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sweet potato gingerbread cookies
Servings 20 -25 cookies

Healthy Sweetpotato Gingerbread Cookies

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN
If you're looking for a healthy gingerbread cookie recipe, this is for you! With more natural sweetness from sweetpotato puree, you still have the iconic gingerbread flavor, but with less sugar. Enjoy these gingerbread man cookies anytime of year!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Cooling Time for Dough (Optional) 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients  

Wet Ingredients

  • ½ cup sweetpotato puree, cooked
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for 20-30 min*
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup molasses unsulphured

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp gingerbread spice

Instructions 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. If you don't have leftover sweetpotato puree, start by microwaving sweetpotato (place sweetpotato on a bowl, prick with a fork and microwave for 5-7 minutes). When it's done, remove the puree from the skin.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together softened butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add cooled sweetpotato puree, egg, and molasses to the wet ingredients bowl.
  5. In a separate mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (both flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and gingerbread spice), stirring gently to mix.
  6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until well combined. See notes below to make cookie cutter shapes in dough**.
  7. Using a cookie scooper, scoop small balls of dough on a greased baking sheet about 3” apart. Gently flatten the top part.
  8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are firm. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet or a separate rack for 15-30 minutes. Repeat process for remaining cookies.

Notes

If you want to make gingerbread cutouts, cover the bowl of mixed batter and place it in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight. Then, on a floured flat surface or piece of parchment paper, spread the batter and knead it into a thin layer (about ¼-½ inch thick). Press down on the dough with cookie cutters to cut the dough into desired shapes. When necessary, roll the dough back into a ball and knead it back out to re-use the rest of the dough. 
*If the butter is melted (and not room-softened), it may lead to sticky dough because more air gets into the dough
  • If your cutouts are thinner, make sure to adjust the baking time. Thinner cookies may be done closer to 10 minutes.
  • Note that cookies will seem soft after baking but will harden as they cool.
  • If your dough is too wet, add a little more flour, as needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 192kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 179mgPotassium: 130mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 697IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
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