Easy, flexible, and nutrient- and energy-dense, these breakfast cookies will satisfy your pumpkin craving in a healthy, nutritious way.

It’s that time of year where we all go crazy for one flavor: pumpkin! Born in New England, now based in Miami, even though I no longer experience the change in seasons, nothing has changed when it comes for my love of pumpkin, squashes and this season’s flavors.

Sure, pumpkin tastes great! But, there’s also plenty of health benefits to encourage your consumption as well. Pumpkins are chock-full of fiber, along with vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, copper, and manganese. Further, the bright orange hue in due to a particularly beneficial phytonutrient: carotene. This converts to vitamin A in the body for a tremendous punch of antioxidants with the capacity to help prevent heart disease, cancer, and many of the signs of aging.

While there are TONS of pumpkin recipes out there, ranging from sugary beverages, sweet pies, and orangey cakes, I’m a believer that choosing healthier alternatives is about creating a lifestyle, not a diet. So, it’s important to select quality ingredients, and ones that taste good too! I’m partnering with Whole Foods Miami to share with you a healthy breakfast grab-n-go cookie variation to power you through your morning, whether you’re eating in at home or taking your meal to go.

When collecting your ingredients, be sure to grab the pumpkin puree version (as shown in the photos below) and not the sweetened pie filling version. Whole Foods 365 Pumpkin Puree is clean, pure, and free from any additives. Same goes for the nut butter. In our house, we prefer the Whole Foods 365 Creamy Peanut Butter that has nothin’ but nuts in it! Doesn’t get any cleaner that that.

I’m making these cookies in prep for an upcoming trip, and they’ll be the perfect bite-size, TSA approved snack for the long plane ride we have ahead. Because they are vegan, and include no egg, these are definitely more of an oatmeal breakfast bar than a cookie, which tends to be a big sugarier and gooier when you break.

My breakfast recommendation? Nourish with 2-3 cookies and a side of Apple Cinnamon tea, warm cider or coffee with a sprinkle of cinnamon to dunk, relax, and enjoy all the tastes of fall. Store in an air-tight container and consume within a week of baking.

OATMEAL PUMPKIN BREAKFAST COOKIE

PREP TIME: 10 minutes prep, 15 minutes bake
SERVES: 22

INGREDIENTS

• 2 C old-fashioned oats
• 1 C pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/4 Bee Free Honey (or Maple Syrup)
• 1/3 C natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1/4 C ground flax seeds
• 1/4 C dried unsweetened raisins
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2  tsp cinnamon
• touch of himalayan sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350•
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or use baking stone (as shown)
3. In a medium bowl, combine ingredients and mix well
4. Scoop about 1″ balls from the mixture and form in to a ball, then press with a flat surface to create a cookie shape.
5. Placing evenly on to parchment paper or baking stone
6. Bake 12 minutes, then cooling an additional 10-15 minutes
7. Remove from the paper or stone, serve, and enjoy!

COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS IN A MEDIUM BOWL

MIX ALL INGREDIENTS WELL

FORM 1″ BALLS ON A LARGE PAN OR BAKING STONE

CREATE A COOKIE SHAPE USING A FLAT SURFACE

*OPTIONAL TOP WITH RAW “PEPITAS” THEN BAKE 12 MINUTES AT 350•

REMOVE FROM OVEN AND COOL 10-15 MINUTES

PLATE AND SERVE IMMEDIATELY, OR STORE IN AN AIR-TIGHT CONTAINER

BETTER YET? MAKE FRIENDS, AND SHARE 🙂