Whether it’s October or the middle of summer, if you love pumpkin spice, you’ll crave these cookies year-round! They are soft, textured, naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. You’ll love this Almond Flour Pumpkin Cookies recipe.
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These soft pumpkin cookies are made with both almond and oat flour for a high protein dessert or snack. Enjoy on their own or with your favorite pumpkin pie spice beverage.
What happens when you use almond flour in cookies?
Almond flour is heavier than other flours like all-purpose flour or coconut flour. This means that it usually doesn’t rise as high and may spread a bit more when baking.
For this reason, almond flour does not make a good substitute for all-purpose flour in baked goods. Recipes that use almond flour are tailored to accommodate for its density and higher protein content.
I don’t recommended that you substitute all purpose flour for the almond flour in this cookie recipe either.
Is almond meal the same as almond flour?
While both are made from almonds, there are a few slight differences between the two. Almond meal is made using the whole almond (with the skin on) and is ground to a coarse consistency.
Almond flour is typically made with peeled almonds and is more finely ground. This means it is closer in texture to all-purpose flour and is ideal for baking. Here’s a link to the almond flour that I use.
What is the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling?
It is important to note that pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are different! You should not use them interchangeably.
Pumpkin puree is simply cooked and pureed pumpkin – often with no additional ingredients added. It can be used in sweet or savory recipes.
On the other hand, pumpkin pie filling has added ingredients such as sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It is most often used as an easy filling for…you guessed it: pumpkin pie.
This recipe uses pumpkin puree with added spices and ingredients to make for the perfect not-too-sweet cookie. Here is a link to the pumpkin puree that I use.
How to make Almond Flour Pumpkin Cookies
What you’ll need for the cookies:
- Pumpkin puree
- Egg
- Brown sugar
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla
- Almond flour
- Oat flour (make sure you get a gluten-free certified version if you are Celiac)
- Pumpkin spice (2½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp allspice)
- Baking powder
- Salt
What you’ll need for the cinnamon glaze/frosting:
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Nut or oat beverage
Pumpkin cookies recipe
Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, egg, brown sugar, coconut oil and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, pumpkin spice, baking powder and salt.
Using a spatula, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, portion out the cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheet. It should make 12-14 cookies. With the back of a spoon or clean hands, flatten each cookie dough ball into a puck shape.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until small cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Allow cookies to cool completely before adding the glaze.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon glaze ingredients. Drizzle or dip the tops of each cookie with the icing. Allow the icing to harden before storing, or serve immediately.
Substitutions
If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can make your own! For the amount needed in this recipe, combine 2½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, and ¼ tsp allspice.
You can also use dairy milk for the cinnamon glaze instead of nut or oat beverage.
I do NOT recommend substituting the pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie filling. This will make the recipe much more sweet and may impact the baking time required.
This recipe would also be delicious with some added chocolate chips. Let me know if you try adding or substituting anything and how the cookies turn out!
How long are almond flour pumpkin cookies good for?
You can store leftover gluten-free pumpkin cookies for 3-4 days at room temperature or up to 7 days in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to three months. Note that it is best to freeze these cookies without the cinnamon glaze on them.
Do pumpkin cookies need to be refrigerated?
Nope! These soft pumpkin cookies don’t need to be refrigerated. However, as mentioned above, they will last longer in the fridge or freezer.
Almond Flour Pumpkin Cookies (gluten-free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg, room temperature
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil, soft at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1½ cup oat flour
- 4 tsp pumpkin spice (2½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp allspice)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp or sprinkle of salt
Cinnamon Glaze
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp nut or oat beverage
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, egg, brown sugar, coconut oil and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, pumpkin spice, baking powder and salt.
- Using a spatula, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, portion out the cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheet. It should make 12-14 cookies. With the back of a spoon or clean hands, flatten each cookie dough ball into a puck shape.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until small cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Allow cookies to cool completely before adding the glaze.
Cinnamon Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon glaze ingredients. Drizzle or dip the tops of each cookie with the icing. Allow the icing to harden before storing, or serve immediately.
Notes
As always, if you have any questions, comments or substitutions that you have tried, please comment and rate this post. I appreciate any feedback and would love to hear how you enjoyed your gluten-free pumpkin cookies!
Are you looking for more dessert ideas? Find more recipes here!
