more allergens). They are also 69% cacao so they have so much less sugar in them than traditional chocolate chips.
I folded in 1 cup of these dark chocolate morsels to my pumpkin cookie dough and it was just the right amount of chocolate!
I used this cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet, then I baked the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes.
Items needed for this recipe:
Glass mixing bowl: I use this bowl for everything! I love that these Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies can be made in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon rather than a stand mixer.
Silicone baking mat: Turn any pan into a nonstick pan with this Silpat Baking Mat. Because these pumpkin cookies don’t have a lot of added fat from butter or oil, you’ll want to bake them on a nonstick surface.
Baking sheet: These half sheet pans are made with aluminum so they will never rust, and the rimmed edge is perfect for brownies or bars.
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The best pumpkin cookie recipes:
We love fall baking, especially for all the delicious pumpkin cookie variations. Try some of these cookies the next time you are craving a fall treat!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Nutella Pumpkin Cookies
Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies
Pumpkin Hershey’s Kiss Cookies
Elyse
Serves: 24
Healthy Homemade Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies made without butter or oil and have reduced sugar. These pumpkin cookies are light, fluffy and so delicious that no one will know they are lower in calories!
10 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
25 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix pumpkin, apple sauce, sugar and vanilla until well combined.
- Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and flour. Stir until well combined.
- Fold in dark chocolate chips.
- Drop by large, rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or covered in parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
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If we haven’t given you enough pumpkin cookie recipes, watch this video to see how to make our Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.
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