These Flourless Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are made without butter or flour, but so soft and chewy that you’d never be able to tell! Vegan and gluten-free, all you need is 1 bowl and 10 minutes to whip up this healthy fall-inspired snack.
If there’s one thing that can turn me into a bit of a head case, it’s problems with technology. Well, that and really bad traffic, but for the purpose of this post, we’re talking technology troubles.
Spoons went down for the count on Saturday afternoon, and it took me until Sunday morning to get it up and running again. See what I did just there? Running… with Spoons? Err… sorry. It’s been a trying couple of days. So here’s what happened…
It was a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon, and our hero (that’s me) was dutifully sitting at the computer working on yesterday’s Link Love post when the cruel gods of technological trickery decided to look her way.
Post done, go to preview, preview doesn’t work. Uhm. Okay? No reason to panic just yet.
Go to Spoons, Spoons is ‘temporarily unavailable,’ and it’s telling the owner (that’s me) to contact her people ASAP. Okay. Now’s a good time to panic.
Turns out that an influx of spam comments was putting a strain on the server and causing performance issues, meaning that my account had to be deactivated until I could get the situation under control. O…kay? Delete spam comments; doesn’t sound too bad. The only problem was that I couldn’t actually log on to my WordPress account and had to do everything from PHP, which is a server-side scripting language that I had no idea was even a thing until about 4pm on Saturday afternoon.
But that’s not even the best part. There were only two ways to fix the problem: delete every.single.comment on every.single.post that I’ve written over the past 3 years, or go through 2500+ pages of comments and manually remove each spammy one. Okay. Now’s a good time to have a mini nervous breakdown.
Not gonna lie — I went back and forth on the idea of hitting DELETE ALL for all of about 15 minutes before I realized there was no way I was willing to lose the comments on all of my older ED-related posts, not to mention the ones on all of my recipes, so I set up camp for the night (read: surrounded myself with coffee, snacks, and loud music), and went through the painstaking process of manually removing all the spam.
Truth be told, it wasn’t even that bad. Once I figured out what I actually had to do (which took a good 1.5 hours and a couple of meltdowns), it was just a bunch of mindless ‘scroll, click, confirm’… ‘scroll, click, confirm’… It only took a couple of hours (as opposed to a couple of days like I thought), and I would have been back in action a lot sooner had it not been for the fact that it was the weekend and the department I needed to talk to was closed for the night by the time I finished. Womp, womp.
And if you’re wondering what all this has to do with today’s recipe for flourless pumpkin oatmeal cookies, the answer is not much other than the fact that they’re what I called dinner on the night this all went down.
I know, I know, but there are some occasions where it’s perfectly acceptable to eat cookies for dinner… especially when your cookies are of the healthier sort. And made with veggies… which sounds a lot weirder than it actually is.
But pumpkin is all sorts of awesome in cookies, if a little tricky to work with. It has a tendency to make cookies come out slightly cakey, so I made these without eggs in an effort to combat that. The result is a soft and chewy cookie that’s still a tad bit cakey, but also boasts a slightly crispy exterior that gives way to a chewy, melt-in-your-mouth interior. They’re vegan, as they’re made without any eggs or butter, and also gluten-free, as they’re also made without flour.
So if you’re in the market for a delicious pumpkin oatmeal cookie, or if you’re just looking for a way to use up some leftover canned pumpkin, I definitely recommend giving these a try!
Happy eating!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Flourless Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 12 large cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup nut/seed butter*
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar**
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder***
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/3 cup add-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine nut butter, pumpkin, sugar, coconut oil, spices, and vanilla, mixing until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Add oats, arrowroot powder, and baking powder, mixing until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a generous tablespoon, scoop out dough and drop it on your prepared baking sheet, flattening slightly. Dot with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to set on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week.
Notes
* I’ve used both almond and soy nut butters, and both turned out just fine. I do recommend using a no-stir butter, though, as the oils in the natural ones could change the consistency of the dough too much. ** Can sub with any sugar you have on hand. I haven’t tried it, but you -might- be able to get away with subbing in 2-3 Tbsp. of honey or brown rice syrup instead. *** Can also sub with cornstarch.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
Looking for more healthier cookie recipes? Try one of these!
Almond Joy Oatmeal Cookies
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grain Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Flourless Oatmeal Cookies
I’m so sorry to hear that. In general, I use the WordPress plug-in WP-Optimize to help clean up spam comments and post revisions, and I’ve found that it makes my site load a lot faster.
Could you sub the arrowroot powder with tapioca starch? So excited to try these!!
I haven’t tried it personally, Kayla, but from what I’ve read, the two should behave similarly so I think it would be fine. I’d love to know how it works if you end up trying it out.
oh geebuz how I can somewhat relate- Different issue but still….Stress-ful weekend!!! These look amazing and I need a pumpkin intervention!
BAH, I was sending you mad love and prayers when Meghan was telling me about the blog issue. Both you AND Arman had issues this weekend, WTF man. Craziness, but yes these cookies are most definitely a legit dinner. I now want to make some for my dinner tomorrow.
