Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Healthier pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made with Greek yogurt are a lighter version of a classic pumpkin cookie. You still get the melted chocolate chips and sweetness but with less fat and calories.
These might not be completely healthy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but they are definitely healthier than regular pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Greek yogurt takes the place of eggs, oil, and butter in the recipe but they’re still sweet and taste like you’re treating yourself.
What I Like About These Cookies
- They are eggless and butterless so each cookie is under 200 calories, which is considerably less than other cookie recipes.
- They have a soft texture that’s just a little chewy. They aren’t as soft as some of my other pumpkin cookie recipes, but since they’re healthier I don’t mind the compromise.
- They’re easy to make and you don’t have to wait for the dough to chill before you bake the cookies.
- All of the ingredients except for the yogurt are pantry items. You might have most of them on hand.
Greek Yogurt Substitute for Eggs, Butter, and Oil
I enjoy finding ways to make recipes healthier and Greek yogurt is a great way to do it. I’ve used it to make brownies, cakes, and biscuits with success so why not cookies? I love that you can treat yourself without all of the guilt.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree
- White sugar
- Greek yogurt
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
Baking Tips
You will need to mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another bowl before you combine them to make the batter.
The dough will be very wet and sticky. I like to shape each scoop of dough into a ball and then shape it into a cookie shape on the baking sheet.
It’s a little tough to do since the dough is sticky, but I recommend doing it so your cookies are mostly smooth when they are baked. They also don’t spread much while they bake, so pressing them down before you bake them is good to do. If you keep your hands damp that will help keep the dough from sticking to them.
The cookies only need to bake for 10 minutes or until they are lightly golden. Cool them completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Maybe you’re wondering if these are better than regular cookies? They aren’t better but they’re tasty and a good option if you’re craving something sweet without all of the calories. They’re also great if you are baking for someone with an egg allergy.
More Healthy Cookie Recipes
Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp nonfat Greek strained plain yogurt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, and yogurt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Add the flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. The dough will be wet and sticky. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Take 2 tablespoons full of dough and drop onto a cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. When finished, try to shape the dough to resemble a cookie. It will be hard to do since the dough is so wet and sticky. The cookies dough should be round and flat and smooth, resembling close to the finished baked product because the cookies don't spread much during baking and will rise up. It helps to work with the dough if your hands are freshly washed and slightly damp.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, brown sugar instead of white, and added a touch of nutmeg, and we (the family) really enjoyed them. I also had to bake them for approx. 18 min. to fully cook, but that might be an issue with my oven temp accuracy. The texture was super light and a tad rubbery; kind of like a very light muffin top. I should probably try them the way they are supposed to be made, but they still worked with some tweaks.
thank you for sharing your experience!
I am so glad I found this recipe! I have been searching for one that is healthier with less sugar and butter. These are amazing! One of the other recipes I found was 400 calories PER COOKIE!!!
Thank you!
***Also, Trader Joes has PUMPKIN non-fat greek yogurt right now. Gave them an extra kick. 🙂
Thanks for the tip on the yogurt. I need to go get some!
I actually assumed they’re softer than chewy because of the photos. But I’m definitely going to try this one, especially because this has fewer sugar than most cookies. Can I use regular plain nonfat yogurt instead of Greek yogurt?
Actually regular yogurt and Greek yogurt don’t work the same in baking because regular yogurt is much runnier.
Always a challenge to try and make something healthier. Maybe I just need to stop eating my Greek yogurt before I can bake with it :-). But in all honesty, I wish everyone else in my house liked pumpkin, or I’d be baking these!
Aw, not everyone likes pumpkin? I guess I’m lucky that everyone likes it around me. Perhaps I should have left in the egg and only replaced the oil to get a better texture.
Yum! 🙂
Are you hinting something? 😉