Craving some sweet pumpkin flavored treats this weekend, I made pumpkin cookies. They weren’t just any pumpkin cookie, though—these were crazy delicious, easy, practically-healthy-for-a-cookie pumpkin cookies. Yum!
I made a few adjustments to this pumpkin cookie recipe:
- I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the regular all-purpose flour. I ended up with delicious, fluffy, whole wheat cookies.
- Added more spice than is called for. Trust me! I didn’t measure the amounts, but I added lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
- Skipped the icing. I skimped on effort and reduced the overall sugar content by simply sprinkling powdered sugar on top instead. Pretty, right? Actually, if I were to ice these cookies, I would go all in with cream cheese frosting.
I brought the cookies to a party this weekend, and they were a hit! I hope you’ll give them a try. The only ingredient you probably don’t already have in your kitchen is a can of pumpkin puree.
PrintWhole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: about 30-36 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
These pumpkin cookies are easy to make and healthier than most. They’re perfect holiday treats! Recipe yields around 30 to 36 cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups raw (turbinado) sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt).
- In another medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Use a cookie dough scoop or two spoons to drop one tablespoon of dough onto a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle the baked cookies with a light dusting of powdered sugar and transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.
Notes
Adapted from Gina’s recipe on Allrecipes.
▸ Nutrition Information
Have you made any seasonal treats yet? I’m on a pumpkin kick. I want to make pumpkin muffins, pies, pancakes and all. What have you been craving lately?
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Sarah
I might even try these this weekend. Sound yummy for sure! Thanks for sharing. L, M
style-haus
i love pumpkin anything and these cookies look deeeelish! especially with the powdered sugar sprinkled on top. the last pic seriously made me chuckle…the expression on cookie’s face is classic! :D amazing photos btw.
Sahi
Love these cookies. Thanks for sharing.
Keep in touch
xx
Sahi
kate
I hope you’ll try these cookies soon, Sarah and Style-Haus! My friends and coworkers have raved over them… They’re addictive!
Alinka Johnson
mmm…those pictures make me hungry! I definitely want to try those cookies
Miss K
looks delicious! and your dog is adorable :)
http://carlandtheprepster.blogspot.com/
Jean
I definitely tried these last night. SO tasty!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
xo
Jean
www.fadedoldjeans.com
Sarah
I just made these cookies today and since it’s all I had, used whole-wheat flour. We think they are very good. They’d be even better with cream cheese frosting. :)
jenna
looks amazing… love whole wheat pastry flour!! thank you!
Emily Furlong
If you are excited about pumpkin (as I always am this time of year) TRUST ME and make this “Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake.” A serious crowd pleaser:
Crust
1 1/2 c. graham crumbs
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. walnuts, crushed
1/2 c. butter, melted
Mix all and press into bottom and slightly up sides of lightly coated 10” springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, and cool.
FILLING
1 1/2 lbs. Cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
3/4 c. granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 14 oz. Can pumpkin
1 3/4 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c. whipping cream
Beat cheese and sugars together until well-blended; beat in eggs, one at a time, until light. Add pumpkin and spice, mixing well. Beat in cream until smooth. Pour into cooled crust; bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 35 minutes, or until firm to touch. (Make topping, below, during the last 5 minutes of this baking cycle).
Topping
6 tbsp. Butter, melted
1 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped
Combine all and mix until crumbly. When cake is baked as above and removed from oven, immediately sprikle with topping and bake for 10 minutes more.
Cool, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Garnish with freshly whipped cream just before serving.
kate
Pumpkin cheesecake?! You can’t go wrong there. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Vivi
I tried it and it became like a bread..not a cookie.
Kate
I’m sorry, Vivi. They are “cakey” cookies, but I’m not sure why they would end up like bread unless you overmixed them. I mixed mine by hand.
Winnie Anderson
When you say you “mixed mine by hand” are you referring to how you mixed them AFTER you creamed the butter and sugar? Am I right in assuming you used a mixer to do the creaming? Thanks for any clarification.
