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If you want to make your home smell like a fall scented candle, then you need to make these cookies.

These Gluten-Free Spiced Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting not only smell like pumpkin spice and warm vanilla sugar, they’re pillowy soft, loaded with a delicious spiced cream cheese frosting, and decadently healthy too. Have one (or two!) with your morning cup of coffee or chai tea for a nourishing autumn snack.

In this recipe, I’ve used a few staple Judee’s From Scratch baking ingredients including coconut flour, vanilla powder, and cream cheese powder. Starting in 2009, Judee made it her goal to bring fresh, gluten-free, allergy-safe mixes and ingredients to those who want to make and bake from scratch. All of Judee’s ingredients are made in their hometown facilities of Plain City, Ohio in a completely gluten-free and nut-free facility – a fact that’s verified by the FDA and third party testing. I’ve been so impressed by this new-to-me brand and their high-quality gluten-free mixes and ingredients. A must-try staple, if you’re new to Judee’s, is their All-Purpose Gluten-Free Bread Mix and Egg White Paleo Protein Powder, to name a few.

Gluten-Free Spiced Pumpkin Cookies Ingredients:

Coconut Flour – In this recipe I’ve used Judee’s From Scratch Coconut Flour to provide a perfect pillowy texture to these soft and naturally gluten-free cookies. Coconut flour is made from dried and ground coconut meat and is gluten-free, grain-free, and Paleo too. Coconut flour is a very good source of fiber (10 grams in just a ¼ cup serving, which is considered 40% DV), protein, iron, and medium-chain triglycerides. Due to its concentration of fiber and healthy fats, coconut flour may help to keep blood sugar levels in check.

Almond Flour – a delicious source of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and protein, almond flour is flour made from ground almonds. Again, it’s naturally gluten-free and contains a sweet, yet nutty taste.

Pumpkin – truly the star of the show here, pumpkin is a wonderful ingredient in baked goods. Pumpkin contains an impressive amount of beta-carotene (an antioxidant carotenoid that our bodies convert to vitamin A), vitamin C, potassium, and B vitamins. The comprehensive vitamin and mineral content in pumpkin is associated with lowered blood sugar, heart health, and immune and eye health.

Maple syrup – sweet with a hint of trace minerals, maple syrup adds a delicious richness to these cookies.

Vanilla powder – I’ve used Judee’s From Scratch Vanilla Powder to add a lovely vanilla flavor to these cookies. I love that this vanilla never evaporates in baking and adds a rich vanilla flavor to every single bite of cookie.

Pumpkin Pie Spice – a warming blend of cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, pumpkin pie spice adds the essential spicy and nourishing flavor to these cookies.

Cream Cheese Powder – Using Judee’s From Scratch Cream Cheese Powder to make a delicious frosting is a wonderful way to add a flavorful touch to these cookies. Judee’s cream cheese powder is combined with almond milk, cinnamon, and maple syrup to make a slightly sweet, creamy frosting that can definitely be licked by the spoonful!

I hope you love these sweet and pillowy soft gluten-free cookies bursting with rich pumpkin and spice flavors. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Spiced Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

_Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 22 minutes_

Yields 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:
¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 egg
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 ½ cup almond flour
4 Tablespoons Judee’s From Scratch Coconut Flour
1 teaspoon Judee’s From Scratch Vanilla Powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup Judee’s From Scratch Cream Cheese Powder
2 Tablespoons almond milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus additional to sprinkle overtop of cookies
3 Tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the cookie dough: add melted coconut oil, egg, pumpkin, brown/coconut sugar, and maple syrup to a large bowl. Whisk well to combine. Add dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, vanilla powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt. Stir to form a thick cookie dough. Place in fridge to set for 5 minutes.

3. Using your hands, roll a large tablespoon of cookie dough into a golfball-sized ball. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and slightly flatten with the palm of your hand. Repeat with remainder of dough until you have about 12 cookies.

4. Bake cookies 12-15 minutes, or until tops are crinkled and edges are slightly brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

5. Prepare cream cheese frosting: add cream cheese powder to a large bowl with cinnamon, almond milk, and maple syrup. Whisk until mixture is smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick, add in a tablespoon of almond milk. Carefully spread a teaspoon of cream cheese frosting onto cooled cookies. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Notes:

-This recipe is adapted from Ambitious Kitchen’s Healthy Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Maple Frosting (super delicious, I highly recommend you make these too!)
-Utilize fresh pumpkin puree, if you can’t find canned! The flavor is next level. I recommend roasting fresh sugar pie pumpkins, blitzing up the cooked pumpkin flesh in a food processor, and using for baked treats throughout the fall. Pumpkin puree freezes well and can be utilized for so many delicious recipes.
-To make this recipe vegan: simply swap the egg with a flax egg (1 Tablespoon ground flax meal mixed with 3 Tablespoons water) and omit the cream cheese frosting.
-FREEZE these cookies! These cookies get softer the longer they sit, so I recommend refrigerating or freezing them. You can even eat a cookie straight from the freezer – it has a uniquely delicious texture.