I’m glad you’re blog is ok and I can still read your awesome posts! 🙂 I told myself that when I do bust out the pumpkin, I will either make your banana pumpkin bread or these cookies. Cheers!
Sounds like an awesome plan to me, Ellie! Hope you like them 🙂
I get technology jitters way more since becoming a blogger. I used to just throw up my hands, but now I get scared I’ll lose everything I’ve created over the past 8-9 months on my blog. I use the WordPress Database Back-up plugin, but still – scary thoughts! Glad it worked out in the end and that you got cookies for dinner. Which, by the way, look scrumptious 🙂
It’s definitely a scary thought to lose all that hard work! I do know that Bluehost regularly backs up your work so that they can easily restore it if something ever happens, so that’s a little bit of a comfort.
MUST HAVE these in my life, asap. I apparently know what I’m now adding to my weekend to-do list 🙂
Woohoo! Hope you like them, Sarah!
Glad you figured out your techy problems, even if it wasn’t exactly fun! Definitely sounds like a cookies-for-dinner kind of night. And these cookies look like the perfect ones! I lovelovelove the combo of chocolate and pumpkin!
It’s one of my favourite combos too! The earthy spiciness of the pumpkin just bring out a whole new depth to the chocolate… as I try to sound like I know what I’m talking about 😉
next time, you can pay me in the cookies and I will help you delete comments. Okay? Cause that’s a lot and I think misery loves company and cookies. <3 glad you got it all worked out. xxoo
Misery loves a lot of things starting with C… Company. Cookies. Cocktails 😉
These look delicious! I was wondering what an alternative to nut or seed butter is? I want to make these tonight but I forgot to get that because I thought it just said butter. WOuld regular butter work?
Unfortunately no. Butter is too oily for these flourless cookies — the nut/seed butter is what helps them keep their shape.
As soon as you told me your options for fixing the problem, I knew you went through and deleted all the spam individually because that’s the kind of blogger you are. You would always rather put in the extra work and go through the arduous task for the betterment of your readers. You’re a gem, and these cookies look fantastic, pumpkin and all.
Aww well you just had to go and make me blush. Love you, lady!
Mmm…these look so good! I tried the chocolate pumpkin muffins and the texture was spot on but I think I need to add some more sweetener for my taste (I have a big sweet tooth :)) I’m really excited to try these though! I’m in full on pumpkin mode now!
I feel like I’ve been in pumpkin mode since the beginning of August 😆 But this is my favourite time of the year to bake!
Oh gosh I would have definitely been freaking out and Googling the heck out of everything. I’m glad you got it up and running and that, though it was a bit of a pain, it didn’t take toooooo long. Oh and hands down, I would’ve eaten this entire batch if I had to pull an almost all-nighter.
This was actually one of those rare occasions where Google didn’t help me one bit. Which probably would have explained the tears 😆
Oh, Amanda, I an SO sorry!!! I cannot even imagine going to all that work!! I think I would’ve been in tears pretty much the whole time…sounds like you really need someone to give you a hug (*virtual hug*)! Thank you so much for sticking through it; you are so dedicated and inspiring, and I am so glad Spoons is back to normal with nothing deleted that you would’ve wanted to keep. <3
Thanks so much for your sweet words, Hannah! A lot of tears were definitely spilled, and a lot of chocolate was definitely eaten 😆
Oh my!!!! I would have lost my mind for sure if I had to do all that deleting. Unless I had a bottle of wine and lots of great snacks next to me. Glad you have figured it out though and are back in the blogosphere!
Not gonna lie — chocolate definitely helped the process go more smoothly 😆 Thanks Annette!
holyyy cow that sounds terrifying, stressful, frustrating, etc etc…. I am glad you figured it out and were able to do it all by yourself! I find having a blog to be a blessing and a curse because of the technology issues that come up.
Right?! I love blogging, but I could definitely do without some of the behind-the-scenes work. There are times where I seriously consider just hiring a developer to take care of all that for me.
Tech problems are the worst. Glad you got it handled! These cookies look amazing! I love pumpkin cookies, but every one I have tried has been cakey. I am curious to see the difference in these!
These are still a little bit on the cakier side, but I’ve seen some on both Sally’s Baking Addiction and Chelsea’s Messy Apron that promised no cakiness at all.
Oh nooooo! Those techy problems don’t sound fun, so glad you figured them out! I bet these cookies are amazing for dinner. And breakfast, and lunch. Acceptable, right?
Most definitely! Gotta get those veggies in 😉
Jeeez! I’d have gone back and forth between freaking out, crying and nervously eating all chocolate within reach [yes, that’s how I handle stress …]. You’re definitely a blogging hero for taking a whole day for essentially doing us as your readers a favour instead of giving in. Lessons learned: spam is evil, chocolate [pumpkin cookies] is/are good for the nerves. They look great, too.
You pretty much explained how I handle stress to a T 😆 Definitely a good reminder to stay on top of the spam instead of letting it pile up. Now it’s gotten to the point where I’m obsessively checking it every 30 minutes 😯
Cookies have been my go-to baking treat lately! And this is so autumnal. Will need to try in the next few weeks!
