Tender and moist with an irresistible pumpkin spice flavor and a whipped cream cheese icing, these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Iced Cookies are to-die-for!
Table of contents
- You'll love these gluten-free pumpkin spice cookies because:
- Pumpkin cookie ingredients:
- 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blends:
- Making these pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing for our gluten-friendly friends:
- How to make gluten-free pumpkin cookies:
- How to make the cream cheese cookie icing:
- Icing the cookies:
- Tips for measuring gluten-free flour:
- Recipe variations:
- Storage and freezing directions:
- Tools needed to make this recipe:
- More fall baking recipes:
It's one of our favorite times of the year here at Mae's Menu: pumpkin season!
Every year I get excited with anticipation at the thought of all the pumpkin-possibility. Will it be cookies this year? Bread? Cake? Or will we want to take things a bit more savory?
This year, in an effort to sweeten things up while keeping my gluten-free friends in mind, I'm publishing one of my new favorite gluten-free pumpkin recipes: gluten-free pumpkin cookies!
These cookies are everything -- and more -- you look for in a gluten-free cookie. They are pillowy and light, tender and moist, and topped with a delectable cream cheese frosting that will leave you reaching for seconds. Enough of talking about it, though. Let's get to baking!
Save this iced pumpkin cookies recipe for later on Pinterest:
You'll love these gluten-free pumpkin spice cookies because:
- Tender and caky - these cookies taste like pumpkin bread in cookie form (slathered in cream cheese frosting, of course!). They are caky, moist, and tender, making them a great way to enjoy the flavors of the season.
- Family-friendly - with many kid-friendly opportunities for them to help bake the cookies, and a creamy and sweet frosting, these cookies will be a hit for kids of all ages to help make and enjoy!
- Sweet and warmly spiced - if you're looking for a special fall treat, these cookies are for you. With pumpkin, spice, and everything nice, you may not be able to stop at just one of these pumpkin iced cookies!
- Festive - if one of your favorite ways to celebrate fall is with all things pumpkin, these cookies are for you. They're perfect served at fall parties, school events, Halloween get-togethers, and more!
Pumpkin cookie ingredients:
- Pumpkin puree - canned puree, not pumpkin pie mix, is what we're looking for here.
- Gluten-free flour blend - see my notes below on how to choose the best flour for this recipe.
- Unsalted butter - softened to room temperature. You can also used salted butter, just reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon. Additional butter will also be used for the cream cheese frosting.
- Light brown sugar - adds sweetness and a molasses depth to the cookies and also contributes to the moist and caky texture of the cookies.
- Granulated sugar- also contributes sweetness to the cookies without making them overly sweet.
- Large eggs - binds the cookies together and makes them nice and tender.
- Pure vanilla extract - pure extract will give the best flavor to the cookies so use it above imitation vanilla, if possible. Additional vanilla extract will also be used for the cream cheese frosting.
- Ground cinnamon - adds sweetness and spice to the cookies.
- Pumpkin pie spice - gives these cookies their classic spiced flavor. You can use pre-made pumpkin pie spice or make your own with this recipe.
- Baking soda and salt - makes the cookies light and caky and brings out the pumpkin flavor.
Cream cheese frosting ingredients:
- Cream cheese - establishes the sweet and creamy base to the frosting. Use cream cheese softened to room temperature for best results.
- Powdered sugar - keeps the frosting light and smooth while adding sweetness.
1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blends:
There are so many gluten-free flour blends on the market, how are we to decide which one is best?
First off, you want a measure-to-measure gluten-free flour blend, or a flour that will measure the same as a traditional all purpose flour.
Secondly, you want a flour blend that contains xanthum gum. Xanthum gum gives the flour a bit of elasticity, just as gluten gives to all-purpose flour, making it more tender and less crumbly.
Two of my favorite brands of 1-to-1 gluten-free flours are King Arthur's Gluten Measure to Measure Flour and Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour. You can find both at most major grocery store chains in the U.S. and on Amazon.
Making these pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing for our gluten-friendly friends:
My gluten-eating friends have loved these cookies just as much as my gluten-free friends, so chances are your friends will feel the same.
But, if you'd rather make these pumpkin bread cookies the traditional way for your gluten-friendly crew, you can easily do so by substituting the same amount of all-purpose flour for the 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
How to make gluten-free pumpkin cookies:
For the complete recipe and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make the gluten-free cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray it with non-stick spray or grease with butter.
