What if I told you that you could bake delicious chocolate cookies with only 25 ingredients AND 4 ingredients?
That’s right: not only are these cookies very low in calories, but they also only require 4 ingredients.
These are , free, , but far from flavor-free.
Whether or not you are counting your calories, these low calorie cookies are a must-bake for absolutely any diet!
Ingredients needed for
These have only 25 calories, and the secret lies in the ingredients we are using.
The four ingredients we need for these cookies are:
- Unsweetened
- Canned Pumpkin
- Creamy (or other )
- Substitute
Many recipes you’ll come across will require some kind of (often almond or ), but we are able to make these without any at all (also making them totally ). Most of my cookie recipes utilize oat flour for an authentic cookie flavor, but the cocoa powder here eliminates the need for that.
The canned pumpkin is the secret ingredient here, and it’s my go-to ingredient when I want to make baked goods soft without adding a ton of extra calories (like with my Low Calorie or Protein ).
Pumpkin is a magical ingredient that will stay soft when baked, and is very mild in flavor. In this , it replaces the need for that you’d find in most other recipes.
If you do not have access to canned pumpkin, there is not a great replacement for it. Unsweetened applesauce is a popular low-calorie ingredient, but it would not give these cookies the structure we need. You can check out my Nutella Cookies if you do not have canned pumpkin, since that one DOES use applesauce!
These are on the slightly bitter side, which makes them similar to a semi-sweet flavor. I don’t like , but I really enjoy these cookies! To me, they have the perfect sweetness.
If you wanted them to be sweeter, you can always add additional sweetener!
I use substitute to sweeten these cookies. If you only have regular , you can definitely use that, but these cookies will be much higher calorie in that case.
helps keep these cookies soft, and I think that using regular granular would result in a that is too gritty and fragile, so I don’t recommend that swap.
How to make
Since these cookies only require 4 ingredients, the process of making them is very simple!
Add the , pumpkin, (or other ), and to a large bowl. No need to separate the wet and dry ingredients in this one!
Okay, technically we need to add a fifth ingredient here, but it’s , which most people have in their pantry already, so we don’t count it as a main ingredient.
Mix everything up until forms, then use a small scoop to create your balls.
A small scoop is roughly equal to 2 teaspoons, so if you do not have a scoop, you can measure it that way. All in all, you should be able to create about 30 balls from your .
Space the out on a (or regular ), then use your hands to lightly press them down into discs.
You do not need to completely flatten the cookies, but they will not spread a ton once baked, so we do not want them to be completely round.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then let the cookies cool for 10-15 minutes.
If you were to try to eat one of these directly out of the oven, it will likely fall apart on you. By letting the cookies cool completely, you are also allowing them time to set and firm up inside.
As you can see in the photo below, I also topped some of my cookies with sea salt, but that is optional!
If you have leftover cookies, these can be stored in an airtight container and enjoyed throughout the week! I kept mine in the fridge, although that isn’t necessary, and these cookies remained fresh for 5 full days.
More recipes to enjoy
Whether you’re in search of more , high protein cookies, or no-bake cookies, there’s a here on my blog for you. Here are some of my favorites:
- Keto-Friendly
- High-Protein
- 4 Ingredient Nutella
- No-Bake Protein Cookies
- Low-Calorie
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
25 Calorie Chocolate Cookies (with only 4 ingredients)
With only 4 ingredients, these chocolate cookies could not be any easier. But these cookies are made even better because each one contains only 25 calories!
Ingredients
- 210g Canned Pumpkin
- 90g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 200g (1 Packed Cup) Brown Sugar Substitute
- 64g (1/4 Cup) Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together until cookie dough forms. If you want extra chocolate flavor, you can mix in mini chocolate chips at this stage, but that is totally optional.
- Using a small cookie scoop (about 2 teaspoons if you do not have a cookie scoop) scoop out cookies onto a baking sheet. Using a small cookie scoop, I was able to create exactly 30 cookies, but it may vary slightly for you.
- Using your hands, gently press down each ball of cookie dough into a disc. You do not need to press them down completely flat, but these cookies do not spread too much, so we do not want them to be cookie dough balls. See the photos above this recipe card for reference.
- Optional: top with some coarse sea salt before baking if you enjoy the salty + sweet combo!
- Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. These cookies will be delicate right out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool. You can let them cool even longer if you feel the cookies are still too soft!
Notes
- Since this recipe makes 30 cookies, you may find yourself with leftovers. I stored my leftover cookies in the fridge and enjoyed them for up to 5 days after baking, but you should be able to keep them stored on the counter in a sealed container.
- If you do not have access to canned pumpkin, I cannot recommend a substitution. The canned pumpkin is the secret ingredient that keeps these cookies soft and is very low calorie, so there is not a great substitution! I'd recommend making my Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies as a simple cookie recipe if you do not have pumpkin.
