A healthy treat for diabetes & kidney disease!
These peanut butter pumpkin cookies hit the spot for Fall! Here’s what makes them a healthier choice if you have diabetes or kidney disease:
- They are low in added sugar AND don’t contain artificial sweeteners. Each cookie contains 3 grams of added sugar (coming from maple syrup). But also contains 3 grams of fiber to offset the added sugar!
- The phosphorus is minimally absorbed. Each cookie contains 90 mg phosphorus. But since it is entirely from plant sources, only 10-50% is actually absorbed. So that’s roughly 9-45 mg phosphorus. The recipe uses baking soda instead of baking powder, so there are no phosphorus additives either!
- These peanut butter pumpkin cookies are neutral PRAL (potential renal acid load)! Each cookie is +0.4 PRAL which is very low, especially for a cookie!
- Despite containing pumpkin and peanut butter, these cookies are lower potassium! At 147 mg potassium per cookie, they are a kidney friendly dessert for all stages of Chronic Kidney Disease!
Overall, you don’t have to feel guilty enjoying this healthy, sweet treat if you have diabetes or kidney disease 🙂
How to make them
It’s very simple! Add all your wet ingredients (canned pumpkin, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract) to a mixing bowl. Then add your dry ingredients (oats, chia seed, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking soda) to the bowl and combine.
Form ~ 9 balls and place them on a baking sheet. Press the cookies down ~ 1 inch thick (see the photo below) and then bake in the oven (at 375 degrees) for 10-12 minutes.
This recipe is very similar to my Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies. Make sure to give that one a try too 🙂
How many can you eat?
Technically one cookie = one serving. But, since these are a healthier version of a cookie, it will depend on your individual nutrient needs!
If you ate two cookies, it would still only be 6 grams of added sugar. This is WAY lower than any store bought cookie you will find. Eating two cookies will provide 294 mg potassium though. So if you have kidney disease and need to be mindful of how much potassium you are eating, I would stick to one serving (one cookie).
The good news is, they will last in your fridge for 3-5 days. Since they don’t contain eggs, they will last longer 🙂 You can also freeze them if you want them to last for several months. But let’s be real, you’re going to eat them before that time! 🙂
Healthy Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin pumpkin should be the only ingredient
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups whole rolled oats
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine the wet ingredients (pumpkin, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract) in a mixing bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients (oats, flaxseed, chia seeds, cinnamon, baking soda) to the same bowl and stir together.
- Form 9 balls and lay them out on a baking sheet (on parchment paper or greased).
- Press each ball down with a fork or your fingers ~ 1 inch thick.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool before storing in the fridge.
Your blog is a constant source of inspiration for me. Your passion for your subject matter shines through in every post, and it’s clear that you genuinely care about making a positive impact on your readers.
Thank you, Michelle. These are delicious and easy; just what I need.
Yay so glad you love them! 🙂