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These soft and chewy Oatmeal Ginger Butternut Squash Cookies are made with wholesome ingredients like almond butter, pure maple syrup, and warm spices for a cozy fall and winter treat. No butter, sugar, or flour!
If you made and loved my Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies, you already know what we’re getting into here.
These easy oatmeal butternut squash cookies are packed with warm flavors and are the perfect use for leftover squash! Make them throughout the fall and winter for a cozy healthy treat.
One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it is very versatile. You can make just the base recipe on its own, or you can add all sorts of goodies like nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc.
Make a double batch to have a sweet bite on hand to honor your sweet tooth mindfully!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Easy to Make – You don’t need to have extensive baking experience or any baking equipment. Simply mix everything in a large bowl and you’re ready to go!
Resourceful – I love that you can use up leftover roasted butternut squash in this simple recipe!
Healthy – All factors considered, I view this as a healthy treat. There’s no butter, sugar, or flour, and instead I use mindful ingredients.
Delicious – These soft and chewy cookies have that amazing fall vibe and are reminiscent of muffin tops! They are what I would consider to be the perfect fall and winter snack.
Ingredient Notes:
Butternut Squash: One of the main ingredients, mashed butternut squash adds natural sweetness, moisture, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, minerals, and fiber to these cookies. I love the idea of using leftover roasted butternut squash in this simple recipe to make good use of it.
You can also use mashed sweet potatoes, acorn squash, fresh or canned pumpkin, or kabocha squash too.
Almond Butter: Nut butter brings richness and serves as the glue that holds the ingredients together. Almond butter adds protein, fiber, and healthy fats to the cookies.
You can also use cashew butter, peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter. You will be able to taste peanut butter and sunflower seed butter, so keep that in mind when making your selection.
Eggs: A couple of eggs help hold all of the ingredients together and act as a binding agent. They also help generate a soft and fluffy texture.
Pure Maple Syrup: The sweetener. I like using pure maple syrup because it is less refined than cane sugar and it also adds a slight maple flavor, which pairs nicely with the fall flavors. Swap it out for brown sugar or coconut sugar if you prefer.
Fresh Ginger: A zing of fresh ginger brings lovely warmth and a slight spice to the cookies.
Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds more warm flavor. If you don’t keep it on hand, skip it.
Quick Oats: Taking the place of flour, oats are the base of the recipe and provide a slow burning carbohydrate source. I recommend sticking with quick oats over rolled oats because rolled oats require more chewing due to their heartier texture. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Ground Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice: Warm cinnamon gives the cookies that classic fall treat vibe. If you love pumpkin spice, feel free to use it instead.
Sea Salt: Salt is a big flavor enhancer! It makes the cookies taste sweeter and also brings out the warmth of all of the individual ingredients.
Optional Additions:
Add 1 to 1.5 cups of any combination of the following:
- Chopped raw walnuts or pecans
- Pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- Semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
- Dried cranberries or raisins
How to Make Oatmeal Butternut Squash Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the mashed butternut squash puree, eggs, almond butter, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and ginger together in a mixing bowl until the wet ingredients are well combined.
Note: If your almond butter has been sitting in the refrigerator or you keep your house cool, microwave it for 20-30 seconds or until it is easy to stir.
Add the oats, cinnamon, and sea salt (dry ingredients) and mix well until well combined. The dough will appear very sticky. This is normal.
Use a cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. The dough will not spread very much and will remain about the same shape throughout the baking process.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. The exact baking time depends on the size of cookies you’re making. Smaller cookies require about 10-11 minutes, and larger cookies need 12-15 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before serving.
These cookies taste even better and have better texture once they have cooled completely to room temperature. They are best the following day and the 2-3 days following preparation, so feel free to make them in advance.
Storage Options:
- Room Temperature: Keep cookies in an airtight container or a zip lock bag for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Freeze leftover cookies in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Recipe Tip
I use a medium-sized cookie scoop so I end up with 9 medium sized cookies.
You can easily use a small cookie scoop or simply use less dough per mound for smaller cookies.
And that’s it! A lovely healthy cookie recipe that will leave you feeling energized and satisfied! Make it the next time you have some leftover squash on hand.
If you enjoy baking healthy homemade cookie recipes, try out some of these gems too.
More Healthy Cookie Recipes:
- Peanut Butter Cottage Cheese Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies
- Fudgy Chocolate Sweet Potato Cookies
- Double Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Almond Flour Banana Cookies
Butternut Squash Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup mashed butternut squash
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened almond butter
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 to 1.5 cups add-ins, see note*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the mashed butternut squash puree, eggs, almond butter, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and ginger together in a mixing bowl until the wet ingredients are well combined. Note: If your almond butter has been sitting in the refrigerator or you keep your house cool, microwave it for 20-30 seconds or until it is easy to stir.
- Add the oats, cinnamon, and sea salt (dry ingredients) and mix well until well combined. The dough will appear very sticky. This is normal.
- Use a cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. The dough will not spread very much and will remain about the same shape throughout the baking process.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. The exact baking time depends on the size of cookies you’re making. Smaller cookies require about 10-11 minutes, and larger cookies need 12-15 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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