Soft and tender gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chips cookies! These cookies are healthier, sweetened with maple syrup and are so light and tasty!
It is pumpkin season y'all and we are super stoked over here about it and all the delicious pumpkin desserts this time of year. You are gonna love how easy and tasty these gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are. They have all the flavors of Fall pumpkin spices with a soft and tender texture that simply melts in your mouth!
Be sure to also try our best ever gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins too!
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Why you should make this recipe
- Because it is loaded with gentle flavors of pumpkin spices, vanilla, and orange with a hint of buttery coconut and melted chocolate morsels.
- These gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are dairy-free, made with natural sugars, and have all-around healthy ingredients. They are so soft, like a consistency of a muffin top or pumpkin pancakes in the form of a cookie. If you want a crispy cookie recipe, these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and gluten-free sugar cookies are always a hit too!
Key Ingredients
- gluten-free flour - We test these cookies with Bob's Red Mill 1-1 gluten-free all purpose baking flour. The one in the blue bag, not the red one.
- tapioca flour - Tapioca flour is a starch that helps to bind the cookies and keep them moist.
- baking soda
- baking powder
- ginger
- ground cinnamon
- Himalayan salt
- canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) - Pumpkin makes gluten-free cookies moist and helps to bind the flours so they do not dry out and crumble.
- maple syrup - Maple syrup is a natural sugar loaded with B-vitamins which makes the cookies fluffy, rather than more flat in consistency. "Dry" sugars such as white sugar and brown sugar are what help make cookies flatten and more chewy.
- coconut oil - See substitutions below, but you can substitute coconut oil with room temperature butter.
- egg
- orange zest
- vanilla extract
- dairy-free mini chocolate chips - You can also use large chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
Substitutions
If you prefer to use butter in place of coconut oil, another sugar, and even regular whole wheat all purpose flour then here are the substitutions to use and how to use them.
- Coconut oil- you can replace coconut oil with room temperature butter or vegan butter in equal amounts.
- Maple syrup - if you don't have any on-hand you can make a maple syrup substitute and use it, or substitute it with honey or agave syrup. Please note that honey will alter the flavor and texture slightly.
- Gluten-free flour - if you are not worried about gluten-free, Celiac or a gluten sensitivity then you can use regular whole wheat flour or all purpose flour. Although I have not used it myself or tried almond flour to test it.
Recipe Instructions
Full directions on how to make gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are in the recipe card below, but here is the breakdown.
STEP 1: In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Using another bowl combine the wet ingredients.
STEP 2: Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine to form a cookie dough. Fold in the chocolate chips.
STEP 3: Add the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and fold over - leaving the sides open. We are going to roll the dough into a log and chill it.
STEP 4: Using your hands roll the dough in the plastic wrap into a log form. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
STEP 5: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking pan with parchment paper or a cookie mat.
STEP 6: Unroll the dough from the plastic and cut into ½-inch coin shapes. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Storing and Freezing
Store these gluten-free cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer bag and remove all the air. Freeze for up to 2-3 months.
Pumpkin puree vs. pumpkin pie filling
It's true, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie mix or filling are not the same thing and should be used differently. Pumpkin pie mix - also labeled pumpkin pie filling - is pumpkin puree mixed with flavor and sweetener. You want just pumpkin pie puree for most baking pumpkin recipes. Pumpkin pie puree is just pumpkin pureed, and no added ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Wrap the gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough in plastic wrap, chill it, and slice into coin shapes before baking. I promise this is the golden ticket to the best texture. It is a longer process but visually makes these cookies evenly bake with a flattened "cookie" texture. Otherwise if you scoop it with a cookie scoop, then bake it - it stays in a round ball. These baking technique produces the consistent side and shape of the cookies.
- Melt the coconut oil but make sure it is not too hot. We want to melt the coconut oil slightly so that it blends with the rest of the ingredients. If not, it stays hard and does not mix into the cookie batter consistently.
- Measure the gluten-free flour properly. I highly recommend using Bob's Red Mill 1-1 gluten-free flour, which is what I use for making this recipe. Since flour gets packed in during shipping, too much of it can create a dense pumpkin cookie. To measure, use a spoon and scoop it into a measuring cup. Then with the back of a knife, level it off.
Benefits
Yes, there are benefits to eating these cookies! Pumpkin makes a great substitute for eggs in vegan recipes. It is also extremely healthy and nourishing, and 1 cup of pumpkin has only 50 calories and 3 grams of fiber! Since pumpkin is low in calories and rich in fiber, pumpkin can help in reducing weight loss because fiber keeps the body full which may prevent overeating (can we get an Amen to that!).
Pumpkin is also packed with potassium, iron and antioxidant beta-carotene, which may help prevent cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pumpkin and sugar help to keep gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from drying out. The addition of tapioca flour in this easy pumpkin cookie recipe keeps the dough binding together. Make sure to not over-bake cookies as that can dry them out.
As cookie dough is removed from the refrigerator it will become soft. If it does and is difficult to slice, simply pop it back in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and slice again. Always chill it wrapped in-between baking batches.
More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes
I hope you enjoy these gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! Follow along with me on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE and TWITTER for a feature and for more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to give the recipe a star rating in the recipe area and leave a comment below.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 10 ounces dairy-free mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine gluten-free flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl mix egg, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, orange zest, and vanilla. Add wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Place dough in a piece of plastic wrap and fold over the edges to cover leaving open the sides. Roll until the dough forms a circular log. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Line a baking pan with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Slice the dough log into ½-inch rounds and place the dough rounds on a baking pan. Bake 15-18 minutes until the edges are firm. Cool for 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool.
Notes
- Wrap the gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough in plastic wrap, chill it, and slice into coin shapes before baking. I promise this is the golden ticket to the best texture. It is a longer process but visually makes these cookies evenly bake with a flattened "cookie" texture. Otherwise if you scoop it with a cookie scoop, then bake it - it stays in a round ball. These baking technique produces the consistent side and shape of the cookies.
- Melt the coconut oil but make sure it is not too hot. We want to melt the coconut oil slightly so that it blends with the rest of the ingredients. If not, it stays hard and does not mix into the cookie batter consistently.
- Measure the gluten-free flour properly. I highly recommend using Bob's Red Mill 1-1 gluten-free flour, which is what I use for making this recipe. Since flour gets packed in during shipping, too much of it can create a dense pumpkin cookie. To measure, use a spoon and scoop it into a measuring cup. Then with the back of a knife, level it off.
Nutrition
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