Just a little sugar delivers a lot of sweetness in these pumpkin-cranberry cookies

It’s time for autumn colors, cozy clothes and pumpkin-flavored everything. Inspired by the season, our soft-baked cookies are made with nutritious pumpkin, healthful cranberries, fiber-filled oats, spices and sugar — the latter in moderation, of course.

Consuming too much sugar is easy because it’s plentiful in multiple foods. However, research shows that diets with excess sugar intake can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, liver disease, some cancers and heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends less than six teaspoons of added (that is, not naturally occurring) sugar each day for women, and less than nine teaspoons per day for men. For context, the average American consumes about 17 teaspoons of added sugar from food and drinks each day.

Keeping your sugar intake in a healthful range is important for your long-term well-being. Reaching for naturally sweet foods such as fruit can help. And if you're going to have something with added sugar in it, choose something that also contain vital nutrients to help meet your daily goals.

The sugar in today’s recipe amounts to about two teaspoons per cookie, about half of what standard cookies contain. We amplify that sweetness with warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger ) for a satisfyingly complex taste. Cranberries provide a tangy contrast to the nutty flavor of pecans. Canned pumpkin has a very mild flavor, but it offers antioxidants like beta carotene, which is important for fending off colds and flu and for supporting good night vision during the darker months of the year. Finally, oats and whole-wheat flour add fiber to reduce spikes in blood sugar.

Filled with the classic flavors of fall, these fluffy cookies are delicious with a cup of tea. Enjoy them when you’re sitting in front of a window or a computer screen showing a beautiful autumn scene. We think our cookies may be the perfect pumpkin-flavored dessert for your next fall gathering or holiday celebration.

Bethany Thayer is a registered dietitian nutritionist with Henry Ford Health. For more recipes and health information, visit henryford.com/blog. For questions about today's recipe, email HenryFordLiveWell@hfhs.org.

Pecan Pumpkin Cookies with Dried Cranberries

Makes: 20 cookies/ Prep time: 30 minutes / Total time: 1 hour

½ cup margarine

⅓ cup sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

⅓ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg whites

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsalted pecans

½ cup dried cranberries

Vegetable oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine margarine and sugar, and cream together using a rubber spatula. Add the pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla and egg whites and mix well. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.

Add the dry mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Fold in pecans and cranberries.

Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Drop dough onto cookie sheet, using two level tablespoons per cookie.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place cookies on cooling racks to cool completely. Store tightly covered.

From Henry Ford LiveWell.

165 calories (43% from fat ), 8 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat ), 21 grams carbohydrates , 2 grams protein , 135 mg sodium , 0 mg cholesterol , 39 mg calcium , 2 grams fiber . Food exchanges: 1½ carbohydrate, 1½ fat.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Just a little sugar delivers a lot of sweetness in these pumpkin-cranberry cookies