Halloween is quickly approaching and finding healthy treats (did I just use the words “healthy” and “Halloween” in the same sentence?) kids will get excited about can feel like a hopeless endeavor for many parents. No matter how vigilant I am most of the time, on Halloween night I’m not about to start to depriving my son of all the junky candy that goes with the fun of the holiday. However, with all of the school parties and events that also come with Halloween, I strive to make recipes for the little ones that will be viewed by them as a treat (but lean towards the healthier, more nutritious side of the fence).
These Pumpkin Seed Cookies are like a cross between a cookie and a bread. They’re super soft and moist and have a delicious spice aroma from the cinnamon and nutmeg that makes them perfect for this time of year. Before popping them in the oven, Kenya went through and decorated all the cookies with pumpkin seeds. He got quite creative along the way — maybe the cookie with 25 pumpkin seeds on top went a bit too far — but he had a great time doing it….and eating them too!
Pumpkin Seed Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup all purpose flour
- 1 Cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 Cup butter, softened
- 3/4 Cup honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds, raw plus more for decorating (you could also use chopped walnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the first 7 dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- In a mixer (or in a bowl using a hand beater) cream the butter for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy then add honey and continue to beat for another minute.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute then add in pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and slowly fold in pumpkin seeds.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop about 1 1/2 tbsp of the dough onto a Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet and using your finger or the back of a spoon, gently pat down to flatten the tops of the cookies slightly.
- Use the extra pumpkin seeds to decorate the tops of the cookies (your little one can help you with this step!)
- Bake for 12-14 minutes.
- Cool and serve.
Notes
- * The cookies should have a fluffy consistency.
- ** To Freeze: After step 6, freeze for 30 minutes then place par-frozen cookies in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 4 months. When ready, pop them on a Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet, bring to room temperature, pat them down a bit so they flatten slightly, and follow steps 8-9.
The butter in this recipe is used as a solid, but oil is a liquid. If you want to replace the butter you can try something like vegetable shortening or a butter alternative that will be the same consistency of butter.
Do you think I can replace butter for oil? How should I proceed?
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The honey is for sweetness! I like using it instead of sugar. You can replace with agave at a 1:1 ratio. You could also use 1 Cup Sugar instead of the honey, and increase the pumpkin puree by about 1/4 Cup.
How necessary is the honey? Our son is only 13 months old so we’re still avoiding honey.
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just made these this Halloween and they were sooo good. Many curiosities peaked when they saw these in my kids lunchboxes!
I am getting ready to make them this year-I’m sooo ready for fall that I am getting it going early, lol.
I am wondering about the pumpkin seeds also….So, just clean them from the pumpkin and put them right on the cookie before baking?
My entire family loves these cookies! I add a 1/4 cup of flax seed and a 1/4 cup wheat germ, substitute apple sauce for the butter, up the vanilla to 1 tablespoon and add a handful (maybe 1/4 cup) of chocolate chips to entice my husband to eat them. These are so yummy we’ve made two batches in 3 days!
YUM! I just made these and they are great! I adapted them only slightly by using 1/4 cup butter and 1/3 cup natural applesauce (or however much an individual size cup is) instead of the 1/2 cup butter to cut down on the calories (more for mommy than my little one!). also I didn’t have any honey today so I used agave. They are fantastic! Very moist and fluffy. Exactly like a muffin top as one of the previous posts described!
Yes 🙂
Can I substitute Agave for the Honey?
Curious to hear if anyone with an egg-allergic child tries these without the egg. My pumpkin muffin recipe is egg-free and very similar, minus the seeds, so I’m thinking that the texture might not suffer too much.
These are great! My 5yr old and I made a test batch today because her class is having a ‘pumpkin party’ and I volunteered to make the cookies so she (dairy allergy) could eat them too…we shared them w/ all our neighbors’ kids and everyone loved them. Even the ones who do not like pumpkin! Great recipe, very soft and moist. They aren’t too sweet!