Delightful & Guilt-Free: The Ultimate Recipe for Almost Sugar-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Welcome to Cookie Madness, where we believe there’s a perfect pumpkin cookie for everyone, regardless of dietary preferences – and that includes delicious, health-conscious options! This particular recipe introduces our “almost” sugar-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Crafted for those seeking a guilt-free indulgence, these cookies are thoughtfully lower in sugar, thanks to a selection of the best-tasting alternative sweeteners. When prepared with Fiber Gourmet flour blend, they also boast an impressive fiber content, making them a truly healthier treat.
Creating these healthy-ish, yet incredibly flavorful, sugar-free pumpkin cookies proved to be a more straightforward and rewarding process than initially anticipated. My journey began by adapting a beloved Kroger copycat pumpkin cookie recipe, methodically replacing traditional sugar with various alternative sweeteners to identify the ideal blend for both taste and texture. To further enhance their nutritional profile and significantly reduce calorie count, I incorporated Fiber Gourmet, a specialized high-fiber flour blend that maintains excellent baking characteristics.
The result? Each delectable cookie, weighing approximately 1.3 oz, comes in at around 87 calories – a calculation I meticulously performed using My Fitness Pal, assuming a full measure of sugar-free chocolate chips. While I’ve done my utmost to ensure accuracy by manually inputting ingredients and dividing by 16 servings, I always encourage you to perform your own calculations based on the specific brands and quantities you use.
Choosing the Best Sweeteners for Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Perfecting this recipe took some time, primarily due to extensive testing with different alternative sweeteners. Each option presented unique challenges and benefits, profoundly impacting the final texture and flavor. My aim was to achieve a soft, moist, and wonderfully spiced pumpkin cookie without any unpleasant aftertaste often associated with sugar substitutes. Here’s a detailed breakdown of my findings:
- Magic Baker: This blend, comprising erythritol, stevia, and allulose, emerged as my undisputed favorite for these cookies. The Magic Baker sweetened pumpkin cookies consistently baked up with a wonderfully thick and cakey texture, and most importantly, with virtually no discernible aftertaste. It’s a fantastic all-rounder for baking. While our local grocery store briefly stocked it, I now happily order it online to ensure I always have it on hand.
- Lakanto Monk Fruit and Erythritol Blend: This blend also performed exceptionally well, delivering a great taste and a delightful moist and soft texture. Similar to Magic Baker, it left very little aftertaste. I used the Lakanto Classic blend for my tests, but I suspect their allulose blend would also yield excellent results, possibly even enhancing the moisture further.
- Allulose Alone: When used as the sole sweetener, straight allulose proved to be a double-edged sword. Its strong hygroscopic properties (meaning it attracts and retains moisture) make it challenging to achieve crispy cookies. I had hoped this moisture-retaining quality would be a benefit for soft pumpkin cookies, but it actually caused them to spread more than desired and resulted in an overly soft consistency. Freezing the baked cookies did improve the texture somewhat, making them a little firmer. If you opt to use straight allulose, you’ll need to adjust the quantity; I recommend using 1 ⅓ times the amount, which equates to about 130 grams in this recipe, to compensate for its lower sweetness profile compared to sugar.
- Truvia Brown Sugar Blend: My tests with Truvia brown sugar resulted in cookies that were a little dryer than desired. Furthermore, it left a rather prominent “cooling” sensation in the mouth after eating, which many people find off-putting in baked goods. While suitable for some applications, it wasn’t ideal for these pumpkin cookies.
- Swerve: Swerve is another popular erythritol-based sweetener that should theoretically work well in this recipe, though I haven’t personally tested it yet. Based on my experience with Swerve in other baked goods, I anticipate the cookies might be a touch drier compared to those made with an allulose blend, which contributes to moisture. I plan to update this recipe with my findings if and when I conduct tests with Swerve. It’s worth noting that while many people love Swerve, some, including myself, find it can have a slight aftertaste.
When selecting your sweetener, consider the desired texture. Blends containing allulose tend to yield softer, chewier results due to its moisture-retaining properties, while erythritol-heavy blends might lean towards a slightly firmer, cake-like consistency. The key is to find a 1:1 sugar replacement blend that you enjoy the taste of.
Embracing Fiber Gourmet for Healthier Baking
The choice of flour is crucial in any baking endeavor, and for these “almost” sugar-free pumpkin cookies, Fiber Gourmet flour blend is my top recommendation. This innovative flour blend stands out for its impressive fiber content – significantly higher than traditional all-purpose flour – and remarkably, it contains nearly half the calories. This makes it an excellent ingredient for those looking to boost their fiber intake and reduce caloric density without sacrificing taste or texture.
Of course, if calorie reduction isn’t your primary concern, or if you need to ensure your cookies are gluten-free, you can certainly substitute Fiber Gourmet with standard all-purpose flour or a high-quality gluten-free baking blend. The primary recipe is robust enough to accommodate these changes, though the nutritional profile will differ.
I also experimented with almond flour, and if you observe the background cookies in the recipe image, you’ll notice a distinct, somewhat scraggly texture. This is a direct result of using almond flour. Almond flour, being gluten-free and higher in fat, behaves very differently in baking compared to wheat-based flours. It absorbs moisture differently and lacks the gluten structure necessary for traditional cookie chewiness. While I made several other adjustments to the recipe to try and accommodate it, the cookies ultimately developed a more dense, macaroon-like consistency rather than the soft, cakey texture I was aiming for. For this particular pumpkin cookie recipe, Fiber Gourmet truly excels in delivering the desired texture and health benefits simultaneously.
