Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookie Recipe: Soft, Chewy Fall Treat

Recipe ingredients

• Pumpkin puree – Use plain canned pumpkin puree. Measure 5 ounces on a kitchen scale (roughly one third of a 15-ounce can). Store leftover pumpkin in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
• Granulated sugar – Provides sweetness and helps tenderize the cookies.
• Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness and depth from molasses.
• Molasses – One tablespoon of unsulphured molasses deepens flavor and color without extra brown sugar.
• Melted butter – Adds richness and chewiness; melted butter helps balance the cookie’s softness from the pumpkin.
• Egg – Gives lift and structure while keeping the cookies soft.
• Gluten free flour blend – Use a high-quality all-purpose gluten free blend with superfine rice flour as the base. Brands recommended include Better Batter, Nicole’s Best, or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 (with extra xanthan gum as noted).
• Salt – Balances sweetness and enhances flavor.
• Baking soda – Reacts with molasses to give lift and encourage browning.
• Pumpkin pie spice – A warming spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg) that amplifies the pumpkin character.

Expert tips

Chill the dough briefly

The dough is very soft and sticky at first. Letting it chill for about 10 minutes firms it enough to scoop and shape more easily. Don’t over-chill or the cookies won’t spread properly in the oven.

Portioning the dough

This dough is sticky, so instead of a scoop you may find two teaspoons easier to use. Portion dough into roughly 1 1/2 tablespoon mounds for consistent cookies.

Handle with wet hands

Wet fingers prevent sticking when you roll the dough into rounds and press them into 1/2-inch disks.

Make perfectly round cookies

For tidy rounds, moisten the rim of a 2½- or 3-inch metal cookie cutter and use it to coax each disk into a neater circle.

Watch oven temperature

Molasses can cause faster browning, so bake at 325°F and confirm your oven temperature with a reliable thermometer. At higher temps the bottoms can burn quickly.

Cool before icing

Freshly baked cookies are fragile. Let them rest on the sheet for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in icing, or the glaze may pull off or run.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy-free

Replace butter with a vegan butter (brands such as Melt or Miyoko’s work well). Avoid using shortening, which lacks moisture and can leave cookies dry and overly puffy.

Egg-free

Try a chia egg (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon warm water, let gel) or a commercial egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

These gluten free pumpkin cookies are soft and cakey, wonderfully spiced treats with a sweet white icing. Sink your teeth into them!

Equipment

• #50 spring loaded ice cream scoop (optional)
• Plain metal cookie cutters (optional)

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 5 ounces canned pumpkin puree, at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For the icing (optional)

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, plus more by the teaspoon if necessary

Instructions

Make the cookies.

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl combine pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses, melted butter, and beaten egg. Mix until very smooth and no brown sugar lumps remain.
• Add the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum (if needed), salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until fully combined. The dough will be very soft but will thicken slightly as it rests.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to make scooping and shaping easier.
• Scoop the slightly chilled dough into portions about 1 1/2 tablespoons in volume (a heaping #50 scoop or two teaspoons).
• With wet hands, shape each mound into a round and press into a disk about 1/2-inch thick.
• For the roundest cookies, moisten the bottom edge of a 2½-inch round cookie cutter and use it to gently press and smooth each disk.
• Bake for 14 minutes or until the tops no longer glisten and the center springs back when pressed very gently.
• Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the (optional) icing.

• Place confectioners’ sugar in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon lukewarm water. Stir until smooth; it will be a thick paste.
• If needed, add water by the teaspoon until the icing is thickly pourable and opaque white. If you add too much water, thicken with more sugar.

Decorate the cookies.

• Dip the tops of fully cooled cookies into the glaze, lift and let excess drip off, then return to the wire rack until the icing sets.

Notes

Flour blends: For best texture use a high-quality all-purpose gluten free flour blend with superfine rice flour as the base. If using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. DIY blend options exist if you prefer to make your own.

Nutrition

Serving: 1iced cookie | Calories: 147 kcal

FAQs

Flavor variations

• Add about 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon to the confectioners’ sugar in the icing for extra warmth.
• Use a cream cheese frosting instead of the simple sugar glaze for a richer finish.
• Sprinkle coarse sugar on the raw cookies before baking for sparkle and texture.
• Dust cooled, un-iced cookies with powdered sugar for a simple finish.