7 Delicious Cookie Recipes Perfect for the Fall Season

When most people think about the holidays, cookies are one of the first things to pop into their minds, especially when it comes to Christmas. Cookies can be given as gifts, cookies are perfect for parties, and cookies gather great friends for good times. But what about you? It’s not quite Thanksgiving or Christmas, but you are in the holiday spirit. You long to curl up on the couch and watch holiday movies with some warm cookies.

Is there any reason you should have to wait? Can’t you make yourself some delicious cookies to get you in the holiday mood and take advantage of the wonderful fall season and all the festivities to come? Absolutely! Dive in! Don’t wait! You’ve been working hard all year long and deserve a delicious treat. This is a time we all look forward to in our house.

Not only does my husband get to benefit from all of my delectable creations, but so do all of our friends and my husband’s coworkers. Well, I’ve got to do something with all of the cookies over here! Check out some of the amazing fall favorites from our household, create some new ones of your own, and truly enjoy the holiday season the way it was meant to be enjoyed!

That being said, that doesn’t mean that your family won’t appreciate being showered with amazing cookies at your Thanksgiving meal. Being all clean eating recipes, these would be perfect served alongside all of my Amazing Clean Eating Dishes for Your Thanksgiving Meal. Enjoy!

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Yum! I could always go for a tasty cookie. However, these combine two of the best flavors in this household, being cookies and my homemade jam. No sooner do these come out of the oven, then they are gone. At least they are when my husband comes home from work.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup real butter
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup fruit jam of your choice (homemade preferred)

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare several cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix all of your ingredients together, dry ones first and then wet ones.
3. Roll your dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on your prepared cookie sheets.
4. You’ll want to make an indentation in the middle of each cookie with your thumb, which is why they are called thumbprint cookies.
5. Fill each thumbprint with about a teaspoon of your choice in jam. My favorite for the fall is my spiced vanilla pear or harvest apple jam.
6. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until slightly brown on the bottom.

Traditional Pecan Sandies

These are some of my husband’s favorites and they don’t usually get made until right before Thanksgiving, or we bring them with us to our family meal. Pecans are definitely a Fall flavor that gets highly taken advantage of in our house, and for good reason. You’re going to really love these!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup real butter
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pecans

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare several cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix all of your ingredients together (except the pecans) dry ingredients first, then wet. You want to create a nice thick dough mixture.
3. Finally, chop your pecans to your desired size (I like them really small) and mix them into your dough.
4. Roll tablespoons of your dough into balls and place them on your prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until just browning on the bottom. (Tip: To make them even better, press a whole pecan into the top of each of your cookies just before baking them.)

Pecan Pie Cookies

It seems like everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving pie tends to be the pecan pie. But making one is a bit expensive and even one piece is an awful lot of sugar for one person. These are so easy to pull together and just one is the perfect serving.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup real butter

Filling:

• 1/4 cup real butter
• 3 tablespoons raw honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare several cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
2. Let start by making the filling. In a medium sauté pan, heat your butter over medium heat.
3. When slightly bubbling, add in your honey and vanilla extract and stir well.
4. When slightly bubbling again, add in your heavy cream and mix.
5. Take off the heat of the stove and mix in your pecans.
6. Set your filling in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
7. Now to make your cookies! In a large bowl, mix all of your ingredients together well, dry first, then wet. You’ll be creating a nice firm dough ready to cook.
8. Roll your dough into balls, one tablespoon at a time, and place them on your prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
9. Press your thumb deep into the middle of each cookie creating a well for your pecan filling.
10. Now it’s time for your pecan filling! Fill each of your cookies with about 1 tablespoon of filling. Know that the cookies will spread creating mini pecan pies to accommodate your filling.
11. Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes until each is lightly browned. Enjoy!

