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Last Updated on December 6, 2020
These flavorful vegan pumpkin spice cookies have a delicious apple filling that makes them a fall favorite. They are made with only natural sugars for a healthier treat.
The 21 Day Sugar Detox has been an adventure to say the least. Lately, I’ve been grumpy. Like grumpy enough to rival Oscar the grouch and the Grinch, pre-Christmas Spirit. I’ve started taking extra Natural Calm so I can be civil.
However, I can see the plus sides of the diet already: I’ve lost some inches without working out and my skin issues are clearing up. I’m also realizing how much cheating I was doing – every dang day.
I’m not saying that come November 22nd at 12:01 a.m. that I’m going to wake up and eat a candy bar but I do miss the convenience of eating some of my favorite 85% dark chocolate when I feel like it.
I’m going to say that doing this diet is harder for someone who is a food blogger! Seriously, if you don’t know me by now, you know that I share a lot of sweets.
It’s been fun though seeing what I desserts I can create that are 21 Day Sugar detox compliant and vegan.
This recipe turned out excellent and I love the sharp bite of the apple in the frosting paired with the pumpkin spice. These cookies are super filling so be warned.
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup fine coconut shreds
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 large green tipped banana
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice, or cinnamon if following AIP
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
Frosting
- 1/4 cup coconut butter, melted
- 1/2 green apple, peeled and finely shredded
Instructions
- For the cookies, place all the ingredient in your food processor and mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Roll into a walnut size ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly press a thump into the center of each cookie.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
- To make the frosting, combine the apple shreds and the coconut butter. Scoop a small amount into the center of each cookie.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
12 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g
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Uhmmmm, so yeah. I’ll be making these. Today. Post-workout. And I’m going to enjoy every damn bite!
I hope you like them! My son and I killed this, lol.
holy cow! dessert on the detox? yum! this looks really good! congrats on sticking to the 21 day sugar detox! I’m on D15 /L3 & seeing great results too! I was eating way too many Paleo treats! trying this recipe this weekend!
Yes Deb. I was getting a little crazy with the cheats so I’m thankful for the diet for showing me this!
Those look spectacular and delicious!
I couldn’t imagine myself on a 21-day sugar detox. I am sure it would be very beneficial for me though. These pumpkin spice cookies look good — nice to see you can still enjoy a treat even without sugar.
Wow! These sound amazing! I’ve never even heard of coconut butter before.
These look wonderful, but my guys aren’t coconut fans. I can sneak it in only if it doesn’t have that “coconutty feel”. How’s the texture? I may just have to make these, and not share…
Om my! These cookies look amazing and I think I may just have to make them this week. Thanks!
These look tasty and great for the holidays. I’m so impressed that you are still on this detox. I remember trying to go no sugar when I lived in L.A. but didn’t stay with it for too long, probably not enough to really notice the beneficial results.
These look sooooo good! I’ve been making essentially the same thing without the banana or frosting. The frosting will make it AWESOME! Can’t wait to try it your way.
Can you share the version without the banana? Fruit actually contains a great deal of sugar, so this recipe can’t be considered sugar-free. I don’t do much baking but like to make something for the holidays and my entire family is grain and sugar-free. I avoid most sweeteners but I t think without the banana I could make this work since the pumpkin and spices might be sweet enough.
Peggy, I’ve never made it without the banana. You can try it without and it should stay together well but it, obviously, will be slightly different. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
The recipe doesn’t have any added sugar. The 21DSD is about eliminating refined, added sugars and embracing whole foods. A green tipped banana hasn’t broken down as much sugar as a really ripe one. The natural sugars that occur in foods are hard to avoid. I start my detox soon! Nervous and excited.
Good luck Megan!
These look like something the kids would love!!
Those look pretty darn amazing!
oh man, anything with pumpkin sounds amazing!
coconut butter is very interesting! I have to look around here to see if we have that here!
