These gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are full of fall flavor! Brown butter, pumpkin purée, and pumpkin spice create the most delicious, soft baked cookies that are not cakey. No one will guess they are gluten-free, nut-free and egg-free!
These Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies taste like fall! Brown butter starts the cookie dough on a nutty, caramel note. Real pumpkin purée give the cookies a soft centre that is chewy and not cakey, while also making these cookies egg-free. And pumpkin pie spice gives these cookies a wonderful spiced fall flavor.
These pumpkin cookies are soft in the centre and crisp on the edges, with a chewy bite that is not cakey like most pumpkin cookies! The secret to this is straining the pumpkin purée to get rid of the excess moisture. Pumpkin tends to have a binding effect that replaces the eggs in this recipe, however the excess moisture can typically lead to too much rise and a cakey consitency.
These are the perfect fall cookie with tons of spice, made in under an hour! There is a quick 30 minute chill time which is important for the gluten free flour to absorb and spread properly. These cookies are gluten free, egg free, nut free, and possibly dairy free or vegan. They are perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Pumpkin cookies that are chewy, not cakey.
- Tastes like a handheld pumpkin pie!
- All the fall flavor, made in 1 hour!
- Brown butter adds a nutty, caramel flavor 😍
- Made with just a few pantry staple ingredients.
- No fancy equipment or stand mixer necessary.
- Chewy and soft baked cookies.
- Bake longer for a crispy cookie!
- Gluten-free, nut-free and egg-free!
- Keep cookie dough in the freezer for emergencies.
Want more easy fall cookies? You'll also like my coffee cookies, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, ginger molasses cookies, chocolate chipless cookies, or gluten-free snickerdoodles.
Ingredient Notes
Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make these chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies:
- Salted butter: I always use salted butter in my baking. Add an extra pinch of salt to the dough if using unsalted butter.
- Dark brown sugar & granulated sugar: The combination of both sugars makes these cookies soft and chewy with crisp edges.
- Pumpkin puree: We will squeeze the excess liquid out to avoid cakey cookies. Make sure you don't use pumpkin pie filling!
- Milk: Since the pumpkin purée acts almost as an egg replacement in this recipe, a little milk helps thin the dough.
- Vanilla extract
- Gluten-free 1:1 flour: I typically use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag) or Robinhood gluten-free flour blend.
- Pumpkin pie spice: You can buy this pre-blended, or make your own with 3 tablespoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cloves, and 1 teaspoon allspice. This will make more than this recipe requires.
- Baking soda
- Fine sea salt
- Chocolate chips: Use regular or mini chips.
What is Brown Butter?
This recipe adds depth of flavor by browning the butter. Brown butter is a magical product that results when butter is heated in a saucepan. When exposed to prolonged heating, some water evaporates and the milk solids in the butter begin to caramelize and brown. Browned butter has a nutty aroma and caramel-like taste and adds a delicious note to baked goods.
Substitutions
There are many ways to change up these cookies. Here are some substitution suggestions:
- Dairy-free? Use a dairy-free butter or coconut oil, dairy-free milk, and dark chocolate. Dairy-free butter won't brown, so skip that step and just melt it.
- No brown sugar? You could also use coconut sugar.
- Add nuts. Chopped pecans, or walnuts would be a great addition to the flavours in this recipe. Mix them into the cookie dough at the end.
- Add different extracts like almond extract, or add espresso powder for depth of flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full recipe.
(1) Cube the butter and add it to a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown.
When the butter is an amber colour, pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping all the brown bits with it. This whole process should take 6-10 minutes. Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes.
(2) Over a small bowl, place the pumpkin into paper towel or a thin towel and gently squeeze out the excess water.
(3) In a large bowl, whisk the melted brown butter and both sugars until smooth.
(4) Add the dried pumpkin, milk, and vanilla to the butter and sugar. Whisk until smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredients: gluten-free all purpose flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and fine salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
(5) Place the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Use a cookie scoop to form the dough into 2 tablespoon size balls. Spread out on the baking sheets.
(6) Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges look just set and the middle is soft. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
How to Serve
These cookies are the best cookies for any occasion. Whether it's a birthday, the holidays, a bake sale, or you're just looking for a little treat—these cookies are easy to make and are always a crowd pleaser, especially in the fall season for Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Here are some ways I like to serve them:
- With a hot tea or espresso. When dipped in a warm drink, these cookies soften into a delicious bite. Try a cappuccino or a homemade healthier pumpkin spice latte.