Pecan Pralines

These used to be a favorite of mine every time we went to eat Mexican food. Now I get to enjoy them all year round! These are chewy, gooey, melt in your mouth creations that are sure to win everyone in your family over this holiday season.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pecan halves
• 3 cups coconut sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup real butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Prepare several cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
2. In a large saucepan, melt your butter over medium low heat. (Melting sugar is a delicate process, so you’ll want to take it slow, keep the heat low, and have some patience.)
3. Add in 3/4 of your heavy cream and your coconut sugar and stir until completely melted.
4. Raise your temperature to medium and keep stirring until mixture bubbles; about 5 minutes or so. (If it starts seizing on you, add a little bit more cream and keep cooking and stirring until it loosens again.)
5. Finally, mix in your pecan pieces and vanilla extract and remove from the heat.
6. Portion out your mixture onto your prepared cookie sheets into “piles” of 2 tablespoonfuls each. Leave about 1 inch between each pile of mixture. (It will look runny, and not like a cookie at all, but that’s okay.
7. Leave your cookies to cool for about 20 minutes until they harden. The cookies will cloud a bit and harden completely. They will be a little grainy in texture in your mouth, but delicious as they melt with each bite!

Maple Spice Crinkle Cookies

Similar to my waffle iron spice cookies, and just as delicious, the maple flavor and multiple spices really make these an amazing treat for the Fall. Pair them with some cinnamon hot chocolate for a real surprise.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup real butter
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup (or raw honey)
• coconut sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, mix all of your ingredients, dry first, then wet. You are trying to get a nice stiff dough consistency.
2. Place your dough in a bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
3. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375°F. Prepare several cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
4. In a small bowl, pour your coconut sugar for sprinkling and lay out an assembly line for yourself: cookie dough, sugar, cookie sheets.
5. One tablespoon at a time, roll your dough into balls and roll them in your sugar. Set them out on your prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Expect them to crack in the oven while cooking. They are supposed to. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Sandwich Cookies

This recipe was definitely a nice ending to this post. These cookies are nice and soft with a hint of sweetness from the sweet potatoes. Paired with the homemade whipped cream filling, they make a very tasty, and very healthy treat to share with your family.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup real butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Clean your sweet potato, poke holes in it with a fork, and either bake it in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees F, or bake it in the microwave for like 10-20 minutes. (I usually bake potatoes in the microwave, and my microwave has a setting to detect when a potato is completely baked through.)
2. While your potato is baking, mix all of your cookie ingredients together.
3. At this point, remove your potato from the oven and slice it open.
4. Using a spoon, scrape the sweet potato flesh out of the skin and into a small bowl. Mash it thoroughly with your fork, then add it to your cookie mixture.
5. Mix thoroughly. You should have a dough-like consistency when you are done.
6. Place your dough into a bowl, cover with a damp towel, and place in the refrigerator for about an hour.
7. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350°F . You will also want to prepare several cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
8. Now we will mix the filling for our sandwiches. Start by chilling your mixing bowl for 10 minutes first. I personally recommend using a metal or glass bowl for this recipe.
9. Add all of your ingredients and whisk together for 2-3 minutes vigorously until fluffy. If you use a hand mixer, beat it on high for about 1 minute. Be careful not to overmix it though.
10. Once it’s fluffy, stop. You can refrigerate it for up to 2 hours.
11. Now remove your dough from the refrigerator and portion it out by the tablespoon, roll it into a ball and set out on your prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
12. So that they are able to be made into sandwiches, you will likely want to smash each cookie down to about 1/4 inch with the bottom of a drinking glass.
13. Bake your cookies for about 10 to 15 minutes and cool completely before topping.
14. When ready, spread about 1 tablespoon of your homemade whipped cream between 2 of your cookies to form sandwiches. Enjoy!!

I would highly suggest a cookie baking afternoon. You’ll only have to prep once, you can use the same bowls, spoons, and cookie sheets over and over without having to wash dishes in between. I like to lay all of my cookies out on towels on the counters as they come out of the oven so they are ready for more cookies.

You could even make it an afternoon or fun evening with your friends. Make some homemade pizza with my Quick and Easy Pizza Crust (or order in), make hot chocolate for everyone, and rent a bunch of Red Box movies. I’ve had tons of evenings like this I will never forget, and you can too! You’ll have friends to share all of your cookies with, the rest will stay fresh in storage bags on the counter, or in the refrigerator, or will make great gifts.

Not only is it a blast to make homemade cookies, but you have delicious treats for the next week or so whenever you are in the mood for them. What a great way to put you in the mood for the holidays! As a bonus, by using all natural ingredients, you are giving yourself a healthy treat sans chemicals, preservatives, and unneeded ingredients.

You won’t have to worry about the extra weight gain for the holidays as long as you pace yourself!

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