- Note that I do not count the brown sugar substitute in my carb totals because it contains 0 calories. If you are very strict about carbs, be sure to take those into account.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 30 Serving Size 1 Small CookieAmount Per Serving Calories 25Total Fat 1.5gCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1.5gSugar 0.5gProtein 1g
Chrissie O.
Tuesday 8th of November 2022
This was DELISH!!! My daughter is gluten- and dairy-free, and I am hypersensitive about calorie totals. My husband is a chocolate freak!! When I weighed everything out, it wound up as 1 c pumpkin, 1 1/2 c cocoa powder (the rest of the ingredients, you gave "measurements" as opposed to weights!), and I did use about 1 1/2 t baking POWDER because I had the 1/2 t in before I realized the recipe called for SODA! lol OH - my Splenda brown sugar substitute ratio is 1/2:1, not 1:1, so I did only use 1/2 c of that.
Anyway, with my small scoop, it made 48 cookies, not 30, so working the math, it's just over 15 calories per cookie! I was a little concerned because at 8 minutes they were SO DARK, but they were actually underdone when they cooled, so I fired the oven back in and put them in for another 6 minutes, total. They are fudgy, rich, and not too sweet! These are staying on the menu!!! My daughter mowed 3 right off the bat, didn't even wait for them to cool all the way! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing!!!
Katie
Thursday 12th of January 2023
@Matt, I had the same experience. I put them in for ten minutes and they were still so soft I couldn't pick them up. I let them cool for 20 minutes and they were the same - hadn't really hardened at all. I put them back in and baked them for an additional 4 minutes, let them cool again, and still couldn't pick one up without it falling apart. At that point I had to go to sleep so I just scooped them up with a fork the best I could and put them in tupperware.
I'm going to try throwing them into the oven again today for a few more minutes.
For the second batch, I baked them for 13 minutes straight and they were almost done but still not quite. I think Chrissie's recommendation for baking them for 16 minutes is right and that's what I'll do next time.
For reference, I changed out 4tbsp of peanut butter for 4tbsp butter. And I used real brown sugar instead of the substitute. So it really shouldn't have altered the cook time much. I also have a new convection oven.
Overall though, I really like this recipe! It tasted great. I sprinkled powdered sugar and sea salt on the top. It made 23 cookies for me using a scooper, and with my changes, it comes out to 60 calories a cookie for 23 which is amazing in my opinion.
I think for my next experiment, I'll try subbing 25% of the sugar with a sugar substitute and see if I can tell the difference. I'm curious how much sugar substitute I can get away with before it tastes like ass LOL
OH hot tip - let the dough cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before trying to scoop it onto a baking sheet. It will make it much easier to work with.
Thx for the recipe :)
Matt
Thursday 10th of November 2022
I'm so glad these worked out!! I'm not sure why the bake time would have been so different BUT I'm just glad they came together! And I very much appreciate the thoughtful comment because it will definitely help others!!
Caroline
Wednesday 21st of September 2022
Hi! Could I use greek yogurt or additional pumpkin instead of the PB? Thank you!
Matt
Monday 3rd of October 2022
Unfortunately not in this one because we need a little bit of fat. Otherwise, I fear these would be completely inedible.
nicole
Sunday 7th of August 2022
I am not a big fan of peanut butter or nut butters. do you have a substitute you would recommend?
Katie
Thursday 12th of January 2023
@nicole, I used butter and it worked fine! I didn't try it with peanut butter so I can't officially compare but I have a feeling the butter version tastes better.
Chrissie O.
Tuesday 8th of November 2022
@nicole, I made these tonight and am also not a big peanut butter fan. My daughter IS a HUGE pb fan! She couldn't taste it at all and suggested that next time we try adding peanut butter! Hope that helps!! :)
Matt
Thursday 25th of August 2022
@nicole, Another fat source should work! Regular butter can likely be used in its place, but I didn't test it.
Selina
Tuesday 19th of July 2022
I just made these and thought I had pumpkin but did not, so......I used sweet potato instead and it turned out great! Of course my nutritional values changed but it was a quick fix. Next time I'll use canned pumpkin.
Pam
Thursday 28th of July 2022
@Selina, did you use an entire can or just a cup? Recipe says 210 grams which I estimate to be half the can.
Selina
Tuesday 19th of July 2022
Could you use this as an edible cookie dough?
Chrissie O.
Tuesday 8th of November 2022
@Selina, absolutely!! The big thing with raw cookie dough is the risk that comes with eating raw eggs!! My daughter was eating this by the spoonful as I was trying to get the cookies on the baking sheet! :)