HEALTHY PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES. LOW GLYCEMIC SNACK.

Nourish yourself this holiday season with fresh baked treats designed to energize you through a morning workout or an afternoon at your desk. These Pumpkin Spice Cookies can pass as breakfast since they’re loaded with wholesome ingredients--low glycemic and high in fiber and healthy fats. They’re also the perfect afternoon snack with tea. Share these kid-tested and approved wholesome cookies with the family any time of day.

This recipe post is sponsored by NOW® Foods, my go-to brand for whole food ingredients. To stock your pantry for holiday baking, use the code ELYSE for 20% off at nowfoods.com. 

Make Elyse’s yummy and nutritious Pumpkin Spice Cookies recipe: Get the FREE printable PDF version of this recipe here.

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 30 small cookies 

• 3 cups rolled oats* 
• 1 cup almond flour* (or substitute: pumpkin seed flour)
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1⁄2 cup chocolate chips, raisins or chopped walnuts* (or a combo)
• ¼ cup hemp seeds*, optional 
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin (reduced to 1 1/3 cups, see note below)
• 1 egg 
• 1⁄3 cup maple syrup*
• 1⁄3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted*
• 1⁄4 cup coconut sugar (or cane sugar)

*Find these wholesome ingredients at nowfoods.com. Use the code ELYSE for 20% off.

STEPS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Process the rolled oats in a food processor or blender until finely ground into a coarse flour consistency. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour (freshly ground), almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips or walnuts or raisins and hemp seeds, if including.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the reduced pumpkin (see note below), egg, maple syrup, melted coconut oil and coconut sugar, until well combined. Fold into the oat mixture and stir until blended. The dough will be thick and sticky.
4. Drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of dough onto the baking sheet. Space the cookies 1-inch apart and lightly press down on each one to slightly flatten. Continue with the remaining dough to fill the two baking sheets.
5. Bake in the center of the oven until the bottoms are a deep golden brown, 20 minutes. 

Best enjoyed freshly baked. Store leftovers in the fridge and reheat at 300F for 10 minutes to bring back the freshly baked texture. 

Note: You’ll need to remove some of the moisture from the canned pumpkin. To do this, spread it out in a thick layer on a plate and pat it 5 or 6 times with paper towels (you’ll end up with about 1 1/3 cups). 

Make Elyse’s yummy and nutritious Pumpkin Spice Cookies recipe: Get the FREE printable PDF version of this recipe here.