Kate
Hi Winnie, you can use a mixer (stand or hand), but not necessary as long as you beat well. I hope you enjoy them!
Mary Frances
Oh my goodness, just made these and they are the best pumpkin cookies ever! Thank you so much for the recipe, it will be a staple! So soft and chock full of flavor. Delicious!
Kate
Thanks, Mary! I’m so glad you enjoy the pumpkin cookies. I will have to find an excuse to make them again this fall.
Carrie
May I use wheat flour instead of pastry flour?
Kate
Yes, that should work! I used whole wheat pastry flour because it’s milled more finely than regular whole wheat but I think they will be very good with plain whole wheat flour, too.
Rachel
After making your pumpkin scones twice last week I decided to adapt this recipe with that one and see what I got. Oh my… so incredibly good. I used whole wheat flour, subbed coconut oil, and reduced the sugar to about 1/3 cup, then poured on the maple glaze. Oh, the maple glaze! These are lightest, most delicious cookies !
This is my first time to comment, but over the last 18 months I’ve taught myself to cook, using many of your recipes along the way. Thank you for writing and allowing us to cook along!
Kate
Rachel! Your comment made my day. I’m sorry I didn’t say thank you sooner! Thank you. I’m just delighted that you are enjoying the recipes and learning to cook. My cooking skills have grown along with this blog so it’s fun to look back on older posts. I think it’s time for me to make another batch of pumpkin cookies (this time, with maple glaze)! Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Rachel @CommontoMoms
Thank you so much for this recipe! We used whole wheat flour (couldn’t find pastry flour!) and these were awesome cookies! My daughter has a strange white flour sensitivity so these were perfect (she does not usually get to eat cookies). She is almost 4 and says thank you and Happy Thanksgiving! We will be making these every Thanksgiving :)
-Rachel
Kate
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Rachel! All of my cookie recipes call for whole grain flours, so you might find some other gems in the archives. Please tell your daughter hello for me!
Amanda
I made these yesterday, using half wholegrain spelt flour and half whole wheat flour, used half the sugar amount called for, and used Splenda brown sugar. Everyone loved them! They were sweet enough, cakey, moist and half my batch went off with my sister-in-law for the nieces and nephews! These are definitely a keeper recipe! The only complaint was that I should have added raisins, but that came from my raisin-fanatic stepdad, who would prefer raisins to be in every baked good every baked.
Kate
Thanks, Amanda! I’m so glad you all enjoyed the cookies!
Elizabeth
Delicious recipe! I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup AP flour and the cookies were still tender. Thanks!
Kate
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Elaine
What can be substituted for butter in this recipe?
Kate
Hi Elaine, I haven’t tried but sometimes coconut oil can work.
Mary
How would adding m & m’s to this recipe be? I’m about to try it on Tuesday!
Kate
Delicious, I bet! Hope they turned out great for you, Mary.
Randi
I made theses cookies and they are delicious! I added chopped walnuts to the mix and topped the cookies with some as well! I did find that they cookies came out better when I flattened them out before baking.
Kari
Hi there! I made these and the whole family loved them! They were a great, healthier snack for my kids after school. I’m making a few dozen more today Thank you for thegift of this recipe!!
Gabriele
Great fluffy, cup-cake kind of cookies! Flavourful and fragrant <3 Maybe I would stop mayself from making them too often (yet quite a lot of sugar and butter), but they are perfect when you need a real, tasty cookie.
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Beatrice
I absolutely love this cookie recipe. The spice combination is just right. I had to get the majority of the cookies in the freezer quickly (for Christmas consumption) or someone (me) would have eaten too many.
dirty indians
I am comfortable to say my business Space2Spare does not permit shoppers that are American native.
They are theives and filthy! — Matt Hooper
Stephanie
These are awesome, replaced the butter with melted coconut oil,and the raw sugar with 1 cup light brown sugar. Added 2T chia seeds, plus walnuts and raisins. Didn’t use the powdered sugar, and they were still great. Thank you for the yummy recipe!
