My 3-ingredient pumpkin oat cookies are perfect for snacking or breakfasts on the move. They are vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, 31 calories each (for the basic version), and endlessly customizable with a variety of different add-ins.

Eat More Cookies

It snowed--SNOWED--here in Texas on Sunday!

I get that this is no big deal for my cold climate friends, but it is a once every few years affair in my part of Texas. Everything was cancelled on Monday (no snow plows in these parts), so we three (Nick, Kevin and me) frolicked in the winter wonderland most of the morning, followed by a cozy fire and the viewing of a favorite action movie we have all seen many times before (it was still good).

I also ate 6 of these cookies. 

Nick ate 8. Kevin ate 4. And then I made some more :).

If I may boss you around for a moment, you need to make a batch, too. You will not regret it.

Why You Should Make These Cookies

January cookies need some justification in ways that December cookies do not. Yes, these pumpkin oat cookies are delicious and satisfying. But they are also super-healthy, equally suitable for breakfasts, snacks, and desserts. Further, the cookies are:

• Made with 3 ingredients. The most basic recipe has 4 ingredients.
• Plant-based. Egg-free and dairy free. 
• Gluten-free.
• Only 31 calories each. For the basic recipe.
• Flourless.
• Oil-free. Pumpkin puree makes these cookies tender.
• Nut-free.
• Seed-free.
• Quick & easy to make. If you have 5 minutes, you have time to prepare these cookies!

You know what to do next. Ready, set, go!

The Recipe Ingredients

You can grab the three primary ingredients for the recipe in one trip to the pantry.

1. Rolled Oats. Use old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, either will work. Use oats that are certified gluten-free as needed.
2. Pumpkin Puree. I used canned, unsweetened pumpkin puree, but homemade pumpkin puree should work fine, too.
3. Sweetener. I used coconut sugar, but maple syrup, brown sugar, or the liquid/granular sweetener of your choice can be substituted.
   • Optional: Salt. I (almost) always like to add some salt to my sweets. Even a small amount heightens all of the flavors, including the sweetness. I have provided the amount that I like to add in the recipe below, but it can be omitted or adjusted according to your needs and preferences.

Customize with Add-Ins

If you like, consider adding one or more extras to the mix. Who doesn’t love a completely customized cookie? Consider any of the following to push the delicious limits of these cookies:

 

• Chocolate: Chocolate chips (regular or miniature), cacao nibs, finely chopped or shaved dark chocolate. Consider adding between 2 and 4 tablespoons (I used 4 tablespoons of chocolate chips in the photos here).
• Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, pumpkin pie spice, or nutmeg. Use between 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon, according to taste.
• Extracts & Zests: Vanilla extract, almond extract, or finely grated citrus zest (orange, lemon, or lime). Use between 1/4 teaspoon (almond extract) to 1 teaspoon (vanilla or citrus zest).
• Dried Fruits: Cranberries, cherries, raisins, apricots, or prunes. Chop them small for greater distribution. Use between 2 and 4 tablespoons.
• Nuts or Seeds: Pepitas, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, almonds. Chop them small for greater distribution. Use between 2 and 4 tablespoons.
• Coconut: Unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut, plain or lightly toasted.

Step By Step Instructions

Step One

Process the oats in a food processor or high-speed blender until they resemble either a rough or fine flour. I like a semi-fine texture. It’s your choice to go super fine, semi-fine, or somewhat coarse.

If you have ready-to-use oat flour on hand, feel free to use it in place of the whole oats. You will need the same amount by weight (133 g), which is 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons.  

Step Two

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, sweetener, and (optional) salt with 1/4 cup water. If adding spices, extracts or zest, add them in this step. Stir until completley blended and smooth.

Step Three

Add the oat flour to the bowl with the pumpkin mixture. If adding optional chocolate, nuts, seeds, coconut, or dried fruit, add them here, along with the oats. Stir until completley blended into a soft, thick dough.

The dough is complete!

Portion the Dough

Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion small mounds of the cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. 

The cookies do not spread, so they do not need to be spaced far apart.

The cookies can be baked as is (in small mounds). Alternatively, press the dough down with your fingertips to flatten. The size and shape of the cookies will be the same before and after they bake.

Bake the Cookies

Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies are slightly browned at the edges and the surface of the dough appears dry. The chocolate chips will look melty, too.

Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 5 minutes before eating.

Hello, delicious...

How Do the Cookies Taste?

These cookies are soft in texture and lightly sweet (more sweet if extras such as chocolate chips or dried fruit are added). They are more in the camp of a healthy cookie than a decadent cookie in both taste and texture.

How to Store the Cookies

The cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 2 days, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 6 months. 

I prefer to warm the cookies in the microwave for a few seconds (especially if chocolate is involved), but they are satisfying room temperature or cold, too.

Happy baking!

Related Posts:

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2. Pumpkin Almond Flour Cookies {Vegan, Grain-Free, Oil-Free}
3. Chickpea Flour Pumpkin Muffins {Vegan, Grain-Free, Oil-Free}
4. Coconut Flour Pumpkin Pie Bars {Vegan, Grain-Free, Oil-Free}
5. 3-Ingredient Almond Flour Cookies {Vegan, Oil-Free, Keto Option}
6. Healthy Chocolate Banana Oat Cookies {vegan, oil-free, GF}
7. Chocolate Coconut Flour Cookies (Vegan, Keto Option)

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