Kids love the chocolate chip freckles in these gluten free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Shaping them into jack-o'-lanterns is easy and fun, yet decorators can make elaborate creations as unique as they are.
When you're new to gluten free baking I recommend starting with recipes that are written as gluten free. Yet we all have recipes we've been making for years and just want to make a gluten free version of them. That's what I did to remake this recipe.
Ingredients
The addition of brown rice and potato starch to my gluten free flour blend helps make these soft cookies firm enough to hold and decorate.
- EGFG gluten free flour blend (sweet rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, millet flour)
- brown rice flour
- potato starch
- gluten free whole oats
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- xanthan gum
- butter
- white sugar
- brown sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- canned pumpkin puree
- milk
- chocolate chips
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Decorating Ideas
I've decorated these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies in many different ways but a simple way is to use chocolate chips.
If you have enthusiastic kids, lots of candy and a desire to make icing you've got a Cookie Decorating Party. First, check a reliable list for safe, gluten free candy (my top 3 sources are in this post, Teal Pumpkin Project). Make regular icing or royal icing and let the party begin!
Halloween Cookie Pizza
A cookie pizza is always fun and it's a great way to use up leftover chocolate bars and Halloween candy. My usual pizza is made with a different cookie recipe but I've made it with this recipe too.
I simply make the whole cookie recipe and bake it in an 8-inch square pan or a round pan. I like to randomly top the cookie with chopped Halloween chocolate bars and scatter it with candy, googly eyes and more. The final touch is a drizzle of melted chocolate or colourful candy melts I used for these Homemade Halloween Treats.
It takes a little practice to add the candy bars near the end of the cooking time so they don't completely melt and almost disappear. I'll try harder next time.
How To Make a Gluten Free Flour Blend
After writing my 12-part series on How To Use Gluten Free Flours I gradually became more confident reworking my old cookie recipes. In this recipe I started with my EGFG gluten free flour blend, you can see me making it in this video.
You can start with any flour blend you've been having success with but might want to check out this post first, Tips for Making Gluten Free Cookies.
Best Tools for Cookie Baking
Metal ice cream scoops are the best tools for shaping cookies that are a uniform size and will cook evenly. Tell kids they can push the batter into random shapes like the actual pumpkins you see at the store and watch the fun!
Whether you bake cookies once a year or once a month you need baking pans. Those pans will last for decades so work toward a collection of good quality pans over time. This is a good start:
- two cookie sheets , the ones with no edges
- two jellyroll pans, also know as baking sheets, with ¼-inch sides all around (technically used for cooking they are essential for a cookie baking spree and I have baked hundreds of cookies in jellyroll pans)
To hear more about cookies listen to Sue Jennett and I talk on A Canadian Celiac Podcast, Episode 43 Baking Gluten Free Cookies.
I'd love to hear about your cookie baking experience. Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and how they turned out.
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Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup EGFG gluten free flour blend (130 g)
- ¾ cup brown rice flour (110 g)
- ¼ cup potato starch (40 g)
- 1 cup gluten free whole oats (95 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 14 tablespoon butter melted (1 cup less 2 tablespoons)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 tablespoon milk
ADD IN
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine flours, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside.
- In large bowl of an electric mixer add melted butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add egg, vanilla, pumpkin puree and milk. Continue beating until combined.
- On low speed add dry mixture until just combined.
- Add chocolate chips. Let cookie dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. While oven is heating portion cookie dough on parchment lined cookie sheet. For regular round cookies use a 3 tablespoon scoop. For big Jack-o'-lanterns use an ice cream size scoop (½ cup). Using a bit of flour if needed, flatten into a large pumpkin shape. Add a bit of dough at the top for the stem.
- Bake cookies in 350°F oven for 20-22 minutes, slightly longer for large pumpkins.
- Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely before decorating or storing.
- Decorate with icing, chocolate chips, candy corn or candy eyes. Makes 26 regular cookies or 13 large Jack-o'-lanterns.
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