Sargent Choice Test Kitchen: No-Bake Pumpkin Cookies

To show two pumpkin cookies served on a plate

December 4th, 2023
Ashly Estrada, Nutrition Student

Why We Chose This Recipe

  • This recipe does not require any sort of heat and can be made in a dorm room.
  • Making these cookies is a fun way to create a long-lasting and nourishing snack.

Adapted from Hummusapien
Yield: 14 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups oat flour*
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ cup sunbutter or tahini
  • ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Line a baking sheet or a baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oat flour, flax, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
  3. Add sunbutter or tahini, maple syrup, pumpkin and vanilla extract. If mixture is too thick, add almond milk or water to moisten, 1 tbsp at a time. Mix until smooth.
  4. Using your hands, form the batter into small balls and place them on the lined tray. Press each ball firmly into a cookie shape and top with chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm.

*Note: You can make oat flour by grinding old-fashioned oats in a blender until it forms a fine powder.

To show the grinded oats being incorporated into the wet ingredients of the recipe
Karen Jacobs (OT and Faculty in Staff at STUVI II) who hosts the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen is shown incorporating oat flour into the wet ingredients of the cookie dough mixture.

What We Liked

  • This cookie tasted very chocolatey and had a chewy texture.
  • With no cooking required, this recipe is dorm-friendly and accessible to all student groups whether they have access to a typical kitchen or not.
  • The seasonal taste of this cookie was that of fall spices and flavors, reflecting the beautiful New England fall season.

Nutritional Value

  • The oats found in these cookies are a great source of carbohydrates and fiber. The carbohydrates from the oats provide you with quick energy, which can be helpful as a snack between study breaks.
  • The ground flaxseed and pumpkin puree included in this recipe are also  great sources of fiber. Fiber is important as it helps us feel satisfied after eating and supports a healthy digestive tract.
  • The flaxseed meal in this cookie is also a rich source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which the body cannot make on its own and we need to get from food.
  • Whether one chooses to use tahini or sunbutter, inclusion of either protein-rich ingredients makes for a satiating snack.