Kate
Yum! Sounds delicious, Stephanie.
Jessica
Hi! I loved your pumpkin muffins! With respect to this recipe – do you think you could sub applesauce for the sugar?
Kate
Thanks Jessica! I’m sorry, I have tried but haven’t found a suitable replacement for the sugar in these.
Jessica
Do you think you could replace the sugar with maple syrup or would that not work?
Kate
Sorry, Jessica—I’ve tried and the cookies didn’t turn out the same.
Miranda
These were A-Mazing. I added raisins to half that dough and it took them over the top. My husband isn’t a fan of “healthier” treats but even he said they were “pretty good,” which, coming from him, is a compliment! But seriously. We devoured these – gone within 24 hours. YUM!
Kate
That is winning, Miranda! Glad you were able to win your husband over. I appreciate your review!
Geneviève Piche
These cookies are delicious, soft inside and crispy on the outside!!! the best! Thank you!
Genevieve
Kate
Hooray! The best combination – crispy with a soft inside :) Thanks so much for the review, Geneviève!
Natalie Papelova
I was planning to make these for a while and I finally did. Looking at the ingredients I wanted to make them less sugary and less buttery and this is what I experimented on:
a) substituted the proposed amount of sugar with 1/2 cup coconut sugar and 1/2 cup stevia (we get a different stevia (granulated as sugar, not liquid), not as sweet as in US)
b) substituted butter with avocado (blended), same amount.
c) substituted 1/2 cup of wholewheat flour with wheat bran flour
d) added white sultanas (two handfuls)
Baked 370 for 17 mins.
Well, what can I say? If my pumpkin-hating husband says they’re very good it means that they’re AMAZING! They rose quite well, they’re sweet and cakey inside. I plan to cover them with a little bit of cinnamon instead of sugar.
I actually got 22 pieces in my batch. I’m too lazy now, but I plan to calculate nutrition values, with the substitutions I made, the difference in calories should be significant.
Thank you, dear Kate, for this recipe!!
Kate
Thank you, Natalie for sharing! I’m glad the recipe provide you a basis for what you needed and your substitutions worked well.
sara
I made these cookies two days ago but I added chocolate chip. I absolutely LOVE these cookies. I am just about to make another batch because they are all gone already! Excellent recipe, thank you!
Kate
I’m happy to hear that, Sara. Thanks for your review!
Lydia
The spice blend here is excellent. Almost like a soft pumpkin-y gingersnap. I topped a few with your cream cheese frosting, and those were also very tasty! Thank you for making delicious wholesome sweets. I love your recipes.
Kate
Sounds delicious! I love that you used the spice mix here. Thanks you for your review, Lydia!
BethM
I made this recipe with a few changes to suit the ingredients I had on hand and swapped:
– butter for soft coconut oil
– raw sugar for 1c brown sugar
– whole wheat flower for 2c bread flour
– added 1c rolled oats
– added 3/4c chocolate chips
I know this sounds completely different from the original but I loved that this is an extremely versatile recipe and the level of pumpkiny spice was perfect!!! Thank you!
Sierra
These look so yummy!!! Is there any replacement for the egg? Like egg whites? I cant have the yolks..
Also would pumpkin pie spice replace all the spices mentioned in the recipie?
Kate
Hi Sierra! You could try flaxseed eggs, although I haven’t tried it here. If you use pumpkin spice, you would replace the warm spice. You would still want the salt.
Valerie
Oh My Goodness!!! De……licious!!!
Valerie
I’ve made many different recipes from this site, all are delicious! This recipe has been my favorite so far. They are loved by everyone who has tried them. They are so soft, have the perfect pumpkin flavor and I love that they have some substitutions to make them healthier. I feel like I’ve been making them every other week to bring to various holiday events, birthdays, or just because!
