One of my favorite fall treats will always be gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They're chewy and filled with rich pumpkin spice flavor.
This is one of many of my favorite gluten-free fall recipes. Try my applesauce cake recipe, which uses homemade applesauce as a main ingredient. Or try another of my popular pumpkin recipes. These gluten-free pumpkin doughnuts are delicious, and my gluten-free pumpkin bread is a family favorite!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are such a crowd-pleaser. Here are a few reasons they're so popular.
The scent: Perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the Christmas season, I love the smell of pumpkin spice in my kitchen.
Easy to make: Most ingredients are things I already have around the house. Sugar? Check. Eggs? Check. Gluten-free pumpkin pie spice? You betcha.
Ready in an hour or less: You don't need to spend a whole afternoon in the kitchen to make the best pumpkin cookies ever. Given 20 minutes for prep and another 25 to cook, you can serve these right out of the oven. Total time is about 45 minutes.
VIDEO: How to Make Them!
You'll see just how simple this recipe is when you watch the video. (Check it out in the recipe card below).
This is gluten-free baking at its autumn finest.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I made these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with 14 ingredients. Here's what you'll need:
- butter
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- egg
- pumpkin puree
- vanilla extract
- gluten-free flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- pumpkin spice
- cinnamon powder
- salt
- chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips
Note that my recipe calls for pumpkin puree. You can get this from a can or make it fresh with pumpkins from your garden. If you're working with fresh ingredients, the best results will come from a pie pumpkin.
If you're using canned pumpkin, note that you can use either pumpkin purée or pumpkin pie filling. Just make sure it's gluten free.
Chocolate chips and white chocolate chips are optional. If you exclude them, you'll have gluten-free pumpkin cookies (which are still delicious). I like this recipe with the chocolate chips because it adds sweetness.
More traditional pumpkin cookies have icing on top. If you're making that glaze, you'll need orange juice and powdered sugar too.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
Then, cream butter and sugars together in a mixing bowl. You can use a stand mixer for this.
Next, you'll add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla to the batter and mix.
Get a separate medium or large mixing bowl and add dry ingredients. This includes your baking soda, baking powder, gluten-free flour (with xanthan gum if yours doesn't already include it), cinnamon, and salt.
Once those are mixed, add both mixtures together. Stire these until their combined.
Once you have those ingredients mixed together well, add the chocolate chips.
Mix in the chocolate chips, leaving some aside for a little later.
Next, pull out your baking sheet and add a sheet of parchment paper.
Then spoon heaping tablespoons of the batter onto baking sheets. I use a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop to make sure each cookie is about the same size.
This recipe makes about 15 cookies.
Once you have the cookies spooned out, use the leftover chocolate chips to top each one. Don't just sprinkle these across the top. Make sure they're partially submerged into each.
These will melt into the cookies and make them extra gooey.
Bake these in the oven for 14 to 16 minutes.
When you pull them out of the oven, give them a few minutes on a cooling rack. I like to use a wire rack because the air cools them from both sides.
After five minutes or so, serve!
Storage Instructions
Like most baked goods, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are best served fresh out of the oven. If you want to store them, you can do so in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
You may want to make the mix in advance. That's alright too. Mix your ingredients and get everything ready, then store the batter in the refrigerator overnight if you plan to bake them the next morning.
FAQs
Here are a few of the most common questions that come up about pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. If I miss anything, please ask in the comments. I do my best to respond within two days!
Do I need to use white chocolate chips?
No, you don't need white chocolate chips for this recipe. I used both regular and white chocolate because I love the extra decadence of both in the same cookies.
Are chocolate chips gluten free?
Yes, chocolate chips are gluten free. That said, you'll want to make sure you're only buying those marked as gluten free if you have a gluten sensitivity. Check out these Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can get them at Walmart, Amazon, Target, or your local grocery store.
Should I add icing or glaze?
These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies don't need icing. If you're wondering whether or not to add icing to pumpkin cookies, it's usually a question of whether there's anything sweet already mixed in (besides sugar). This recipe uses chocolate chips, so it doesn't need a glaze.
Is nutmeg gluten free?
Yes, nutmeg is gluten free. Beyond Celiac has a guide to gluten-free herbs and spices.
Do I need to add xanthan gum?
If your gluten-free flour blend doesn't already include xanthan gum, you'll need to add it. However, many premade flours already have it. Note that you can use almond flour or other types without adjusting the recipe.
More Gluten-Free Fall Recipes
Tis' the season for all things autumn. Here are a few more gluten-free recipes for fall.
Did you make these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies? Please let me know in the comments!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
A fall family favorite, these gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies fill the whole kitchen with the scent of pumpkin spice. And they're ready in about 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup gluten-free all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp gluten-free pumpkin spice
- ½ tsp cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup gluten-free chocolate chips
- ½ cup gluten-free white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl with a hand-held electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars.
- Add egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix using a spatula until just combined. Stir in the white and chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop 1-½ tablespoon-sized mounds onto the baking sheets. Top with a few extra chocolate chips.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, until set.
- Remove from the oven and let cool, then enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 231mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 1g
This nutrition info is based on the exact ingredients and brands used at the time. It may not be 100% accurate. Please check your ingredients nutrition labels.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Tag @glutenfreepalate on Instagram and hashtag it #glutenfreepalatebaker so we can see all the deliciousness!
Be
Do these freeze well?
Jim
Great question! I haven't frozen these yet. If you do, please let me know how they turn out.