These delicious and healthy pumpkin spice protein cookies are so low in calories that a reasonable serving size could easily be 3 or even 4 cookies. That would also give you 16.8 to 22.4 grams of protein – as much as a typical protein bar.
To get the protein so high, we use a full cup of vanilla whey powder. The Greek yogurt and whole eggs boost the protein even higher.
I know there are ways to alter cookie recipes to make them crispy, but ours use a lot of liquid ingredients so they have a have a soft, chewy texture. This works with 4 egg whites, but I used 2 whole eggs instead because it’s richer than if you use zero fat (this recipe is still very low fat, which is also why it’s so low in calories. No butter or oil is used).
These ingredients don’t create a dough per se – expect it to be more like a thick batter. You can simply spoon the batter onto the baking sheet and it’s easy to form into perfect circles. Use one heaping tablespoon of batter and you’ll get cookies about 3 inches in diameter. A 17 X 12 baking sheet will fit 12 of them, so these ingredients make two batches of 12 (24 cookies total). Feel free to use half the ingredients and make a smaller batch if you prefer.
You can buy pre-made pumpkin spice at the grocery store or online, but I prefer to make my own so I can choose the spices and the amounts of each to suit my taste. Sometimes you only see as few 2 or 3 spices listed in popular recipes, but I use cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and ginger. Some people like to add allspice. I use fairly generous amounts so there’s a strong pumpkin spice flavor. You can adjust the amounts to your liking.
Pumpkin is not naturally very sweet, so these do call for sweetener. I have tried both regular spoonable Truvia (a stevia / erythritol blend), and Truvia light brown sugar. Light brown sugars can cut calories by as much as 75% but are not calorie-free. An advantage of the regular Truvia is that it has almost no calories. I also used sugar-free maple syrup, to lift the sweetness even more and it adds yet another flavor. You could use regular maple syrup, but it will spike up the calories.
I find these cookies are just sweet enough, but you can adjust the amount of sweetener to your liking. Use a different non-nutritive sweetener if you prefer, but keep in mind the substitution amount may not be identical to Truvia. This batch takes only 15 minutes at 350 degrees to bake. If you leave them in a couple minutes longer, they get a little browner and crisper on the bottom while still remaining soft overall. If you put them right on the baking sheet (without parchment paper), be sure to coat it with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
These pumpkin spice cookies are terrific fresh, the same day they are baked, but like most home-made baked cookies, they should keep at room temperature for up to three days. For best results, store them in an airtight container. If you and your family or friends won’t polish them off that quickly, you can put them in the freezer where they’ll be be good for months. You can actually eat them (cold) right out of the freezer, or of course, pop them in the microwave to thaw and enjoy them warm.
Pumpkin Spice Protein Cookies
Ingredients
- 15 oz Pumpkin puree (1 can)
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat
- 2 Whole eggs, large
- 1/4 cup Maple syrup, sugar-free
- 1.5 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Whey protein vanilla (93g)
- 1 cup Oat flour (120g)
- 1/2 cup Quick oats (oatmeal) (40g)
- 4 Tbsp Truvia Naturally Sweet
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Cloves, ground
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350
- Put the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine
- Put the wet ingredients in another mixing bowl and combine
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until completely mixed
- Coat a cookie sheet (or baking pan) with nonstick spray (or use parchment paper)
- Spoon cookie batter onto pan (1 heaping Tbsp per cookie)
- Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
Nutrition
PS. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of these healthy pumpkin spice protein cookies. Be sure to rate it above too. Snap a picture of your baked creation and share on social media with hashtag #burnthefatrecipes #burnthefatfeedthemuscle or #feedthemuscle so we can all see! You can tag me at www.Instagram.com/tomvenuto and www.facebook.com/tomvenuto
About Tom Venuto
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilding and fat loss coach. He is also a recipe creator specializing in fat-burning, muscle-building cooking. Tom is a former competitive bodybuilder and is today a full-time fitness writer, blogger, and author. His book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is an international bestseller, first as an ebook and now as a hardcover and audiobook. The Body Fat Solution, Tom’s book about emotional eating and long-term weight maintenance, was an Oprah Magazine and Men’s Fitness Magazine pick. Tom is also the founder of Burn The Fat Inner Circle – a fitness support community with over 52,000 members worldwide since 2006. Click here for membership details
Thanks for another great recipe! Very good! Mine turned out more like a cake texture, so I’m thinking of pouring the cookie batter into my loaf pan, for a less dense, lighter pumpkin bread.