I’ve tried adding walnuts-which is really good- and also chocolate chips for my chocolate-loving sister. I also have been using a flax-egg and vegan butter and they turn out great!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Kate
A fun cookie this time of year! Thanks for sharing, Valerie.
Rebecca
So good! A huge hit for my family. I used 1/4 banana as a swap for half of the butter to make it teeny bit healthier.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Rebecca!
Marla Berlin
These were a really warm and delicious welcome to Fall. Thank you!
SMURFETTE
I’m wondering if I can use fresh pumpkin purée instead of canned pumpkin. If I can. How much purée would I use please.
Kate
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but it would likely work. You will want the same amount, one cup.
SMURFETTE
Hello Kate & Cookie
Thanks a lot for your quick reply to my fresh pumpkin purée substitute. I will see how it goes and be sure to let you know how they are.
Please make sure Cookie gets an extra cookie or two from me. Woof woof.
Lynn
Can I use regular whole wheat flour? What size can of pumpkin?
Kate
Yes, that should work! I used whole wheat pastry flour because it’s milled more finely than regular whole wheat but I think they will be very good with plain whole wheat flour, too.
Nancy james
Hi- what size can of pumpkin puree for the pumpkin cookies?
Thanks!
Kate
Hi, a standard can is roughly 15 oz. You need 1 cup of that. I hope you enjoyed these!
Meg
These were amazing! I made these tonight with a few substitutions. I swapped spelt flour for the whole wheat, coconut oil for the butter and a flax egg for the egg to make these vegan. Thanks for sharing!
sladjana
do you think this recipe would work with gluten-free flour? thank you!
Kate
Hi! I haven’t tried it with this one. I do know several of my recipes work well gluten free. If you try it, let me know!
Kanymgul
This recipe is super easy and they are delicious. I love all of your recipes. Thank you for the great recipe
Kate
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for your review.
melissa
If I don’t have turbinado sugar, what is a good substitute? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Melissa, I believe others have tried different sugar with a good result. I haven’t tried another variation so I can’t say for sure.
Susan Cookman
Thank goodness I doubled up this recipe by accident! Everyone I shared them with loved them, and I am baking more today. The spicey flavor definitely gets better and better over a few days. I followed the recipe as written with just a tad less sugar.
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Susan.
Eva-Maria
Hi, I just made 2x pumpkin cookies late tonight. I put 1 cup of organic raw cane sugar instead of three. I used a hand mixer machine. It was hard for 2x. (Next time, I will use a stand mixer machine for making 2x, 3x). I forget my frontier co-op vanilla extract! Ahh, it was right there. It was there a few hours earlier when my family and I made banana muffins. I missed it because my elder mom disturbed me while I was busy. I continued to bake more because it was a lot. The cookies tasted so good, not too sweet. I thought the batter was too much too far, but the cookie showed soft but taste a little like I need to drink with it. What does it mean? Batter too much, too dry? (Which it remained me I battered too much for Carrot Cake in the past. Should cover coat all, not to batter a lot.) So, I always make things with maple syrup. I didn’t put it in my way, but I tried to follow yours. I put the organic powdered sugar sprinkled on top.
*I would like to know or need help about frontier co-op vanilla extract bottle pouring for one tablespoon or two, and it kept leaking/ running down several times. I think that bottle should have a hole-pour cap to help for pour better. I wondered if you have the same problem or not? Do you have any hints about how to avoid leaking? It got wasted again and again. How? Or should I contact that co to add a hole pour cap inside the bottle for easy to pour?
*Can I put pumpkin cookies in the freezer in a container or freezer plastic bag? For how long? 3months 6 months 12 months? It would be nice to take out for later…
Thank you for the recipe for pumpkin cookies. I used to have the bread or muffins but cookies.
I need to make oatmeal raisin cookies, peanut butter cookies. I am afraid vanilla will leak when I pour again. :( It is getting late now, almost 1 am. So thanks for being excited. I hope to hear from you about the freezer? And vanilla pour and avoid leak?
