Dense and chewy paleo pumpkin cookies aren’t a pipe dream! With a few strategies in place…you can get those thick and chewy cookies of your past made into a healthy pumpkin cookie today! Even better, they are egg free and contain collagen for extra nutrition!
Mission impossible? (Cue the music!)
Husband is a self professed cookie fiend.
He is also a pumpkin treat lover.
He does NOT like a cakey or fluffy cookies.
But the water content of most pumpkin means you will have a more cakey texture?!!
Determined wife sets to work to create the ultimate: a healthy dense and chewy pumpkin cookie!!!
A healthy pumpkin cookie?
What makes these bad boys healthier than your average cookie you ask?
- no inflammatory grains! By using a triefecta of grain free flours, I was able to achieve a perfect texture AND flavor! As an added bonus, cassava is a great resistant starch that feeds good little tummy bugs!!
- lower in sugar!! My desserts are not overly sweet anyways, but I reduced it even further by using my favorite low-carb monk fruit erythritol sweetener!
- pumpkin is loaded with important vitamins (see below!)
- collagen is a magical gut healing source of protein that adds a lovely texture to baked goods. I seriously would not be without a container (or 5!) of my favorite clean collagen!!
What types of pumpkin or squash makes the best dense pumpkin cookies?
In short….a DRY variety! Most people are familiar with butternut squash, which is the right texture. Kabocha is another good one. You can always use a canned variety, but you may need to cook it down to get some of the extra moisture out by squeezing the mixture with a few layers of cheesecloth to remove additional water, or simmer on low heat in a small saucepan on the stove. Your puree should need to be scooped with a spoon!
Most recently with these, I cooked some halved and seeded butternut squash in my beloved Instant Pot. After 10 minutes, I had tender, cooked squash ready to puree! I go into further detail on how to select and bake your own pumpkins and winter squash here.
Why should I eat pumpkin & winter squash?
Besides being incredibly tasty, these colorful fruits are loaded with good for you nutrients for you and your family!!
- High in Vitamins A & C, as well as beta carotene–which all help boost your immune system!
- High in fiber and low in calories, it helps you stay full longer!
- All that Vitamin A is GREAT for your eye health!
- That bright orange color lets you know that antioxidants are present…in the for of beta-carotene!!
- Loaded with potassium, pumpkin makes a great post work out snack to replenish your muscles!
Here are some more healthy pumpkin and squash recipes to try:
- These gluten free pumpkin muffins have hemp and oats and are made all in your food processor for quick prep and easy clean up!
- A healthy muffin, these paleo butternut squash muffins are rich and chocolaty, but totally nutritious too!
- This paleo pumpkin pecan pie combines two of my favorite pie varieties into ONE!
Paleo Pumpkin Cookies – Egg Free Recipe:
If you try these paleo pumpkin cookies, be sure to report back and leave a rating below!
Egg Free Paleo Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, softened, OR use brown butter for a real treat!
- 1/2 cup palm sugar
- 1/4 cup erythritol or any granulated sweetener
- 1/2 cup dry pumpkin or squash puree - see notes above
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup cup cassava flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 3 scoops collagen about 6 tablespoons
- 1./2 teaspoon sea salt
Optional Add Ins
- dark chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips (not Paleo)
- cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- toasted, chopped nuts
- fresh or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a cookie sheet. I like to use either parchment paper or my silicon baking mats!
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat the wet ingredients until smooth and creamy.
- With the mixer still running on low, continue with the dry ingredients.
- Choose any additional add ins to mix in at this time.
- The dough should be handled easily. Because the moisture content of the squash in this recipe will be variable, if you need to add a bit more of any of the flours, you may.
- Gather about 2 tablespoons of batter into you hands, rolling into a ball, pressing it down on the baking mat. These do not spread or lift, so shape them how you like them before baking.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 12-14 minutes. Let them rest for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up before attempting to transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container. They last on the counter for several days, or in the freezer for a couple weeks!
Notes
Nutrition
Loving those white chocolate chips in there! These would be a hit in my house!
These are so fun! We already had our big Thanksgiving gathering this weekend, and have a smaller one this Thursday, and I’m not sure I want to make more pie – these would be easy and perfect!
Ooh – love that these are egg-free. My eldest is GF and can’t do eggs, so they are right up her alley. Thanks!!
Oh how I wish I had several of these to snack on right now. They’re so good with the extra chocolate chips in them too, such a yummy, festive treat!
These are such pretty cookies. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Yum Yum Yum! I love all the pumpkin things. And these cookies look amazing. Making them this week for sure!!
Love pumpkin cookies. They are so healthy and delicious!
Love that added bit of erythritol to keep this with less sugar! LOVE pumpkin cookies here! Definitely going to try these (probably with some Lily’s chocolate!)!!!
no sugar content listed!!
Little tech glitch apparently, all fixed!!
Omigoodness! The white chocolate chips is a good call! Looks amazing!
These look so good, especially because my ultimate weakness is chewy cookies! Also love all the different additions, I’d go for white chocolate chips and cranberries in mine please!
I love cookies with almond flour! Makes them so light and fluffy! I ‘ll make these and use both dark and white chocolate chips…too much?? ;D
No way Joni, sounds awesome to me!
These looks so yummy! I love those white chocolate chips in them. Love pumpkin desserts, and I’ll have to try these out!
These cookies look so chewy and delicious ! I can smell the yummy pumpkin flavor from here. So perfect for holiday season!
Ooo, I’m actually making pumpkin cookies tomorrow and your recipe has got me excited for baking!
So delicious cookies and I can feel healthy too? Count me in!
Those cookies look perfectly squishy. Haha! And of course pumpkin anything is always a good idea… 😉
Where are the INSTRUCTIONS……baking temp. time, etc.?
Oh man Patricia!! Thanks for the heads up, they’re there now!