Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

There's no better way to welcome pumpkin spice season than with a batch of homemade pumpkin oatmeal cookies. These Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies capture all the cozy flavors of fall in every bite, offering a perfect blend of pumpkin spice, hearty oats, and a hint of sweetness.

These cookies will steal the show at your Halloween and Thanksgiving gatherings, and you'll appreciate how their flavor improves the next day. Making this a great Make Ahead Cookie Recipe.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I tested this recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob's Red Mill 1-1. Both flour blends work great. It's important to mention that King Arthur produced more compact cookies, with less spreading, while Bob's Red Mill spread more. Both cookies tasted delicious. This does not mean these are the only two gluten free flour blends that can be used to make this recipe, I just haven't tested it with a different product. The baking flours mentioned do contain xanthan gum.

Pumpkin Puree: Make sure to use 100% canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. They often sit next to each other on shelves at the grocery store and have very similar labels. As much as I love making everything from scratch, canned pumpkin puree is very convenient. Should your canned pumpkin contain much moisture, make sure to blot it with paper towels before measuring and adding to the recipe.

Gluten Free Quick Oats: I like to use a mixture of Gluten Free Quick Oats and Rolled Oats. The rolled oats are thinner and soak up the moisture from the pumpkin puree resulting in a tender, almost cake like texture. If you don't have quick oats in your pantry, you can easily make instant oats at home using rolled oats.

Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats: The added rolled oats give these pumpkin oatmeal cookies a little bit of that hearty texture we all love so much when it comes to Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies. Please make sure to purchase certified gluten-free oats if you have celiac or a wheat allergy. Although oats are naturally gluten-free, manufacturers often process them in facilities that also handle wheat or other grains containing gluten. I buy my gluten-free oats from Thrive Market.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin Pie Spice is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. If you do not have it in your pantry you can substitute it with my easy homemade pumpkin spice blend.

Maple Syrup: I love adding a little bit of Maple Syrup to my pumpkin recipes. I feel like it really brings out the pumpkin flavor. You may replace it with honey or even molasses. (Or omit it)

Add Ins: While I think these cookies are delicious on their own, feel free to experiment with add-ins. Like white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds, pecans, walnuts... the possibilities are endless.

How to make Quick Oats from Rolled Oats

Gluten Free Oats are expensive. We all know this. And sometimes it's not easy to find certified gluten free quick oats to use in recipes like my Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. Quick Oats are essentially rolled oats that have been processed and therefor cook quicker. BUT, it's very easy to make quick oats from certified gluten free rolled oats.

Place the measured rolled oats in a food processor or blender. You can also use a coffee grinder for a finer texture. Pulse or blend the oats for a few seconds. You're essentially looking to break the oats into smaller pieces without turning them into a fine powder.

After blending or processing, check the consistency of the oats. They should be broken down into smaller pieces but still have some texture.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Dough

The dough for this gluten-free pumpkin cookie recipe is very straightforward. Make sure the butter and the egg are at room temperature. Don't forget to refrigerate this cookie dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. This will allow the oats and gluten-free flour to fully hydrate. Otherwise, the dough will be sticky to portion out and the cookies will spread all over the baking sheet.

Step 1: In a medium bowl sift or whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, baking soda, ground cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and kosher salt. In a separate bowl combine the glute free oats and any add-ins you choose to use. Set aside.

Step 2: Place the room temperature butter (vegan butter or dairy-free butter if needed), granulated sugar, brown sugar and a generous teaspoon of vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl. Cream the ingredients at a medium speed for 3-4 minutes until they become fluffy and pale. Remember to pause halfway through and use a flexible spatula to scrape the bowl and beater.

Step 3: Add the egg and maple syrup (if using) and mix for an additional minute.

Step 4:  Add the pumpkin puree to the mixture and whisk for 30 seconds until fully mixed in. The mixture may look broken but that's totally normal.

Step 5: With the mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Step 6: Add the gluten-free oats and any add-ins you may be using and at a low speed mix just to combine. With a flexible spatula stir the pumpkin oatmeal cookie dough a few times to make sure everything is well combined.

Step 7: Cover the mixing bowl or transfer the gluten free pumpkin oatmeal cookie dough to a Tupperware container and let the dough rest in your refrigerator. Chilling is mandatory. For the best results, I recommend to chill the gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. You can even let it sit for 12hrs or longer. During this process, the flour and oats hydrate and develop flavor. Just be prepared the longer the dough is refridgerated, the trickier it will get to portion out in cookie dough balls.

How to bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Once the dough for gluten free pumpkin oatmeal cookies has rested peacefully, it's time to bake them. Please be aware the longer the oatmeal cookie dough is chilling, the trickier it can get to portion it out. I always allow my cookie dough to sit at room temp for 10-15 minutes, portion it out and then stick it back in the fridge for a few minutes before baking.

Step 1: Begin by preheating your oven to 350F and covering a sheet tray with parchment paper.

Step 2: Using a 2-tablespoon medium cookie scoop portion out the cookie dough. This recipe should yield 10-12 cookies, depending on how much dough you snacked on while making the dough.

Step 3: Place 6 balls of cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring there is enough space for spreading. Gently press down each cookie dough ball. This will give the dough a little head start when it comes to spreading.

Step 4: Bake the oatmeal cookies for 14-16 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and golden brown and starting to set. The exact baking time may vary depending on personal preference and your oven.

Step 5: Once out of the oven, you can use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie size to shape them into perfect rounds if desired. Allow the gluten-free pumpkin oatmeal cookies to cool on the baking pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 6: Repeat the baking process with the remaining cookie dough.

For a special treat, top the fully cooled oatmeal pumpkin cookies with some cream cheese frosting. I especially love my Maple Cream Cheese Frosting from my Gluten Free Pumpkin Loaf Recipe.

Storage & Freezing

These gluten free oatmeal pumpkin cookies store exceptionally well, just like my Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies. I actually think they taste better the next day. Make sure to allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack and then place them in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature for 3 days.

To freeze, prepare the pumpkin oatmeal cookie dough and portion it into individual cookie-sized portions. Place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or a tray. Make sure to gently press them down before place the baking sheet or tray with the cookie dough portions into the freezer. Allow them to freeze for about 1-2 hours or until they are firm. Once the cookie dough portions are solid, transfer them into a resealable freezer bag or an airtight container. Label the bag or container with the date and the type of cookie dough.

When you're ready to bake the frozen cookie dough, preheat the oven according to the original recipe instructions. Take out the desired number of frozen cookie dough portions from the freezer and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving enough space for spreading. Allow the frozen dough to thaw at room temperature for about 15-30 minutes, or until it becomes slightly soft but still chilled. Follow the original recipe's baking instructions, adjusting the baking time if needed. The cookies may require a few extra minutes since the dough was frozen.

By freezing cookie dough in individual portions, you can easily bake small batches whenever you want fresh cookies without having to thaw the entire batch.

FAQ - Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies