The hearty pumpkin cookies are filled with whole ingredients. Creamy pumpkin, tangy cranberries, and crunchy walnuts all combine to make the perfect fall dessert.
Healthier Fall Pumpkin Cookies
With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up cookies and other desserts are on a lot of people's minds. If you are like me and trying to actually lose some weight during the holiday season and eat healthily, but still want to make goodies for your family these, soft Cranberry Walnut Pumpkin Cookies may be just the recipe for you.
The ingredients are natural (I have my daughter on a mostly organic diet), and while not exactly "diet food", the amount of fats and sugar in these is somewhat mitigated by the ample quantities of pumpkin, cranberries, and walnuts.
They are sort of halfway between a cookie and a muffin. In moderation, they won't blow your diet, and at least you will feel like you "ate something" after enjoying one of these rather than the standard sugar cookie.
Ingredients
These cookies are made completely from whole ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- Butter
- Sucanat (or whole cane sugar)
- Sea salt
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Pureed pumpkin
- Orange zest
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Cinnamon
- Dried cranberries
- Chopped walnuts
The pumpkin cookies are soft and feel like a muffin top. They go great with coffee particularly, my Pumpkin Spice Dalgona whipped coffee. Of course, the cranberry, walnut, spices, and pumpkin in these cookies are a perfect pairing with pumpkin spice and other seasonal coffee flavors. looking for something more crunchy, try my Pumpkin Biscotti recipe.
Cranberry Walnut Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sucanat pure cane sugar is fine if you prefer
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin or squash canned is fine
- 1 tbs orange zest
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder preferably aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two cookie sheets (I used coconut oil).
- Cream together the butter, sugar and salt.
- Mix in vanilla, egg, pumpkin and orange zest. Mix well, to give the larger granules of sugar and salt a chance to start dissolving.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pie spice and cinnamon. Mix well.
- Fold in the cranberries and walnuts to evenly distribute.
- Drop dough in tablespoon size dollops on baking sheet. Leave a bit of space between, but they don't spread outward too much.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to rest for a minute or two before removing cookies from sheet with spatula. Place on racks to fully cool.
Notes
Nutrition
More Fall Dessert Ideas
Fall is my favorite time to bake. Are you in the mood for more cranberry and pumpkin recipes? Here are some of our favorite ones.
Jacqui Odell says
These sound pretty yummy! My family really loves this time of the year because the love goodies that have pumpkin in them. So I bet they would enjoy these.
Travel Blogger says
These do look so tasty and I'm intrigued by the texture you described, sounds like a delicious treat!
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen says
They look terrific. I have never seen that combination of flavors before, I bet they're nice and chewy.
Danielle K says
These look delicious. I've never combined pumpkin with cranberry before, but it sounds like a great flavor combo.
Nancy L. says
My three favorite ingredients all rolled up into one cookie! I'm in love! Can't wait to try this recipe! Perfect ingredients for fall! I'll bet they smell wonderful! 🙂
Renee Goerger says
I'm not really a big pumpkin pie fan so I'd happily serve these for Thanksgiving dessert.
Christina says
What a great flavor combination for fall! So tender and delicious!