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Well, gooooood morning, sunshine! Have you recovered from your inevitable sugar-induced coma yet?
Let’s face it: even if you just snuggled up at home waiting for trick-or-treaters, you know you were dipping that hand into the candy bowl a little more often than you’d have liked. And, of course, if you went out dressed up as a “sexy nurse” or “sexy Hot Cheeto”, you probably indulged in the booze a bit, amIright?!
Ahh… those were the days. But I digress.
It’s officially holiday season and that means the indulgences will be coming at you hard, left and right, until the mandatory gym-joining on January 1st. So I developed a seasonal cookie that gives in to the indulgence.. but is totally healthy!
I love these cookies because they’re cake-like in texture, so rich in flavor, and the glaze offsets the cookie beautifully, making them feel like a true indulgence. But surprise! They’re made from pumpkin, ground almonds and oatmeal, a banana, dates, warm & cozy pumpkin pie spice, and maple syrup. Not bad, right? They might not be as damn cute as my classic Christmas cookies, but they’re damn delish!
On top of that, they come together quickly and so easily and can be made entirely in the blender. They’re moist but not too dense, sweet but not too sweet, and are excellent for breakfast.
Wait.. did I say that out loud?
But seriously..
Make these. For breakfast. For lunch. For dinner. For breakfast..
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies with Glaze (Vegan, GF, Refined Sugar Free)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 ¼ cup gluten-free flour blend (I used about 1/2 cup almond meal and 1/4 cup each of ground oats, brown rice flour, and chickpea flour)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 Medjool dates , pitted
- ½ cup pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 ripe banana , mashed
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Medjool dates , pitted
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil , liquid form
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp warm water to thin , if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Stir chia seeds and warm water together and set aside to gel up, about 5 minutes.
- Place all cookie ingredients into a blender and pulse until well combined, making sure the dates are broken up and smooth. Spoon rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake about 15-16 minutes, or until the edges are dry and firm. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack while you make the glaze.
- Make the glaze: combine Medjool dates, coconut milk, coconut oil, and maple syrup in a blender or food processor and process ’til smooth, adding warm water if desired. When the cookies are totally cool, drizzle glaze over tops of cookies and serve immediately.
- Always glaze the cookies right before serving, as glazing them in advance will make them a bit soggy.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Do you think this glaze could work for cinnamon rolls? I’m trying to adapt my recipe to make without refined sugar. Thanks! 🙂
It could definitely work! And this frosting would be great for cinnamon rolls, too:
https://40aprons.com/paleo-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins/
I love glaze. I love cookies. Gonna love the crap out of these. EXCELLENT. 🙂
Right?! Everything good, and totally guilt free, which means.. you can eat 9 at a time. Just saying!
I would love to just bathe in that glaze! 🙂
I’ll take a dip right along with you!
How perfect! These cookies like like a great way to satisfy a sweet craving!
Thanks Annie! I can attest to that, for sure 🙂
yep, sign me up for these!! and they’re healthy??! so perfect.
You’re officially signed up for these! 😀
Ahhh I love healthy desserts! I mean I love the bad ones too, but healthy ones can be eaten in bulk…. Which is definitely not something I ever do… ever…sorta.
Never sorta ever, sometimes but not frequently, but kind of a lot.
Or… is that just.. me? I know I am canceling out all of the good by eating like entire trays of vegan GF peanut butter chocolate bars but… it’s all natural ingredients so…
The logic. It’s circular. Slash.. not there at all
Your recipes always make me drool at my desk, Cheryl. It’s very unattractive. Unlike these cookies, which are effing gorgeous, and look absolutely delicious. If you ever publish a cookbook, I will be the first to buy it!
Um, that’s all the incentive I need to write one!! 😀 My mom will be like, OMG WHO IS THIS OTHER PERSON WHO BOUGHT HER COOKBOOK. Hah!! Thank you always for your kind words Meredith! I think you need to update here soon… ahem…. I need some Unexpectedly Magnificent in my inbox!