Gluten-Free Soft Pumpkin Cookies
These soft gluten-free pumpkin cookies are light and cakey with a lovely pumpkin flavor. Finish them with a drizzle of vanilla icing. So good. And so easy!
Ingredients
For the Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
- 2 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (12 ½ ounces; 370 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (8 ¾ ounces; 248 grams)
- ½ cup butter, softened (1 stick) (4 ounces; 113 grams)
- 1 large egg (about 2 ounces; 56 grams out of shell)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (8 ounces; 226 grams)
For the Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (4 ounces; 113 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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For the Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Whisk together gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until combined. Stop mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until light, about one minute.
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Stop mixer. Add pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and blend on medium-low speed until a batter forms. Drop dough, about a tablespoon-each, onto prepared baking sheets.
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Bake until set and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about three minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
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For the Glaze. Once cookies are cool, make the glaze. Stir together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle over cookies, add ½ teaspoon additional milk. If the glaze is too thin (runny), add 1 tablespoon additional powdered sugar. Drizzle glaze over cookies.
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Store cookies in an airtight container for up to four days or place in a freezer container and freeze for up to four months.
Recipe Notes
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Gluten-free All-Purpose Flour. This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Gluten-free flours vary greatly. For best results, use one that contains xanthan gum or whisk in a 1/2 teaspoon to the flour blend. Coconut and almond flours can’t be used in this recipe.
Pumpkin Spice. Replace the pumpkin spice blend with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg. For the best flavor, be sure your spices are fresh.
Salt. I bake with table salt. It dissolves best in batters and gives an even flavor. If using kosher or a flaky salt, increase the salt to 1 teaspoon.
Granulated Sugar. I recommended using granulated (white) sugar in this recipe. Sugar replacements give very different results. If you decide to use one, know that the cookies might not turn out.
Butter. Dairy-free butter sticks can be used in place of the unsalted butter.
Egg. This recipe hasn’t been tested with an egg-replacer. Vanilla extract. If you don’t have vanilla extract, simply omit it from the recipe.
Pumpkin Puree. For the best results, use canned pumpkin. If you use homemade pumpkin puree, be sure to drain it very well or the cookie will turn out soft and gummy.
Milk. The glaze calls for a little milk. Replace this with a dairy-free milk or water.