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat together until light and fluffy.
- Add the pumpkin puree to the creamed butter mixer. Beat in until combined.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin spice blend, salt, and baking soda together until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin and creamed butter mixture. Beat in on low mixture until no streaks of flour remain.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies until golden brown on the bottom.
- Cool the cookies on a wire cooling rack until at room temperature.
How to make the cream cheese cookie icing:
- Beat the softened butter and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and cream cheese. Beat on low speed until combined, then increase the speed and beat the cream cheese frosting until light and fluffy.
Icing the cookies:
- Once the cookies are fully cooled, ice them liberally with the cream cheese icing.
- Enjoy the cookies immediately or let them firm up in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before enjoying.
Tips for measuring gluten-free flour:
The best way to measure gluten-free flour is by weighing it with a food scale. To do this, place the mixing bowl on the scale, set the unit to grams, and zero the scale. Then, scoop the flour into the mixing bowl until you've reached the desire amount.
If you don't have a food scale, the second best way to measure flour is by gently scooping flour into a measuring cup and then leveling off the top with a knife.
Recipe variations:
Make these cookies your own by mixing any of the following ingredients into the pumpkin cookie dough before scooping the cookies and baking:
- Chocolate chips
- Mini chocolate chips
- Dried cranberries
- White chocolate chips
- Raisins
Storage and freezing directions:
- Refrigeration: cookies can be stored in the refrigerator in a freezer-safe container for up to 5 days. They do not keep well at room temperature.
- Freezing: you can also freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Defrosting: place the cookies out on the counter at room temperature for 15-30 minutes to defrost the cookies.
Tools needed to make this recipe:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Silicone spatula
- Food scale
- Cookie sheets
- Cookie scooper
- Wire cooling rack
More fall baking recipes:
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
- Banana Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie
- Healthy Cinnamon Apple Bread Recipe
- Brown Butter Banana Bread
- Browned Butter White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Iced Banana Bread Cookies
- Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Iced Cookies: tender and moist pumpkin bread cookies that are frosted with a to-die-for cream cheese icing!
Cool the cookies completely before frosting. See my notes below the recipe for my favorite gluten-free flour recommendations.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup canned pure pumpkin puree
- 3 ¼ cup (or 390g) 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend (see notes below for recommendations)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (or 6 oz.) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 ¾ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray or grease with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth and a light tan color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixer and beat until whipped and light.
- Add the pumpkin puree to the creamed butter mixture and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Note: the mixture may look curdled at this time and it’s okay. It’s just the pumpkin combined with the butter mixture.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Add the flour to the pumpkin and butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, stirring down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of pumpkin cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets 2-3 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time, or until the cookies are cooked through and golden brown on the bottom.
- Cool the cookie sheets on wire cooling racks until the cookies reach room temperature.
- Make the cream cheese frosting: beat together the softened butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar to the creamed butter mixture. Beat on low speed until combined.
- Frost the fully cooled cookies with the cream cheese frosting. Enjoy immediately or let the cookies set for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator before enjoying!
Notes
- Leftover cookies keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They also can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost the cookies at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before enjoying.
- Non-gluten free cookies: these cookies can also be made with the same amount of all-purpose flour in place of the gluten-free flour.
- To prevent the batter from looking curdled when the pumpkin is mixed in, you can also alternate mixing in half of the pumpkin and half of the flour mixture on low speed (until all of the pumpkin and flour are added), or until the cookie dough is combined and no streaks of flour or pumpkin remain.
- Gluten-free flour: my favorite 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend is King Arthur's Gluten-Free Measure for Measure flour. It has a fantastic texture and flavor and budget-friendly, relative to other gluten-free flour mixtures. If you can't find this flour, Bob's Red Mill 1-2-1 Gluten-Free Flour is also great.
Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
1 cookie with frostingAmount Per Serving Calories 126Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 22mgSodium 74mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 0gSugar 17gProtein 1g
This nutrition breakdown is just an estimate of the nutritional value of this recipe and cannot be taken as facts. The owners of Mae's Menu are not nutritionists or dietitians and therefore cannot be held accountable for this nutrition estimate. Please contact your nutritionist or medical professional for a nutritional breakdown of this food. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
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