- Wrapped as a gift. Line a pretty box with some parchment paper, fill with cookies, wrap, and anyone is going to love to receive this!
- Enjoy with a Halloween dessert spread. Enjoy these healthy halloween dirt cups, vampire bite cupcakes, and a chocolate covered strawberry pumpkin patch.
- Serve at Thanksgiving with some gluten-free stuffing, dairy-free pumpkin tiramisu, and a pumpkin spice espresso martini.
Storage
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze cookie dough balls in a closed container for up to 3 months. Bake as directed plus 1-2 minutes.
Wrap baked cookies tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and place in an airtight, freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours. Reheat for 10-15 seconds in the microwave if desired.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful cookies:
- Be sure to watch the butter when browning! It can go from brown to burnt very quickly. Once it smells nutty and appears brown, remove to a heatproof bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes before proceeding.
- Blot the pumpkin purée! I know this sounds extra, but it is important to remove the excess moisture before adding the pumpkin to the cookies, so that they end up chewy and not cakey.
- Don't overmix the dough. Stop once all the flour is just absorbed, as overmixing can great tough cookies.
- Chill the dough for soft and chewy cookies. You can bake right away, but gluten free flour benefits from a quick chill to absorb and spread evenly.
- Don't be tempted to over-bake. Once the edges look lightly set and the middle still looks soft, remove them. They will continue cooking on the baking sheet.
- Shape them right out of the oven. For perfectly round cookies, take a large cookie cutter or the top of a glass and gently run it around each cookie immediately after removing it from the oven. This will reinforce a circular shape as the cookie cools.
- Enjoy warm! These cookies taste delicious fresh out of the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
For dairy-free: Use your favourite dairy-free buttery sticks. Dairy-free butter will not brown as it does not contain milk solids. Instead, just melt the vegan butter and proceed. Also ensure to use dairy-free milk and dark chocolate chips.
For vegan: Use the above dairy-free substitutions. These cookies are egg-free since the pumpkin acts as a binder, so if you make the dairy-free swaps, these cookies are vegan too!
There are many intentional factors that create these soft-baked chewy cookies.
1. Using brown and white sugar. Brown sugar gives the chewiness, white sugar gives the crisp edge.
2. Chilling the cookie dough. This allows the gluten free flour to hydrate so the cookie will spread evenly.
3. Do not over-bake them! Remove from the oven when the centre still looks quite soft, and it will firm up as it cools for the perfect soft cookie.
4. Blotting the pumpkin purée. This removes excess moisture to ensure a chewy bite.
These gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are perfect for a cool fall day. They have the perfect spicy flavor with pumpkin pie spice, brown butter, and pumpkin purée, plus these soft cookies have crispy edges. Everyone can enjoy them around Halloween or Thanksgiving since they are gluten free, nut free, egg free, and easily dairy free or vegan.
More Cookie Recipes
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Gluten-Free Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
- Gluten-Free Millionaire Shortbread
- Chocolate Chipless Cookies
- Gluten-Free Funfetti Cookies
- Italian Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
- Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
More Fall Recipes
- Lambrusco Spritz
- Brown Butter Pecan Cookies
- Creamy White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- Healthier Homemade Butterfingers
Have you made these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!
Recipe
Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter browned or melted
- ½ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup pumpkin purée excess liquid squeezed out
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup gluten-free 1:1 flour I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag)
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cube the butter and add it to a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown. When the butter is an amber colour, pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping all the brown bits with it. This whole process should take 6-10 minutes. Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted brown butter and both sugars until smooth. Over a separate small bowl, place the pumpkin into paper towel or a thin towel and gently squeeze out the excess water.
- Add the dried pumpkin, milk, and vanilla to the butter and sugar. Whisk until smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the gluten-free flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and fine salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Place the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop to form the dough into 2 tablespoon size balls. Spread out on the baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges look just set and the middle is soft. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- We squeeze the excess moisture out of the pumpkin to avoid cakey cookies.
- Make your own pumpkin pie spice by combining: 3 tablespoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoon ginger, 2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon allspice and 1 teaspoon cloves. Use 2 teaspoon of this total mixture.
- If you're using unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
- Dairy-free: Dairy-free butter won't brown, so skip that step and just melt it, and use dairy-free milk & chocolate chips too.
- Err on the side of underbaked cookies, as they will solidify as they cool.
- Store cookies in a closed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze cookie dough balls in a closed container for up to 3 months. Bake as directed plus 1-2 minutes.
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