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This is not your typical cake style pumpkin cookie - these gooey, golden, cookies just melt in your mouth. They are very much like chewy chocolate chip cookies, with a hint of cinnamon and pumpkin flavor beyond compare.
And if you can’t eat eggs or gluten, these cookies are for you! Even better - I’ve got an option to make these dairy free too. Wow, 3 food allergies covered in one recipe? You’ll want to keep this recipe on standby!
Why you'll Love This
- Gluten free , egg free
- Easy option to make these dairy free too! (see the yellow box below)
- Fall favorite, but great any time of year
- Easy to make ahead and freeze for later. It’s good to have a stash of allergy friendly foods so you’ll be ready for the unexpected.
These are as easy to throw together as chocolate chip cookies. They just require one extra step of prep work - draining the liquid from the canned pumpkin. Read on to see why.
Tips for Making The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Draining the excess liquid from the pumpkin will make these cookies dense and chewy like chocolate chip cookies, not thick and cakey like you often find in pumpkin cookies.
- Using melted butter also adds to the dense and chewy texture.
- Stirring the chocolate chips into the dry ingredients (instead of adding them in at the end) will keep them from separating from the dough and sinking to the bottom of the bowl, which often happens when a recipe calls for melted butter.
- Note that this is one gluten free recipe that doesn’t call for added xanthan gum. That’s because I use an All in One flour blend that includes xanthan gum. Also canned pumpkin has enough natural binding qualities that it helps to make up for the lack of gluten in this case. That’s why it does so well without eggs too.
For more gluten free baking tips, be sure to read "Best Beginner's Tips for Successful Gluten Free Baking"
How to Drain the Liquid from Canned Pumpkin
- Line strainer with paper towel.
2. Scoop plain canned pumpkin from the can into the strainer.
3. Gently squeeze from the top until you see liquid drain out.
4. Let sit over a bowl for a half hour or longer until most of the liquid has drained off. It should have the texture of tomato paste.
What You'll Need
- butter ( or Earth Balance for dairy free)
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- vanilla
- pumpkin puree, drained
- gluten free all-in-one flour blend
- salt, baking powder, and baking soda
- cinnamon
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
What if I Can't Have Dairy?
If you can't eat dairy, my favorite non-dairy sub for the butter in this recipe is Earth Balance buttery spread. I prefer this one because it contains the same grams of fat as butter. Which means that it won't alter the texture of the cookies, which can happen with butter substitutes that contain water as a filler.
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How to Make Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
step 1. Combine butter, sugars, and vanilla to mixer and mix together until smooth.
step 2. Add drained pumpkin and blend.
step 3. Combine flour and other dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Step 4. Stir the chocolate chips into the flour mixture.
Step 5. Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
Step 6. Cover dough and chill for an hour, or up to 24 hours.
Step 7. Scoop out cold dough on a prepared cookie sheet.
Step 8. Bake at 350 until set, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 9. Let cool thoroughly before taking off the cookie sheet.
You Might Need These
FAQs
The cookies would have a fluffy, cake-like texture instead of a dense, chewy texture. The excess liquid in the pumpkin is what does it.
There are several good ones on the market that would work, like Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour, or King Arthur's Measure for Measure Flour. Make sure the flour blend you choose for this recipe contains xanthan gum and baking powder.
I make my own All-in-one flour blend, which is what I used in this recipe. You can get the instructions for making that in my free ebook, Gluten Free Baking for Beginners, (below) plus learn more about gluten free flours and flour blends.
Two possible reasons: One, is moving the cookies when they're still too hot. Gluten free starches and flours need time to solidify and set after baking, or they will shatter into crumbs. 5-10 minutes to cool down will make a big difference.
Two, not hydrating the flours enough before baking. Gluten free flours don't absorb liquid as well as regular flour made from wheat, so we need to mix the dough for a longer time, and let the dough rest by chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour which will allow time for the gluten free flours to get well hydrated.
How to Get Gluten Free Baking for Beginners
PrintGluten Free Soft Gingersnaps
With their trademark crinkly tops, crunchy sugar, and warm spice - gluten free soft gingersnaps are the perfect cookies to kick off the holiday season. Plus they're gluten free and dairy free too.
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- ¾ cup brown rice flour blend
- ¾ cup millet flour (or sorghum)
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup coconut oil (may need 1 cup)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 Tablespoons flax seed meal
Also needed: and additional 1 teaspoon cinnamon + ¼ cup sugar to roll the cookie dough balls in
Instructions
- Mix flours, cinnamon, ginger, xanthan gum, and salt in a bowl and stir together to blend.
- Beat coconut oil, sugar, egg, molasses, and flaxseed meal in a mixer until blended and smooth.
- Slowly add flour mixture and beat until a soft dough forms.
- Let the dough rest for about 15-20 minutes to give the gluten free flours time to get fully hydrated. You can also chill this dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or more if you want to bake it later.
- Using a spoon or small cookie scoop and your hands, form the dough into 1-2 inch balls.
- Combine ¼ cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Drop the cookie balls into the sugar mixture and roll them around until coated.
- Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake at 330-340℉ for 10- 15 minutes until set.
- Let the cookies cool for about 5 - 10 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.
Notes
*Note: Brown rice flour blend is - 3 parts brown rice flour, 1 part potato starch, and 1 part tapioca starch.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Diet: Gluten Free
Storage
These cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 24 hours. After that, you should keep them refrigerated.
They also freeze well if you store them in a lidded container (rather than a freezer bag). This will keep them from breaking apart if they get moved around while in the freezer.