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.
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
Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 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.
Nutrition
Recipe Details
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I made these tonight and they were delicious! I only used 1/2 c. chocolate chips to cut back even a little more on the calories. Mine we're perfectly done at 12 minutes. Thank you see much for this wonderful recipe!
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Do you think it would be a big deal to use all purpose flour? I know it makes a little less healthy, but I’m trying to take some steps to eat healthier too and love the idea of cutting out the butter here!
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Have you substituted honey or maple syrup for the sugar?
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can i use stevia in place of the sugar?
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Is the nutritional information available somewhere? Thank you!
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Can I substitute white whole wheat flour for regular whole wheat flour?
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I followed the recipe as written and my boys (twins that are 20, one that is 18 and my husband) loved them. We are all eating healthier and this is a great treat. They got better the day after. All said they were a good substitute for traditional chocolate chip cookies.
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I made these cookies they came out soft an gooie what did I do wrong
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The recipe worked quite well. I had added dried cherries to recipe and halved the amount of chocolate, so the bake time went a little longer than I predicted. Appearance of my cookie came out looking more like a drop biscuit, which is fine with me. Cookies are not my specialty and fussing over a cookie presentation is not something I am usually willing to do.
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Do you know if I can switch the flour to almond flour evenly? Trying to stay away from gluten. They sound really good btw!
