These pumpkin protein cookies are soft, warmly spiced and one of the first recipes I make every fall. You only need one bowl and they can be made in under 30 minutes.
Pumpkin Protein Cookies At A Glance
✅ Recipe Name: Soft Pumpkin Protein Cookies in Under 30 Minutes
🕒 Ready In: About 25 to 30 minutes before cooling and decorating (estimated prep time).
👪 Serves: 6 large cookies or 12 small cookies.
🍽 Nutrition: Per large cookie: approximately 281 calories, 12.6 grams protein, 4.9 grams fiber and 21.8 grams carbohydrates. Per small cookie: approximately 140 calories, 6.3 grams protein, 2.5 grams fiber and 10.9 grams carbohydrates.
🥣 Main Ingredients: Pumpkin purée, peanut butter, protein powder, hemp seeds and oat flour.
📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian. Contains peanuts and dairy when made with whey protein and regular white chocolate.
⭐ Why You'll Love It: One-bowl mixing, a soft texture and a choice of simple or Halloween-style decoration.
More Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Recipes
For another way to use pumpkin purée, try my pumpkin protein balls. They’re a no-bake option with pumpkin spice and white chocolate.
If you prefer a chocolate and peanut butter combination, my chocolate peanut butter protein balls are another easy snack to try.
Jump to:
Recipe Nutrition Highlights
These cookies give you a nice amount of both protein and fiber, which is something you don’t usually get much of in a typical cookie. That makes them that little bit more filling and satisfying.
They’re still very much a sweet treat, and they’re not particularly low in calories, but I’ve found that one actually keeps me satisfied for a good while. That’s exactly what I look for in a snack or sweet treat. Something I really enjoy, but that also feels satisfying rather than leaving me looking for something else 20 minutes later.
I also love that we’re using pumpkin here. It’s one of those foods that a lot of us probably don’t eat very often, but it’s really nutritious and an easy way to add a little more variety to your diet.
Pumpkins orange color comes partly from carotenoids, including beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. Vitamin A supports normal vision and immune function, as explained in the NIH vitamin A fact sheet.
Nutrition information was calculated using Cronometer, a nutrition tracking tool that uses the USDA FoodData Central database and verified brand data for accuracy. Estimates are based on the exact ingredients and amounts listed, so your numbers may vary slightly depending on the brands and measurements you use. Food is much more than just numbers though, so use these as a guide rather than a rule.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin purée: Choose plain pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sweetener and spices. I like the brand Libbys.
- Runny peanut butter: This helps bind the dough and gives it a rich texture.
- Vanilla protein powder: Use a flavor you enjoy, because you’ll taste it in the finished cookies.
- Hemp seeds: Use the soft, hulled hemp seeds often sold as hemp hearts. They add texture without the hard shell of whole, unhulled seeds.
- Oat flour: This gives the dough some structure. You can buy oat flour or grind oats into a fine flour yourself at a home in a blender or food processor.
- Maple syrup or honey: Start with the lower amount and taste as you go, some protein powders are already quite sweet so you may not need as much as you think.
- Pumpkin pie spice: This brings the warm fall flavor. In Ireland or the UK, mixed spice is an alternative as I know pumpkin pie is hard to come across.
- White chocolate: Use it in the dough or on top. For piping, choose chocolate that melts smoothly; some baking chips hold their shape more than chocolate bars.
How To Make Pumpkin Protein Cookies
Preheat to 350°F or 175°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Mix the wet ingredients. Stir the pumpkin, peanut butter, vanilla and maple syrup or honey together until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients. Mix in the protein powder, hemp seeds, oat flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt. If using white chocolate chips inside the cookies, fold them in now.
Rest and shape. Let the dough sit for 2 to 3 minutes. If it still feels very soft, add another tablespoon of protein powder. Divide into 6 large or 12 smaller cookies and flatten them, as they won’t spread much. I like to use a cookie cutter to get an even circle shape.
Bake. Large cookies take 14 to 17 minutes, with the edges set when ready. Smaller cookies may cook faster; check them earlier, as I haven’t tested an exact time for that size.
Cool and decorate. Leave the cookies to cool completely before adding melted white chocolate.
How To Make The Spider-Web Decoration
Pipe a small circle of melted white chocolate in the center of each cooled cookie, then add two or three larger circles around it. While the chocolate is still melted, drag a toothpick from the center toward the edge at several points around the cookie.
Decorate one cookie at a time so you can finish the pattern before the chocolate sets. If piping isn’t your thing, drizzle the chocolate over the cookies instead.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Video For How To Make Pumpkin Protein Cookies
Blow is a video of me making these pumpkin protein cookies which I hope will inspire you to get in the kitchen and make them too
Expert Tips for Making This Recipe
Weigh the protein powder rather than counting scoops. Scoop sizes vary between brands, so a scoop from one tub may contain a different amount from another.
Keep the cookies a similar thickness. An even size helps them bake at the same rate, especially when choosing between the large and small versions.
Keep water out of the melted chocolate. Dry utensils and a dry piping bag help prevent it from becoming grainy or stiff.
Allow the decoration to set before stacking. Otherwise, the chocolate can stick to the cookie above it.
Storage
Fridge: Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge and aim to eat within 5 days.
Freezer: For longer storage, try freezing in a sealed freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
No. These are soft pumpkin cookies, rather than crisp biscuits. If you’re looking for a crunchy texture, this particular recipe isn’t designed to give that result.
The recipe uses pumpkin and peanut butter to help hold the dough together, and the cookies are shaped before baking. They aren’t intended to rise like a cake or muffin.
📖 Recipe
Soft Pumpkin Protein Cookies in Under 30 Minutes
Ingredients
- 120 grams pumpkin purée ½ cup
- 125 grams runny peanut butter ½ cup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 30 grams vanilla protein powder ¼ cup
- 40 grams hulled hemp seeds ¼ cup
- 40 grams oat flour ⅓ cup
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- 65 grams white chocolate ¼ cup, for decorating or mixing into the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 175°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add the pumpkin purée, peanut butter, vanilla and maple syrup or honey to a bowl. Stir until smooth.
- Add the protein powder, hemp seeds, oat flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix until fully combined.
- If adding white chocolate chips to the cookies, fold them in now. Otherwise, reserve the white chocolate for decorating after baking.
- Let the mixture sit for 2 to 3 minutes. If it feels very soft, add another tablespoon of protein powder.
- Divide the mixture into 6 large cookies or 12 smaller cookies. Gently flatten and shape them on the tray, as they won’t spread much during baking. The rim of a wide-mouth jar or a cookie cutter can help shape neat circles.
- Bake large cookies for 14 to 17 minutes, or until the edges are set. Smaller cookies may bake faster, so check them earlier; an exact time for the smaller size has not been tested.
- Leave to cool completely. Melt the reserved white chocolate and drizzle it over the cookies, dip them, or use it to make spider webs.
- For spider webs, pipe a small circle of melted chocolate in the center of a cookie, followed by 2 to 3 larger circles around it. Drag a toothpick from the center to the edge at several points while the chocolate is still melted. Let the chocolate set.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Comments
No Comments