Thanks, Happy Fall :)
Kate
Hi Eva, I’m not sure about the vanilla as not something i have really run into. Sometimes a drip, but not a lot. You can freeze these! food can start to deteriorate flavor around 3-6 months. So that’s up to you!
Kat
Made your recipe with one substitution instead of sugar used homemade date paste. Changed the consistency but was delicious all the same.
Mel Hall
Hey! I made this at the beginning of Feb, when the snow storm hit Texas, and have made them 3 times since! My family LOVES this recipe. Thank you so much!!
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Mel!
Kristin
Made these this morning. I did not have ground cloves so I just subbed 3.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of the other spices and used King Arthur Gluten Free all purpose flour and sprinkled turbinado sugar on top of the cookies prior to baking. They came out fabulous! Thank you for this recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Kristin! I’m happy to hear they still turned out well.
Nancy james
Hi- what size can of pumpkin puree for the pumpkin cookies?
Thanks!
Jimmy
Could smart balance or another vegetable shortening be used instead of butter and still get the same quality?
Nancy james
Well these are amazing- my favorite cookie texture which is like little cakes! The only tweak I did was add walnuts to half the batch. And they’d be a great base for all kinds of add-ins – chocolate chips etc! Thanks for sharing!
Kate
You’re welcome, Nancy! I appreciate your review.
Christa
Hi Kate (and cookie!) First, I want to say that I just love all of your recipes, and hope a second cookbook will be coming!
In this recipe, I really liked the spices and flavoring, and texture but interestingly I found them too sweet. Is it possible to reduce the sugar without messing up the recipe?
Kate
Hi Christa, I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes. Unfortunately, changing the sugar content will impact the results and I can’t say for sure without trying it myself. I did test these several times and recommend them best as is.
Paula
I used white whole wheat flour and it turned out perfectly tender! I also added 1/3 cup raisins and 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, which gave them a yummy toothsome texture and added fall flavor! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Paula! I appreciate your review.
Amanda
Hi can I use.maple or honey as the sweetener?
Kate
Hi Amanda, these are best as written. I hope you try them!
Emily H Taylor
I couldn’t resist adding raisins and I am so glad I did!!
Also…I always use a variety of different flours. Right now the mix in my canister is a combination of sorghum, quinoa, spelt, and buckwheat. I usually make a recipe with half whole wheat pastry and half mixed. It tastes great and is extra healthy. There are so many new flours to choose from….
My husband named these delicious cookies “pumpkin pillows” because they are so soft and fluffy(!). Many thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
Paula
Glad this recipe showed up in your fall recommendations this weekend. Didn’t have pumpkin but used organic sweet potato puree. Also had no nutmeg but added a touch of all spice. Not the prettiest cookies I’ve made but they will still be eaten :)
Marisa Comple
Made them twice already and were a big hit. I did mix whole wheat and regular flour. I made them into a sandwich cookie as they were soft enough to cut the top off and slather with a homemade pumpkinspiced cream cheese spread. They were delicous and not too sweet! third batch tomorrow!
Kate
That’s great, Marisa! I appreciate your review.
Anna
Hi! I want to try these but do you think I could sub canned pumpkin for fresh grated? And also turbinato sugar for brown sugar ? Thank you! I love the picture of Cookie staring at a pumpkin cookie lol!
nancy s james
Hi Kate – what size can of pumpkin puree do you use for a single batch?
Thanks!
Kate
The pumpkin comes in 15 ounce cans. Use as directed.
G
Has anyone tried substituting whole wheat flour for semolina? Just curious how that’d turn out but don’t want to waste a bunch of ingredients.
Jacob Pettit
We have been making these for several years now when we first get snow fall that sticks. Thus they have accrued the affectionate name, “snow cookies” in our home. Realized we never said thanks for sharing, so… Thanks!
Sherrie
The whole family enjoyed these cookies! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kate
You’re welcome, Sherrie!