Healthy Fall Cookie Recipes

These decadent-tasting but lightened-up treats are packed with whole grains and healthy nuts.

Crisp, moist and chewy, this cookie created by Georgene Egri of Walnut Creek, California, has the essential ingredients for the holidays: citrus, nuts and cranberries. These cookies travel well for gift-giving and lunchboxes.

Indulge your PSL obsession with these pumpkin spice cookies. Instant espresso powder gives these soft, cakey cookies a subtle yet recognizable coffee flavor. Spread with cream cheese frosting (with more pumpkin pie spice flavors) and sprinkle with cinnamon to finish. And, go ahead, drink a pumpkin spice latte while you eat them for the full PSL experience. After all, it's only fall for so long (though we'd eat these cookies year-round). To make these cookies kid-friendly, simply omit the espresso powder.

This cookie recipe combines classic carrot cake and pumpkin bars--it's a favorite dessert for kids and grown-ups.

Soaking the raisins rehydrates them and makes these cookies irresistibly soft and moist.

Gluten-free flour stands in for regular flour in these crisp, festive cut-out cookies that taste amazing. To decorate, dust cookies with sanding sugar before you bake them or drizzle and pipe on royal icing once they've cooled.

These cookies boast a bright, zesty filling and spicy aroma. They make a large batch and are extremely convenient, since you can make the logs of cookie dough ahead, then pull them out of the freezer and slice and bake as many cookies as you need. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

These ultra-thin, crisp cookies are a snap to make and have a fortune cookie-inspired flavor. Serve alongside a homemade or purchased fruit salad to increase your fruit servings for the day while still satisfying your sweet tooth.

Coconut oil stands in for butter in this dairy-free, eggless cookie recipe for completely mouthwatering gingerbread cut-outs. Decorate cookies with a simple vegan icing or sanding sugar.

Kids and adults alike will love these fall caramel apple cookies. They are crisp on the bottom and chewy in the center with bits of apple and just a hint of spice. The caramel glaze takes them over the top!

Cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg add lots of flavor to these rich pumpkin cookies.

Bite into one of these cookies and you'll discover the subtle flavor of spice kissed with a hint of citrus. And the best part? Just 9 calories each!

These pumpkin sugar cookies are soft and moist with just the right amount of spice and a delicate pumpkin flavor topped off with a nice lightly spiced glaze. They're perfect for a fall after-school snack or light dessert.

Suit your taste by using your choice of almond or mint extract for these crisp cookies.

These healthy, gluten-free cookies are so deliciously soft that they almost melt in your mouth! Notes of honey add a nice touch to both the cookie and icing--and pair deliciously with the pumpkin and spices. This pumpkin cookie celebrates fall and tastes indulgent, but is filled with good-for-you ingredients. Be sure to let the dough stand and hydrate for easier handling. Almond flour (aka almond meal) can be found in the gluten-free section of large supermarkets and natural-food stores.

A twist on a timeless, sweet snack! To make this dessert a healthier option, use a sugar substitute and see the tip for omitting the oil.

Crunchy pecans and warm vanilla add the perfect touch to these breakfast bars.

Linzer torte, made with a nut crust and filled with raspberry jam, is a favorite treat in Austria. This is a low-calorie, lower-fat version of that classic dessert.

This healthy chocolate cookie recipe makes thin, sugar-kissed cookies speckled with dried fruit and nuts and topped with slivered almonds and dried cranberries arranged in a flower pattern. These thin chocolate cookies are perfect for accompanying tea or coffee.

Packed with dried cranberries and low-fat granola, these firm bars are excellent travelers, full of complex carbohydrates, vitamins and trace minerals.

These spiced cookies are a wonderful treat in the fall or winter. Each bite offers delicious pumpkin flavor with chewy raisins and crunchy walnuts. Make and freeze an extra batch to keep on hand for up to a month.

Bright red cranberries and toasted green pistachios stud these tart-and-tangy bar cookies and make them a colorful addition to any cookie platter. They hold well in both the refrigerator and the freezer so they're an excellent make-ahead option.

This healthy sugar cookie recipe makes delicate, thin cookies that are a great accompaniment to coffee or tea. You press the dough into cute wafers using the bottom of a glass and can sprinkle the cookie thins with dried cranberries and pistachios, as in this recipe, or use your favorite dried fruit and nut combination as decoration.

This healthy thumbprint cookie recipe has all the flavors of a traditional gingerbread cookie: cinnamon, ginger, cloves and molasses. These soft and chewy gingerbread cookies are filled with orange marmalade, but we also like them filled with raspberry or apricot preserves.