XX LAURA
girlwhowrites.com
Cookies are -always- a good idea 😀 Hope you like them if you end up trying them, Laura!
oh man I feel so about about your technology problems! i have no patience for those types of problems! glad you were able to get your blog back and running and make some delicious cookies too 🙂
Thanks Rachel! I have no patience for those kind of problems either — probably because I know next to nothing when it comes to technology.
Wow! These look phenomenal. So gorgeous, delicious and FALLTASTIC! 🙂
Falltastic — I love it! Thanks so much, Anu 😀
Yikes! I would have had a nervous breakdown. Do you think it will happen again or was it a one time deal? I would have deleted the spam and not the other comments too, but I’m particular that way.
Hopefully it was just a one time deal. I sort of started neglecting checking the spam folder, so this was a good reminder to stay on top of it!
I keep saying I am going to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and then I get lazy…thanks for the gentle nudge 😉 These look amazing. I don’t think I have every had pumpkin oatmeal cookies but I think I would like the texture more than just normal pumpkin ones!
I feel like the heartier texture goes well with the pumpkin and chocolate combo. Then again I’m slightly biased when it comes to oatmeal cookies 😛
Oh Amanda, I feel for you girl. I actually came to your site on Saturday and saw that it was down and had a mini panic attack for you! I figured you knew it was down already and I didn’t want to make it worse by messaging you. But I’m glad it’s all fixed now! Thank you so much for sharing your experience too. I delete spam comments every other day and I had no idea it could get that out of control. That’s crazy!
Anyways, these cookies look like the perfect comfort food to make you feel better. I want one for breakfast right now!
Thanks so much, Sarah! Super sweet of you 🙂 And it was definitely a lesson learnt as far as staying on top of spam goes. I didn’t even know it could get to that point!
Oh man, I hate blog problems. I’m working on a site redesign myself (as in coding it myself) and I foresee tons of issues when I finally attempt to make my changes go live.
Hopefully I’ll remember to stock up on these cookies before that happens haha
Eek! Good luck, lady! I did all my design myself as well, and there were definitely a few moments where I wanted to toss my computer off the balcony. Totally worth it in the end, though!
Oh wow – what a Saturday you had! 2500+ pages are a lot of pages to sift through! But, you know what – I would have gladly come and helped you if I could have chomped on these! I love their texture – even without eggs or gluten or butter!
Super sweet of you, Shashi! I would have gladly paid you in cookies 😀
I would probably freak out if I was having technical issues with the blog. Fortunately my husband understands all of that stuff so he takes care of it for me! Glad it wasn’t too hard to fix (albeit time consuming!).
These look great! I love vegan recipes because my niece is allergic to eggs, so it is something I can actually make for her too!
As someone who has to deal with her own allergies, I know it’s definitely appreciated when people go out of their way to make something for us! And I love vegan recipes because it means I can eat the raw dough without having to worry about salmonella 😆
Ugh I’m getting anxious just reading about your stressful weekend so I can only imagine what you were feeling like! Nonetheless, chocolate-filled cookies sound like the solution..and of course they count as an acceptable dinner. Pumpkin = veggies ;)!
You know I love the way you think! Nothing like a nice boost of beta-carotene with dinner 😉
Oh my gosh, what a mess! I hate it when computers don’t do what I want them to do.This is the girl that decided to switch her blog to self-hosted after 3 glasses of wine. It’s the only way I was able to get through it. I do all the blog stuff myself, which isn’t saying much because I am really bad about maintenance on the back end.
Glad it’s all over now!
I honestly probably would have finished off an entire bottle of wine if I had one on hand. At least there was chocolate. And cookies.
oh my goodness, did you really go through every post and delete all that spam? Wow girl…you really are the hero in this story! Nope, I would’ve probably hit delete on all the posts. Then again, I have zero patience for technology, which is probably why I pay people to do it 😉 Glad to hear that you got it all figured out – even if it was a painstaking process!
P.S. These cookies look bomb! 🙂
Thanks lady! Thankfully it wasn’t -too- bad once I figured out how to sort all the spam in one place and mass delete 😆
These look really good. The fall definitely has me craving pumpkin lately. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Hollie! Hope you’re having a great Monday.
Oh my, these are legit! Your food photos seem to get better with every post, or maybe it’s the recipes, or maybe both! And eek to the tech issues – that panic feeling sucks, but I also know that feeling of relief once you finally understand what needs to be done. There are so many things I literally have no clue about that could take my blog down!
Right?! I legit had no idea this was going on, but if there’s anything I learned about blogging, it’s that there’s always more to learn.
I am still upset for you having to deal with this website issue! I am glad you resolved it.
It was definitely a pain. But thanks so much for being there for me! <3
Oh no! I’m sorry about all the spam problems! These looks insanely delicious, Amanda! I think it’s totally acceptable to call them dinner 🙂
Thanks Kelsey!
I’m glad you are back up and running! I missed you yesterday morning 🙂 I saw that you were down and I could just picture you over there working furiously to get it back up!!!
Thanks Jen! I think the worst part of it was having to wait for them to open again. It wasn’t even that late (8am), but it feels like forever when you wake up super early.