Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies
These gluten-free pumpkin cookies are soft, sweet, and full of warm spices. The coconut sugar perfectly compliments the pumpkin, creating the ultimate fall cookie.
These cookies are a small batch but you can easily double the recipe and make a larger batch… and might I recommend you do so because I have a feeling you will love these as much as I did. These cookies are made using a 1 ounce cookie scoop.
If you love all things pumpkin, this recipe will not disappoint!
What ingredients do I need for gluten free pumpkin cookies?
Cookies
- Salted Butter
- Coconut sugar
- Egg yolk
- Pumpkin puree
- Vanilla
- Gluten free flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Pumpkin pie spice
Rolling
- Coconut sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Pumpkin pie spice
What type of gluten-free flour should I use?
Using a gluten-free all-purpose baking flour that measures 1:1 with regular flour will yield the best results. I tested King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-to-Measure Flour and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour. Results were similar with both flours when measuring with loose and level scoops.
Can I make this recipe vegan?
Yes! This recipe was tested using softened coconut oil (not melted) in place of butter and a flax egg in place of the egg yolk. To make the flax egg, stir together 1 tbsp. ground flax seed with 2 tbsp. hot water and let it sit for about 5 minutes before mixing it into the dough. The cookies will not flatten out as much using vegan substitutions, but they will still be delicious.
How do you make homemade pumpkin pie spice?
If you can’t find pumpkin pie spice in the store, you can easily make it at home!
You will need
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- Mix together in a small bowl and measure out 1/2 tsp for this recipe
- You can store the leftovers in an airtight container
Can I use fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned?
Yes, fresh pumpkin puree should work in this recipe. Canned pumpkin is a fairly thick puree. If using homemade fresh pumpkin puree, make sure the consistency is similar to that of canned pumpkin puree to avoid adding additional moisture to the recipe.
Can I use regular flour in this recipe?
If you don’t need to follow a gluten-free diet, regular flour can be substituted in this recipe. You should be able to substitute regular all-purpose baking flour at a 1:1 ratio replacing the gluten-free flour.
What can I use instead of coconut sugar?
Coconut sugar has a delicious caramel flavor which makes it perfect for pumpkin treats, and is truly the hero of this recipe in my opinion!
If you want/need to substitute you can use dark brown sugar or maple sugar (granulated maple sugar not syrup). If substituting, measure using volume measurements instead of weight-based measurements.
Recipe Tips
- Always use softened, not melted, butter. Melted butter would cause the cookies to spread too much. If substituting coconut oil or another vegan alternative to butter, it is also recommended to soften but not melt this ingredient.
- A stand mixer can be used instead of a handheld electric mixer.
- Check on the cookies after 11 minutes of baking. Fully baked cookies, should flatten out, have a crinkly top, and crispy-looking, well-formed edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan and then transfer using a spatula. The pumpkin in the cookies causes them to be fairly fragile before they have cooled.
- When you finish mixing the dough, it is fairly soft. Chilling it for at least 15 minutes before rolling it will help it form into uniform balls.
- Make sure you purchase canned pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. Even though you only use a small amount in this recipe, pumpkin pie filling tends to be waterier and will cause the cookies to be overly sweet.
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Check out my Healthy Pumpkin Muffins and Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili!
Get the free list of my top gluten-free kitchen staples here!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup salted butter
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg yolk large
- 2 tbs pumpkin puree
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1¼ cup gluten free flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Rolling Mixture
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and coconut sugar until smooth and fluffy using a handheld electric mixer.
- Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin puree to the mixing bowl. Beat together until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice). Stir together until all dry ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix together, using the handheld mixer, until there are no streaks or lumps. Avoid over-mixing.
- Place the mixing bowl with the cookie dough in the fridge for about 15 minutes to chill.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp. coconut sugar, 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar and ¼ tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Mix together and set aside.
- Once the dough has chilled, scoop the dough using a 1-ounce cookie scoop and roll the dough between your hands.
- Roll each ball of dough in the sugar mixture and then roll between hands until it is an even shape. Place on the lined baking sheet.
- Leave about 3 inches between the cookies because the dough will spread while baking. You should be able to fit 8 cookies on a large baking sheet. You will need two baking sheets if you want to cook all the cookies at the same time, otherwise, you will need to cook them in batches.
- Place the baking sheet in the center rack of the oven and bake for 11-14 minutes or until the cookies flatten out, develop a crackly look on top, and the edges begin to become firm. (13 minutes is the sweet spot for my oven)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring using a spatula to a wire cooling rack.
- Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days. Cookies can be stored on the countertop but will become soft after a day or two.