Healthy & Chewy Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

These Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies are the perfect dessert to make for fall! Made from white whole wheat flour, oats, and lower in added sugar than most cookie recipes, these healthy cookies are chewy, full of pumpkin and warm fall flavors.

Healthy oatmeal pumpkin cookies

Fall is basically here . I mean, it’s September, after all — except it doesn’t really feel like it in San Diego. It is hot, hot, hot and will be for a while yet. That is just kinda how we do fall in Southern Cali. I suppose it is the trade off for not having to shovel our cars out of snowbanks in mid-January.

But the Maine girl in me waits for fall and pumpkin season on bated breath every year. And even though it doesn’t feel like autumn where I am yet, I am determined to make it taste and smell like fall in my house.

I’ve been waiting all year to make these pumpkin cookies. And even though it means I have to turn my oven on in my already-hot kitchen, these oatmeal pumpkin cookies totally make the sweat worth it!

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What is “pumpkin pie spice?”

This oatmeal pumpkin cookie recipe (along with many other pumpkin recipes) calls for pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin pie spice is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a blend of spices that are commonly used together to give pumpkin pie that warm fall flavor that many of us have come to love.

You can usually find pumpkin pie spice with all the more commonly used spices at your local grocer. But, if you can’t find it or simply don’t want to run out the the store, you can easily make your own using the following:

• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Just combine in a jar with a lid. Secure the lid on top, shake to mix everything up and enjoy in this recipe. Plus, you will have leftovers to enjoy in your next pumpkin creation!

Where to find pumpkin puree

Chances are, if you have ever made a pumpkin pie or pumpkin anything…you likely know a place to get some pumpkin puree. However, if you are a newbie at cooking with pumpkin, head to your nearest store and grab a can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!) to make whipping up these cookies that much easier!

You can find pureed pumpkin (and sweet potatoes and butternut squash) in most grocery stores (here in the US, at least) where they keep canned veggies or beans.

Look for purees that are JUST the pumpkin and without any added sweetener or spice.

Suggested Adaptations

• Use raisins instead of chocolate chips.
• Replace the the pumpkin puree with butternut squash puree or sweet potato puree.
• Make them gluten free by subbing the whole wheat flour in this oatmeal pumpkin cookies with a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend and using certified gluten free rolled oats.
• Make them egg-free by replacing the egg with 1 flax egg.

Other pumpkin recipes that are going to knock your socks off!

• Healthy Carrot Pumpkin Muffins
• Breakfast Pumpkin Soufflé
• Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread
• Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies (with pumpkin)
• Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

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Print Recipe

4.85 from 39 votes

Healthy & Chewy Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

These Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies are the perfect dessert to make for fall! Made from white whole wheat flour+ oats and lower in added sugar than most cookie recipes, these healthy cookies are chewy, full of pumpkin and warm fall flavors.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

chill time30 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy cookies recipe, oatmeal cookies, pumpkin cookie

Servings: 12 cookies

Calories: 165kcal

Author: Taesha Butler

Ingredients 

• 1 cup quick-cooking “instant” oats see notes below for how to make your own
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cane sugar or coconut sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil or butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chocolate chips or to taste

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, baking powder, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg. Whisk together and set aside.
• In another bowl, combine pumpkin puree, egg, melted butter or oil, and vanilla. Whisk together.
• Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combined and dough has an even consistency.
• Fold in chocolate chips. Chill dough in fridge for 30 minutes.
• Using a heaping tablespoon or small cookie scoop, portion the dough out onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving room in between each cookie. Gently press down with your hand to flatten each cookie a bit.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy or cool complete before storing in an air tight container for 4 days or in freezer for months.

Notes

What if I only have regular old-fashioned rolled oats and not the quick-cooking? You can make your own “quick” oats by pulsing regular rolled oats in the food processor or blender to break them down. Add a 1¼  cups of oats to the food processor or blender  then pulse until the oats are chopped but some larger pieces still remain (they should not be a fine powder). Once the oats are chopped, measure the amount needed in the recipe.

This recipe was updated on 9/14/22. For those who love the original recipe, here it is:

•  1  cup rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

 

• • Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk together and set aside.
  • In another bowl, combine pumpkin puree, egg, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and syrup. Whisk together.
  • Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combined and dough has an even consistency.
  • Fold in chocolate chips.
  • Using a heaping tablespoon or small cookie scoop, portion the dough out onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving room in between each cookie. Gently press down with your hand to flatten each cookie a bit.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy or cool complete before storing in an air tight container for 4 days or in freezer for months.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1612IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!