Choosing the Perfect Chocolate Chips
No pumpkin cookie is complete without the delightful addition of chocolate chips! To keep these cookies aligned with their “almost sugar-free” promise, the choice of chocolate chips is important. Lily’s sugar-free semi-sweet style chocolate chips are consistently an excellent choice. They melt beautifully and offer a rich chocolate flavor without added sugars. I’m particularly fond of their salted caramel milk chocolate flavor for an extra layer of decadence. A good friend also raves about the allulose-sweetened chocolate chips available at Trader Joe’s, suggesting they would be a fantastic complement to this recipe, adding sweetness and moisture.
That being said, if you or the lucky recipients of your baking are comfortable with a small amount of sugar, or if you prefer the classic taste, using regular dark chocolate chips is perfectly acceptable. Dark chocolate, in moderation, even offers its own health benefits, including antioxidants. The goal here is to provide options that cater to various preferences while still creating a truly delicious cookie.
Ultimately, the choice of chocolate chips depends on your specific dietary goals and taste preferences. Whether you opt for a fully sugar-free variety or a classic dark chocolate, they will undoubtedly elevate the flavor profile of these wonderful pumpkin cookies.
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Recipe
Almost Sugar Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Anna Gins
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup canned pumpkin (Libby’s brand) (130 grams)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (grapeseed) (22 grams)
- ½ cup 1:1 sweetener such as Splenda Magic Baker or Lakanto Monk Fruit and Erythritol Blend (100 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons molasses (30 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup Fiber Gourmet flour blend or all-purpose flour (130 grams)
- ⅜ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅜ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ cup regular or sugar free chocolate chips
Instructions
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To achieve the best texture for your pumpkin cookies, it’s crucial to remove excess moisture from the canned pumpkin. Fold three paper towels in half, stack them, then generously spread the ½ cup of canned pumpkin puree evenly on top. Allow it to sit for approximately 10 minutes. This blotting process helps concentrate the pumpkin flavor and prevents the cookies from becoming overly wet or cakey. If you start with about 132 grams of pumpkin, you should ideally end up with a little under 90 grams once thoroughly drained. Keep in mind that the exact amount of moisture may vary slightly depending on the brand of pumpkin puree you use.
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While the pumpkin is draining, prepare your wet ingredients. In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the unsalted butter until just liquefied. Immediately add your chosen 1:1 alternative sweetener (such as Splenda Magic Baker or Lakanto Monk Fruit and Erythritol Blend) to the hot melted butter. Stir vigorously until the mixture becomes shiny and the sweetener is well dissolved. This step helps create a smooth base for your cookie dough.
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Now, incorporate the remaining wet ingredients. Stir the molasses, vegetable oil (grapeseed is recommended for its neutral flavor), and vanilla extract into the butter and sweetener mixture. Finally, add the blotted and thoroughly dried pumpkin puree to this mixture, stirring until all ingredients are well combined and uniform.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: Fiber Gourmet flour blend (or all-purpose flour), baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Ensure they are thoroughly combined to distribute the leavening and spices evenly. Gradually add this flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, stirring gently until a soft, pliable dough forms. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until it becomes cool and noticeably thicker. Chilling the dough helps prevent spreading during baking and allows the flavors to meld.
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Once the dough is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and fold in the chocolate chips (either regular or sugar-free, depending on your preference). At this stage, you have two options: you can immediately proceed to shaping and baking the cookies, or, for maximum convenience, you can shape the dough into individual balls and store them covered and chilled until you’re ready to bake. This allows for fresh-baked cookies on demand!
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Before baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). This ensures the oven is at the correct temperature for even baking.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop (or a heaping small scoop/tablespoon), scoop out uniform balls of dough. Aim for an even 16 cookies to ensure consistent baking and calorie count. Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring they are spaced approximately 2 inches apart to allow for proper air circulation and slight spreading.
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Bake the chilled pumpkin dough balls in the preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 16 to 18 minutes. This might seem like a slightly longer baking time compared to traditional cookies, and you can certainly start checking for doneness as early as 12 minutes. However, I’ve found that cookies made with pumpkin and alternative sweeteners often require a bit more time to fully bake through and set properly, due to their moisture content and how sugar substitutes interact with heat. The cookies should be lightly golden at the edges and feel set in the center. For precise results with your oven, consider baking a single test cookie first to perfectly gauge the optimal baking time.
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This final step requires patience, but it’s essential for the perfect texture: allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet or a wire rack before serving. During the cooling process, their texture transitions from very soft to a firm, yet wonderfully moist and cakey consistency. For optimal freshness and to maintain their delightful texture, store any leftover cookies in an airtight container in the freezer. They thaw beautifully and taste just as good as freshly baked!
Nutrition
These almost sugar-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies offer a delightful way to enjoy a classic fall flavor while being mindful of sugar intake. With the right alternative sweeteners and high-fiber flour, you don’t have to sacrifice taste or texture for a healthier treat. Happy baking!