No-Guilt Pumpkin Cookies

Auntie Mags's Note:

These moist yummy cookies are great for kids' lunches, afterschool snacks or just for having on hand for your sweet cravings. If you don't have pumpkin, you can use cooked, pureed squash. They freeze beautifully so make a double or triple batch!

• Total Time: 27 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 60 cookies

• 1/2 cup sugar or 1/2 cup Splenda granular
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup margarine or 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large bowl, beat sugars and margarine until light and fluffy.
3. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and egg; blend well.
4. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.

Reviews

[free-free]

SO GOOD!!! I have made a lot of pumpkin treats this fall and these turned out to be my favorite...I was a bit surprised because the recipe is so simple... :) I made them Halloween day in between "Tricks & Treats"...I halved the recipe because of time and supply crunch...I wanted to use up some already opened canned pumpkin in the fridge and it was about 1/2 of a cup...the recipe worked wonderfully (1/2 cup margarine, 1/4 Splenda & 1/4 Splenda brown sugar blend and a couple of table spoons of Egg Beaters...) I loved the addition of the ground flax seed...it lent just the right amount of sweet nuttiness and added to the airy texture...these bake into lovely moist pumpkin puffs (pretty substantial in size)...just wonderful :) This has been my most successful experience baking with Splenda (oh- I did get 30 perfect little treats with the 1/2 batch!!!) - Thanks Auntie Mags :)

[Annacia]

Delicious cookies. I was expecting a cookie that would spread out and be thin but these don't spread at all and come out like tender, sweet pillows. I made a 1/2 recipe which ask for 1/2 a cup of butter, I used 2 tbsp of it and filled the rest of the 1/2 cup with unsweetened apple sauce. I used 3/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon alone. I couldn't be more pleased with the finished cookies. As I didn't have flax seed I added another tbsp of flour.These will be great all year round but will definitely make a Christmas appearance as well.

[Science Amy]

I loved this recipe! I opted to tkae out 1/4 cup of margerine and replaced it with unsweetened applesauce to help lower the fat and they still turned out fantastic! I also added healthy toasted walnuts and raisins and some pumpkin pie spice for more flavour. So delicious, my partner's family gobbled them all up this Thanksgiving!