Pumpkin Cookies (Paleo, Gluten Free, Grain Free)
These soft, cakey pumpkin cookies perfectly balance the comforting spices of fall and just the right amount of sweetness! No one will notice that they're also paleo, refined sugar-free, gluten-free, and grain-free!
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup finely ground almond flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (only use 1/4 teaspoon if you are using fine sea salt or Morton's kosher salt!)
- ½ cup refined coconut oil, softened or melted (melted coconut oil will yield a slightly chewier texture)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup canned pumpkin purée
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cream Cheese Frosting (optional topping)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk well and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the softened refined coconut oil and coconut sugar with an electric mixer on medium high speed. Continue mixing the fat and sugar until the mixture is lighter in color, about two minutes.
- Add the pumpkin purée, egg, and vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Pour in the dry ingredients (the almond flour mixture) and mix on low until combined.
- Cover and chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to a day so the dough stiffens a bit and becomes easier to work with.
- When you’re ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop out 24 dough balls in 1½ tablespoon portions (I use this medium Oxo cookie scoop). Roll the dough into balls and space out 12 balls on each lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies in the oven for 11 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the cookies are cooked through.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, whip up my dairy-free cream cheese frosting and frost the tops!
Video
Notes
- Don’t substitute ingredients! Baking, especially grain-free baking, is like a science experiment—so ingredients can’t be substituted willy nilly. So before you ask: I haven’t the faintest idea how this recipe will work with different flours, nor have I tested any substitutes for the eggs or sweetener. If you try a substitution and it works out great, please leave a note in the comments so everyone can benefit from your baking prowess!
- Use a scale to measure the dry ingredients! The most precise way to measure dry ingredients for a baking recipe is to use an accurate kitchen scale—there’s just too much variability when you rely on measuring cups to portion out ingredients for baking. That’s why I always include gram measurements in my recipe cards for baked goods—just hit the metric button in my recipe card below to convert to grams!
- You can store the frosted or unfrosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also keep the unfrosted baked cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies overnight and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds on high to heat them through or toss them in the air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes at 350°F or until heated through.
Nutrition
Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g