Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies

Chewy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies are a little bit of a baking staple in our house in Pumpkin Season. These are the kind of oaty cookies which always seem to be the perfect choice whatever time of day it is.

Tinned pumpkin isn't actually that ubiquitous in the UK but you can find it in larger supermarkets, more so in the cooler months and it's usually Libby's brand (which is 100% gluten-free). So I love to stock up on tinned pumpkin when I see it.

We make these cookies so much in Autumn (half term especially!) as they are completely foolproof, needing no real skill. Actually they great for baking with children since they are really just an assembly and mixing job with a bowl and wooden spoon. They are so quick to bake and after ten minutes or so of cooling they are ready to eat. Instant gratification.

Ingredients Needed

Rolled oats. The rolled oats give great texture but they are not suitable for all gluten-free diets. You need to be wary of oats and choose certified gluten-free brands because they are often cross-contaminated with gluten during growing, harvesting or processing. Additionally, some people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance react to avenin, a protein in oats, even if they are certified gluten-free. Due to these concerns, some countries, like Australia, do not classify oats as a safe gluten-free food.

If you are oat-free you can substitute with a combination of 50% buckwheat flakes and 50% brown rice flakes for the total amount of oats.

Sweet rice flour. This is such a lovely starchy flour to use here as it gives us chewy pumpkin cookies. It binds well so we have good structure. You can usually find it in Asian supermarkets but it is not to be confused with regular rice flour. You can substitute with tapioca flour.

Almond flour. You are looking for blanched ground almonds. There is a bit of labelling confusion over almond flour which is sold as ‘ground almonds’ in most major UK supermarkets and found in the baking aisle. If you want to know what exactly you are looking for then check out this post >>>Is Almond Flour The Same As Ground Almonds.

Pumpkin pie spice. If you can’t find it (it's not a common ingredient in the UK) then check out my Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix Blend.

Pumpkin purée. You can either use tinned pumpkin or homemade with real pumpkin.

If you are using fresh pumpkin, you need to roast peeled pumpkin wedges before pureeing it for the best flavour. I recommend also draining the pumpkin purée in a muslin (if you have it) or just a sieve for 20-30 minutes until thick and scoopable to match the consistency of tinned pumpkin.

Medjool dates. Used for their rich flavour and thick sticky texture which gives a lovely toffee quality to the bake.

Unsalted butter. We need unsalted so we can control the salt content of the recipe. Make sure it is at room temperature.

Maple syrup. Used here to infuse its rich and unique flavour. Choose pure 100% maple syrup without added sugars or artificial ingredients for the best quality and flavour.

Orange. Make sure it is unwaxed and organic otherwise you need to scrub off the wax..

Eggs. This recipe uses a medium sized egg, about 60g with shell (50g each without shell). These are often classified as large eggs in the US.

Bicarbonate of soda. Also known as baking soda, this is a white crystalline powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking.

How to make these Gluten-Free Cookies

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

• Dry ingredients. Sift together the sweet rice flour, almond flour, bicarbonate of soda and pumpkin pie spice in a large mixing bowl.
• Wet ingredients. Mix the pumpkin puree, dates, melted butter, maple syrup, orange zest and juice and the egg into the bowl.
• Scoop up balls of cookie dough and release onto the baking sheet.
• Flatten the cookies slightly with the back of a fork and bake for 13-15 minutes.
• Rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet.
• Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe Variations

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies. Add a couple of handfuls of 70% dark chocolate along with the dry ingredients. I love using the Callebaut chocolate chips.

Dairy-free version. You easily swap out the unsalted butter for coconut oil without any real difference.