Pumpkin Almond Butter Cookies {Paleo}
Possibly the easiest cookies you can whip up when a craving hits, Pumpkin Almond Butter Cookies are going to be your new fall jam! Made from 8 squeaky clean ingredients and whipped up in one bowl, these delicious beauties are totally Paleo, dairy-free, gluten free and naturally sweetened.
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Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere! Fall is here and I am basking in all of it!
You see, I may have a San Diego mailing address, but I am a New England girl by birth and to the bone. Meaning, fall is likely my most loved season. And while I may not get to enjoy the sight of the foliage changing to shades of crimson and vermillion here in Southern California, I make a point of enjoying the seasonal foods that come with fall.
So, if you haven’t noticed…the blog has been blowing up with pumpkin everything.
And I am not sorry.
Pumpkins are as awesome for the tastebuds as they are for the body! Loaded with glorious vitamin C, potassium and fiber, pumpkin has earned it’s special place in this Maine girl’s heart for many reasons. Paired with almond butter, eggs and a handful of other amazing ingredients, these cookies are so simple, soft and delicious…I’m not totally sure how I enjoy fall without them!
Can I make these pumpkin cookies with sunflower seed butter if I need them to be nut free?
Yes, but a quick heads up……the cookies will be green.
Crazy, right? Crazy, but true. You see, when you combine baking soda or baking powder + sunflower seed butter, the chlorogenic acid (chlorophyll) in the seeds reacts with the soda or powder and causes a baked good to turn green as it cools.
Now these green pumpkin cookies are totally edible (and kinda a fun science experiment), but they can be a bit surprising if you aren’t expecting the green color. You can mask the green by adding a little cocoa powder to the batter or call them Monster Cookies when serving them up and pretended it was intentional!
Suggested adaptations for making Almond Butter Pumpkin Cookies
- Adjust the sweetness to your personal preference! Add or reduce how much coconut sugar you use depending on your family’s personal needs or preference!
- Make them veggies loaded! Sub out the pumpkin in this recipe with pureed butternut squash!
- Not an almond butter fan? If Paleo isn’t a your style of eating peanut butter will work just fine in this recipe!
Other pumpkin recipes you will love
- Pumpkin Breakfast Soufflé
- Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili
- Healthy Carrot Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
Did you try this veggie-loaded cookie recipe and now you’re hungry for more?
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Pumpkin Almond Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup creamy almond butter
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree , (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar + 3 tablespoons, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, skip if using salted almond butter
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine the almond butter, pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup coconut sugar, egg, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda in a medium bowl. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Using a heaping tablespoon or cookie scoop, portion out the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure to leave room in between the cookies.In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and 3 tablespoons coconut sugarSprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the tops of the cookies.
- Bake in two separate batches for 15 minutes each.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Once cooled, store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can a Monk Fruit sweetener be used instead of the coconut sugar?
I’ve never tried it. I’d be interested to hear how it turns out.
My family loves these cookies! Especially my 3.5yo when I let him eat one for breakfast 😂. Can you revamp this recipe to make a gingerbread flavor one for Christmas?!?
I love these don’t know if they’ll make the whole trip as they are still warm and filling my car with an amazing aroma! Love sharing heathy recipes with family! Especially the ones that don’t know it’s healthy for them!
Just out of curiosity, would you say these cookies would fall more closely under the”chewy” cookie spectrum or more of a “cakey” consistency? Thanks!
I would say soft and cakey
I just made several batches for a party with monk fruit. They are great!
One thing I noticed~if you sprinkle too much cinnamon sweetener on top they flatten out.
The cinnamon with monk fruit is wonderful.
How many eggs are in this recipe? I see egg in the photo and in the ‘directions’ portion, but the ingredients list…
Hmmmm not sure what happened but I just checked and you’re right. It’s just one egg and I’ve fixed it now! (though it takes a bit for updates to show up in mobile)
Have you tried this recipe with a chia/flax egg?
I have and without luck. I always try to share what recipes are successful egg-free but this one hasn’t worked yet for me.
They are baking as I type but the batter was delicious i can’t wait!
Yay! Enjoy!
A friend made these and substituted sunflower seed butter for the almond butter. The inside turned green. What would cause that?
kathystanaway@gmail.com
This happens when you combine baking soda and sunflower seed butter. Totally edible, but it certainly does look a bit strange. I always suggest adding a little cocoa powder to the mix to make them chocolate and hide the funny green color
We adore these cookies! So easy and delicious!
Easy and really nice flavor.
This doesn’t have egg in the ingredients but the recipe has you combine an egg? Should I add an egg or not? Just confused. Thanks!!
Hmmmm the 1 egg is showing as the last ingredient in the recipe card for me. Is it not showing for you?
Either way…yes, 1 egg
Easy. Tasty. My kids eat them!!
I substituted organic dark brown sugar for coconut because I didn’t have any on hand.
And we have to be but friendly, so, sunbutter worked just as well.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING!
Next to the measurements of coconut sugar you should mention that the three tablespoons is to be kept separate.
Fixed!
Just came out of oven. Delicious! My batter was a bit thin. I think because I used home made Pumpkin purée. . I added 1/3 cup almond flour and placed the batter in the fridge for about 10 minutes. . They’re soft and cakey
Yay! I’m glad you are enjoying them! The thinness of your batter might have been your homemade pumpkin puree (sometimes it can be a bit more wet than the canned version). It also might have been the nut butter. I find that to often be the cause…as some natural nut butters are oilier and thinner than others and it can vary brand to brand.
My batter was also thin; more cake batter like and not cookie dough. It certainly was not scoopable. I put it in an 8X8 inch pan and baked it like a cake. it wasn’t bad. The flavor was amazing; but, the end product was quite moist and dense. I used canned pumpkin puree and made my own almond butter from raw almonds. The almond butter was very thick not runny. I followed the recipe to the letter.
Because I liked the flavor so much, I made this recipe again. Again, the batter was very thin. I am not a novice baker. This time, instead of using the coconut sugar (which didn’t make a difference with the batter consistency the first time), I used 2 Tbsp monk fruit sweetener, doubled the spice and added 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa to thicken the batter. The cookies are cooling as I type. They look nice and the batter was yummy. 🙂
These were very yummy. Soft and cakey. Closest to cakey flour pumpkin cookies I miss. Not a chewy cookie. I was looking for a soft pumpkin cookie. I wish they were thicker though. I used Kirkland almond butter. It was somewhat runny. Maybe why they are thinner. Still, best texture. Love.
I am so glad you liked them, Rebecca! Yes, Kirkland is a great but thinner nut butter with more oil then other almond butters. A thicker almond butter will result in a thicker cookie!
Hi! Can you substitute the sugar for honey or maple syrup?
Thanks 😊
You can!
Is the ratio the same?
You can keep the same ratio, but the cookies will come out much softer since the maple syrup/honey is a liquid and adds more moisture. I’d either do 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup for a mildly sweet cookies OR do the suggested 1/3 cup of sweetener and add 1/3 cup almond flour to the mix to help absorb some of the maple syrup or honey’s moisture.