Soft & Chewy Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies

Perfectly soft & chewy whole wheat pumpkin cookies! With pumpkin puree, warm fall spices, rich vanilla and a quick roll in sugar before baking, these easy cookies are a staple for the season. Dairy free.

Three Soft & Chewy Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies stacked on a plate with more cookies and coffee in the background.

Are you ready for some pumpkin?? Because today I give you the first pumpkin recipe of the season and ooo baby is it a good one.

Now, I will admit that I am totally digging every single pumpkin dish that I have coming your way this fall. But these soft & chewy whole wheat pumpkin cookies? The most excellent way to kick things off.

Chewy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside, they are a force to be reckoned with. Filled with SO MANY warm delicious spices, rich vanilla, pumpkin puree and 100% white whole wheat flour, these cookies are kinda sorta irresistible.

And did I mention that they are rolled in sugar for a delightful little crunch? It’s no wonder that I may be a wee bit obsessed.

So, today’s recipe is based on these soft & chewy whole wheat gingerbread cookies that I shared with you last year. They are an all-time favorite at our house and I have pretty much been plotting this fall version ever since.

There are definitely a few differences between the cookies to account for the extra liquid in pumpkin puree, but both use the same general method.

We beat together some softened coconut oil with sugar, add in the pumpkin and egg and finally, the flour and spices. The dough gets chilled for a bit and is then baked off to chewy perfection.

We’re talking pumpkin goodness that is most excellent for any cozy fall day.

Soft & Chewy Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies scattered on crinkled parchment paper.

Tips & Tricks

  1. Pretty pretty please stick with white whole wheat flour for these cookies. Regular whole wheat flour will be heavier and will not behave exactly the same. Also, when measuring out your flour, be sure to scoop it into your measuring cup with a spoon and then level off. Otherwise you’ll likely use too much.
  2. Let’s talk about the coconut oil. You want it to be softened, but not melted. I pop mine in the microwave for about 5 to 10 seconds to get it to that softened state when our house is slightly chilly. Keep in mind that this will vary based on the temperature in your house – for example, if your house is warm, you might not need to microwave it at all.
  3. After the oil is softened, we beat it together with the sugar. The important part of this step is to beat for the 2 minutes listed in the recipe. The mixture will get a bit lighter in color and sort of be fluffy – kinda like when you beat butter and sugar but not.
  4. DO NOT skip the chill time for the dough! This is essential to keep the cookies from really flattening out while baking.
  5. And finally, a note on the pumpkin puree. The kind I buy at my local store is not super watery. If yours is, you may want to gently blot it with paper towels to get rid of some of the extra moisture.

An overhead view of Chewy Pumpkin Cookies scattered on crinkled parchment paper.

Additional Coconut Oil Cookies You Might Enjoy:

Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Perfectly soft & chewy whole wheat pumpkin cookies! With pumpkin puree, warm fall spices and rich vanilla! A staple for the season!

Soft & Chewy Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies

Yield: about 18 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Perfectly soft & chewy whole wheat pumpkin cookies! With pumpkin puree, warm fall spices, rich vanilla and a quick roll in sugar before baking, these easy cookies are a staple for the season. Dairy free.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ cup solid-state coconut oil, softened (but not melted!)
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 large egg yolk (don’t use the whole egg!)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • about ¼ cup pure cane sugar / granulated sugar, for rolling

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil and coconut sugar with a hand mixer for 2 minutes, until lighter in color and sort of fluffy (it won’t be as fluffy as with butter!).
  3. Add in the pumpkin puree, egg yolk and vanilla and beat again until combined. Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined.
  4. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill for 45 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Scoop about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of the chilled dough and form into balls (about 1 ½ inch in size). Roll the balls in the cane / granulated sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 to 3 inches apart.
  7. Bake for about 9 to 11 minutes, until the tops of the cookies have cracked / crinkled. Let the cookies cool directly on the baking sheet.

Notes

See the tips & tricks section in the post above for more info about the recipe!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g

Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.