Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies

5 from 2 votes

These soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are delicious and so easy to make. Completely gluten free, with warming pumpkin spice and a sweet frosting.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookies, pumpkin spice

Servings: cookies

Author: Sarah Howells

Ingredients

100 g granulated sugar
100 g light brown sugar
115 g butter (melted)
200 g tinned pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
350 g plain gluten free flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb
1/4 tsp xanthan gum

For the pumpkin spice mix:

2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice

For the cream cheese frosting:

120 g full-fat cream cheese
50 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
80 g icing sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

To make the cookie dough:

Add the butter and sugars to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 30 seconds to combine.
Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and egg to the mixture and beat again, enough to just combine the mix into a runny batter.
Add the gluten free flour, bicarb, xanthan gum and spices. Mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon until combined and there are no loose pockets of flour.
Wrap the cookie dough batter - it should still be quite soft - in cling film (plastic wrap) and chill for ONE HOUR. The chilling is important - don't skip it or your cookies will spread into one giant one in the oven!

To bake the cookies:

Once the cookie dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 190C / Fan 170C / Gas Mark 5 / 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Use an ice-cream scoop to take a scoop of the chilled cookie dough. Roll into a ball using your hands and then place on the lined baking sheet. Continue to do this, leaving plenty of space between the cookie dough balls. You may have to bake them in batches!
Place the cookies into the oven and bake for 14-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 mins before removing from the tray and frosting. (NOTE - if making these in batches, place the cookie dough back in the fridge until it's ready to bake.)

To make the frosting:

Mix the cream cheese, butter and icing sugar with an electric whisk until it forms a smooth frosting.
Spread onto the cookies and sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon to finish, if you like.

Notes

Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how these soft pumpkin cookies should look at each stage.
Storing: Check out the Frequently Asked Questions above this recipe card and blog post above for more information on storing and freezing these pumpkin cookies.
Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about these Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies!

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