Move over, milk and cookies! There’s a sweet and spicy new cookie in town, served up with a chilled glass of creamy, probiotic-rich whole milk Lifeway Kefir. Our Soft Baked Pumpkin Spice Cookies are the fall diva of the homemade snacks category, complete with real pumpkin purée, fall baking spices, and rich Lifeway Kefir Butter.
Lifeway Kefir Butter: The Perfect Baking Ingredient
Lifeway’s European-style cultured kefir butter contains billions of live probiotics and contains 82% butterfat. It produces soft baked cookies with a wonderful mouthfeel since it’s made from real milk and live cultures — not emulsifiers and highly processed oils. Our kefir butter whips beautifully into baked goods like these homemade pumpkin cookies, and it’s a must-have for fall baking recipes prepared with better-for-you ingredients. Here, we used our salted kefir butter for the perfect pop of rich and creamy goodness.
Benefits of Pumpkin for Skin, Gut Health, and More
Pumpkin purée used in these cookies is full of nutrients, including soluble fiber that supports healthy digestion and feeds beneficial bacteria in the microbiome. Pumpkin is also high in antioxidants like vitamins A and C for a healthy immune system and glowing skin, and it’s rich in potassium that supports blood pressure levels and electrolyte balance in the body. And while pumpkin is the star of the show in autumn, we love this gut-healthy gourd enough to enjoy it all year round and encourage you to do the same!
Lifeway Kefir: A Must-Have Companion for Every Homemade Cookie
After these Soft Baked Pumpkin Spice Cookies are fragrant and baked to a golden color, they’re ready to be enjoyed with a cold glass of Lifeway Organic Whole Milk Plain Kefir. Our probiotic-rich kefir is packed with bioavailable nutrients your body needs to thrive, and its live probiotics make it easy to digest, low in lactose, and just as much of a treat for your microbiome as the cookies it’s served with are for you!
Find Lifeway Kefir and Lifeway Kefir Butter in a store near you or shop online. Want more recipes inspiration? We’ve got plenty here.
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for better gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health.
Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, support the digestive system, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1. Lifeway Kefir also contains a variety of nutrients that are vital for healthy bones and overall health including vitamins D3, K, and B12 along with calcium and potassium. Along with our kefir, we also offer our creamy, cultured Lifeway Farmer Cheese, a high protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support a healthy microbiome that’s easy to spread and contains no added salt or sugar.
Prep Time: 30 mins Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (use gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup room temp Salted Kefir Butter
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée (unsweetened)
- Topping: ground cinnamon, additional coconut sugar
- For Serving: Organic Whole Milk Plain Kefir
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to a medium bowl, and whisk together to combine. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the Lifeway Salted Kefir Butter and coconut sugar together for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Once combined, add the pumpkin and mix again until fully combined.
- Add the dry mixture from step 2 into the wet mixture from step 3, and gently fold everything together with a large spoon until a dough forms — do not overmix
- Measure out the dough in 2 tbsp. portions for each cookies, then place on the prepared baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Be sure to leave a little space in between each cookie to allow room for expansion during baking. Use the back of a spoon and smooth over the top of each cookie. Sprinkle a little cinnamon over the top of each one, and if you prefer a sugar topping, sprinkle a little coconut sugar on top.
- Bake the cookies 8-10 minutes or until the tops are just golden brown. Test with a fork after 8 minutes to see if it comes out clean, then remove and let cool on the pan on a counter for 10-15 minutes.
- After cooling 10-15 mins, serve the cookies with a cold glass of Lifeway Plain Kefir. Enjoy!
- These cookies will keep for a week in the fridge, but do not keep out on the counter since they are made without preservatives.
- To make a smaller batch of cookies, portion the uncooked dough out into 2 tbsp. cookie rounds, and freeze in a covered container so you can bake at a later time. Use the frozen dough within a month for best results.
