Whole Wheat Pumpkin Walnut Cookies

This past Saturday (October 1^st) was National Homemade Cookie Day. For those of you who may have missed it, I say why celebrate homemade cookies just one day? I would be happy to celebrate cookies any day of the week! My family loves a good cookie (and so do I), but traditional cookie recipes packed full of added sugars, refined flours, and saturated fats are not exactly the most nutritious food to eat each day. However, with a few simple tweaks, you can make a delicious cookie recipe that you can actually feel good about eating more than just ‘occasionally.’

One of my new favorites is this Whole Wheat Pumpkin Walnut Cookie recipe. Since pumpkin season is here and pumpkin recipes are on the rise, I decided to make light and fluffy pumpkin walnut cookies that have less fat, less calories and more nutrients than your average cookie! By substituting ½ an avocado for ½ the butter, I was able to reduce the overall content of saturated fats while boosting both the fiber and nutrient content of the recipe. Swapping whole grain flour for an all-purpose flour further increases the fiber content of the cookie while boosting nutrients such as iron and B vitamins. Adding in walnuts and sunflower kernels ups the protein content and provides a good boost of plant-based fats for added health benefits.

These cookies are a great way to treat your family and friends to the taste of fall while providing them with nutrition you can feel good about.

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Whole Wheat Sunflower Walnut Pumpkin Cookies

Servings: 32

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 1/2 each avocado mashed
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup walnuts chopped
• 1/3 cup sunflower kernals

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Mix sugar, pumpkin, butter and mashed avocado in a large bowl. Set aside. 

3. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt. Stir in walnuts and sunflower kernels.

4. Drop dough by teaspoon onto an non-greased cookie sheet. 

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from cookie sheet and allow them to cool. 

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts (per serving) Serving Size = 1 cookie Calories: 85 Carbohydrates: 9 grams Fiber: 2 grams Fat: 5 grams Protein: 2 grams

Want more healthy cookie recipes? Make sure to check out all of my recipe creations over on my Instagram page!