Last Updated: December 30, 2011

Healthy Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

The end of December is coming upon us, and so is the #cookielove bloghop! That means this will be my last cookie recipe for the week, and the year 2011; pretty incredible when you think about it that way. 😉 After baking so much this holiday season, which I love to do, I’m still hoping that January will bring some more refreshing recipes that aren’t so sugar-heavy and guilt inducing.

With rolled oats, tart cranberries, delicious salted sunflower seeds and sneaky pumpkin these cookies make a perfect transition from the other baked goodies of 2011 into the healthier recipes starting off 2012. I promise I won’t judge you if you decide to eat these for breakfast (I know that I did!), they have the consistency reminiscent of a Clif bar, but more lightweight and less dense.

There are many things that I love about this recipe, but one of the main selling points for me is not that they’re good for you, it’s that they take such little time and effort to make! The ingredients are pretty simple and almost every household already has them on hand, that’s what makes these tasty treats so great.

Prep time: 15 minutes – Cook time: 20 minutes – Total time: 35 minutes – Servings: 24

Ingredients:

1 cup(s) of Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 cup(s) of Rolled Oats
1/2 tsp. of Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. of Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. of Sea Salt
1 1/2 tbsp. of Pumpkin Spice
1/2 cup(s) of Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup
1/2 cup(s) of Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
1 tbsp. of Molasses
1 Flaxseed Egg (1 tbsp. Flaxseed w/ 3 tbsp. Warm Water)
1 tsp. of Vanilla Extract
1 cup(s) of Dried Cranberries
1/2 cup(s) of Sunflower Seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, stir together flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and pumpkin spice.
Using a small bowl, stir pumpkin puree, molasses, flaxseed egg, agave and vanilla extract together.
Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir together until completely and evenly combined. Fold the dried cranberries and sunflower seeds into the dough, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and scoop 2 tbsp.-sized portions of the dough onto the sheets. Flatten the cookies slightly with a fork and bake for 15 minutes, or until they start to brown slightly.

I have to warn you, though, these cookies will not last long. Paired with a tall glass of cold and refreshing almond milk, you may lose track of how many cookies you’re indulging in! I wouldn’t worry too much though, there will be others fighting you over them; so, you won’t get to eat them all. 😉