Pegan Sweet Seed Cookies (paleo, vegan, lightly sweetened)

These cookies are an update to my previous recipe for Pumpkin & Hemp Oatmeal Cookies! This time they’re totally grain-free and contain slightly less sweetener, perfect for breakfast or tea time. The pumpkin puree holds them together also adding to the sweetness but the taste is not very apparent. And if you love honey-sesame seed snacks, these cookies will be your new favorites!

Recipe Stars

Sesame Seeds are both delicious and crunchy, adding substance to these once oatmeal based cookies. Their health benefits are wide, ranging from heart-health support with lowering cholesterol and improving blood pressure to balancing hormones and boosting nutrient absorption. Sprinkling sesame seeds on your food is a great addition to squeeze in extra vitamins and help with your body processing nutrients!

Hemp Seeds are one of my favorite seeds, just 1 serving has 10g of protein which is amazing for a plant source. They’re extremely versatile and high in omega’s helping with inflammation and cardiovascular health support.

Pumpkin Pureé is an excellent thickener and binder, often times I’ll see banana pureé or applesauce used for these reasons but I prefer Pumpkin usually! It’s high in fiber and vitamins and minerals, plus it tastes delicious, you can either bring out the flavor or mask it often times and having some cans or cartons of organic pumpkin pureé makes it very easy to keep on hand.

INGREDIENTS

makes 12 cookies

• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup hemp seeds
• 3 Tbsp local honey, maple syrup or coconut nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 350f degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix pumpkin puree, hemp seeds, sweetener and vanilla extract until smooth with a hand or stand mixer.
3. Separately, combine the baking powder, cinnamon, sesame seeds and almond meal in a bowl and whisk.
4. Start slowly adding in dry mix to the wet. Mix until you have everything well-combined. If for any reason it seems dry, you can add in a little almond milk until it binds well.
5. Scoop the batter and drop onto parchment paper, flattening with the back of the spoon and bake 350f degrees for 10-12 minutes. Dry cookies on a rack for 5 minutes and eat!

For my version with oats, see here.