Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fall just got a little sweeter with these Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Soft, chewy, and bursting with warm pumpkin flavor and gooey pockets of melted dark chocolate, they’re the ultimate autumn treat. Perfect for cozy afternoons, lunchbox surprises, or sharing with friends, these cookies make every bite feel like fall in its most delicious form.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I tested these Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with both Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour (blue bag) and King Arthur Measure for Measure. Both worked well, but I preferred the Bob’s Red Mill version. The cookies spread more evenly and had a chewier texture. If you’re using Cup4Cup, the dough may be stickier and the cookies a bit thinner. All of these blends already contain xanthan gum, so no need to add extra. This recipe won’t work with single flours like almond or oat flour. I always recommend using a gluten free flour blend for the best results.

Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to grab 100% pure pumpkin - not pumpkin pie filling. While I love making things from scratch, canned pumpkin is a real time-saver. Additionally, this recipe is a great way to utilize any leftover purée you may have on hand.

Brown Sugar: Unlike most cookie recipes, these gluten-free pumpkin cookies use all light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar works too. The extra molasses adds moisture, giving the cookies a rich texture and helping them stay soft longer. White sugar can be used in a pinch, but the cookies will likely turn out denser and less tender.

Chocolate: I use a chopped dark chocolate bar in this gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe for rich, melty pockets of chocolate in every bite. Unlike chocolate chips, chopped chocolate melts more evenly into the dough, making sure there is a little bit of chocolate in every bite.

Spices: I use a mix of ground cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg but if you like may replace all 3 spices with 1 ¾ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Recipe Testing Notes

The dough for these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies comes together quickly with very little prep. However, it does need to be refrigerated for 30 - 45 minutes since it is a sticky dough. Otherwise, it’s too soft to scoop and roll in the cinnamon sugar.

Pumpkin cookies naturally bake up on the puffier side. To flatten them slightly, I use the pan-banging method: after about 8 minutes of baking, remove the tray from the oven and tap it firmly on a towel-covered countertop a few times. Alternatively, you can carefully lift the baking sheet 3 - 4 inches inside the oven and drop it back onto the rack. Repeat this 2–3 times near the end of the bake if needed.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

The dough for these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies comes together quickly. For best results, make sure your butter is at room temperature, about 65°F. Once mixed, the dough needs to chill in the refrigerator for 30 - 45 minutes before baking. If your butter was extra soft to start with, you may need to refrigerate it a little longer.

1. Step 1: In a separate bowl, combine the gluten free flour, baking soda, kosher salt and spices. Whisk to combine and set the flour mixture aside.

2. Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), combine the room-temperature unsalted butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. If needed, you can use dairy-free butter. Cream together on medium-low speed for 1–2 minutes, just until combined. This shorter mixing time prevents too much air from being incorporated, which helps keep the cookies from puffing up too much

3. Step 3: Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula. Add the pumpkin purée, egg yolk and vanilla, then mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until fully incorporated. The mixture may look slightly broken or curdled at this stage - this is completely normal.

4. Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure everything is combined well.

5. Step 5:  Lastly, add the chopped up dark chocolate to the gluten free pumpkin cookie dough. Mix it just until everything is evenly incorporated.

6. Step 6: Cover the mixing bowl with some plastic wrap or transfer the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. This will make scooping the gluten free cookie dough a lot easier.

Baking Instructions

Once the pumpkin cookie dough has chilled for 30 - 45 minutes, it's time to bake some delicious gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. If you refrigerate the dough for longer or freeze it, keep in mind that the cookies will spread less. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough), this recipe will make about 12 - 14 cookies. This always depends on how much cookie dough you snuck before scooping the cookies.

1. Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.
2. Step 2: Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the pumpkin cookie dough into equal-sized scoops. Roll each scoop into a ball with clean hands. If the dough feels too sticky to handle, place the scooped dough balls back in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before rolling.

3. Step 3: In a small bowl combine the granulated sugar with cinnamon and set aside. You can also use pumpkin spice instead of cinnamon. Roll the cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar to coat.

4. Step 4: Arrange 6 - 8 of the cookie dough balls on the sheet tray. If you like top each cookie dough with some additional chocolate. Bake at 350F for 8 minutes.
5. Step 5: Remove the pan from the oven (make sure to close the oven door) and tap the baking sheet onto a towel-covered countertop a few times. You can also carefully lift the sheet pan in the oven 3-4 inches and drop it on the oven rack. This will help the cookies to spread and deflate. And, get a crinkle topping. (If you prefer puffy, cakey cookies, clearly skip this step)

6. Step 6: Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 3 - 4 minutes. The cookies will puff up again, but don’t worry - once you remove them from the oven and tap the pan against the counter, they’ll settle into a flatter shape with a pretty crinkled top.
7. Step 7 : Once they're out of the oven, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookies to give them a neat shape. Allow them to cool on the sheet tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Sprinkle them with some additional cinnamon sugar if you like.

Storage & Freezing

Store fully baked and cooled gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Since these cookies are naturally on the softer side, they may stay very soft in hot or humid climates. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in a sealed container or freezer bag. To enjoy, thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter for a few hours.

What's the pan banging technique?

Pumpkin Cookies tend to bake up puffy and tall. Pumpkin is full of water, which adds steam during baking. That steam puffs the cookies up.

Since I prefer my gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies flat and chewy instead of puffy and cakey, I fall back on the pan banging technique to gently deflate them and create those perfectly crinkled tops.

About halfway through baking, carefully remove the cookie sheet from the oven and tap it firmly against a towel-covered countertop. This forces the puffed-up centers to collapse, creating rippled edges and a beautiful crinkle finish. You can repeat this step once or twice more after returning the cookies to the oven for maximum effect.

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.