Those are some crazy good looking and sounding cookies and kudos to you for doing this detox. You my friend are a much stronger woman than I am . 🙂
Pumpkin AND Coconut?! Can’t be anything but delish!
Yum! Those look delicious and they also look like they are just the right size for a snack so you can indulge and not feel guilty.
I’m an absolute sucker for thumbprint cookies and these are totally calling my name. I stalked your site a bit this weekend in an attempt to get myself a bit more aligned with paleo as I’ve slipped away from it a liiiiitle too much recently and my body isn’t happy about it. These will be one of the first things I make b/c without some sort of “treat” on hand, I go nuts. 🙂
I am so right there with you on needing a treat. Heck I’m on a detox and making desserts! The detox has been awesome in that I realize how much I’ve been cheating and it’s helped me put a stop to that nonsense. I hope you like them!
they sound delish!
Now, I am just curious. I definitely need to try this detox if I can eat stuff like this!
Oh, and you’ve inspired me to try cooking with coconut oil!
You have saved my sugar cravings during my detox. SO THANK YOu! Can’t wait to make these and bring them to the finally thanksgiving so I do not cheat!
Yeah! I hope you love them Sara 🙂
Ooooh! AIP cookies. I would love it if you linked these up to this week’s AIP roundtable: http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/11/20/paleo-aip-recipe-roundtable-4/
These look delicious! My roommate just made thumbprint cookies but I will bet they were nowhere near as healthy as these…thanks for posting! I stumbled upon this recipe through a linkup 🙂
Gabi
if you try them, I hope you like them Gabi!
Am so scared to try coconut butter… If it’s anything at all like canned coconut milk, I’m out, lol. But I do need something to help me w cravings. I’m on day 2…..
Hrm.. I don’t like the taste of full fat coconut milk, which is why i still drink raw milk and raw heavy whipping cream. I can’t really taste it because the apple really overpowers it. I hope you like it hun.
Do you know if these freeze well?
Coconut flour does freeze up well although I have not frozen this recipe.
just made these, so excited about them, but they definitely weren’t running into a ball consistency. I thought ably adding more coconut flour but since I am new to it I dint want to ruin them. I dished them out like drop cookies but they are not f irming up, can’t figure out where I went wr ong, any suggestions? Thanks!
Hrmm. . . I would add more flour – 1 tbsp at a time because coconut flour sucks up moisture quick.
Sounds good. I’m wondering about why a green-ish banana instead of a fully ripe one? I normally don’t use bananas until they have brown speckles.
Thanks!
You can use ripe bananas Gina. This recipe was created when I was on the 21 days sugar detox hence the green banana 🙂
I’m not on the 21SD, so I added 1/2 a packet of stevia, and I browned the coconut butter. OMG nom nom nom! I’m making a quadruple batch of this for my church’s annual auction later this week.
I’d give this recipe 5 stars, but my browser’s only lighting up 2 stars. 🙁
Yeah! Thanks hun. Hrmm. . . I’ll have to what’s going on with my site. Thanks for letting me know.
Another prospective client, another smash hit for these cookies! The new client couldn’t believe these were grain-free.
Thank you soooo much for this recipe! I just made some tonight (the only thing I changed was subbing the coconut flakes with dairy free chocolate chips) and they turned out delicious! Even my parents – definitely not sugar free people – gave them a thumbs up. As a gluten free celiac in college, I’ve been craving cookies all semester – now that I’m home, yours were the first I made! 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it hun!
Does the apple in the frosting turn brown?
Yes, they do turn brown over time. You can cover them with lemon juice before mixing them in with the coconut butter.
Do you just stir in the shredded apple with the coconut butter or do you blend together in a processor?
I just stirred it in hun.
When you say green tipped banana, is that a banana or a plaintain? Would love to try these!
I’m trying with date paste instead of banana… will report back.
How did the date paste work? Trying to figure substitute for banana
It’s the sweetener and thickener. You could substitute honey but you will need to increase the flour a touch.