Pumpkin recipes are just one of my favorite things. I have a few here on my blog, one of our favorites, Soft Pumpkin Cookies, and homemade pumpkin pie spice, and even a dairy-free pumpkin creamer, but these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are something special.
They're a gluten-free cookie and they're so good – my boys ask for them pretty much every time I tell them I feel like baking :).
I shared them quite awhile ago on The Nourishing Gourmet, but the recipe bears repeating here.
Because these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are just that good.
PLUS, I have a really great update to the post–these fabulous cookies can now be made grain-free and low-carb.
Yes, grain-free — easily. Read on…
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles – the perfect fall healthy treat
In my “neck of the woods” the weather is cooling and the leaves are changing.
It's amazing to me how beautiful it all becomes.
Just looking out our deck window right now it's amazing how gorgeous the colors are. A real masterpiece by God on display for all of us.
The air is crisp and at least in the U.S. something makes us all think of pumpkins, apples and the like.
So in my house, we've been perfecting a recipe for Pumpkin Chia Pudding (truth is, my son asks for this daily so I am keeping the canned pumpkin industry in business :-)) and have tried a few pumpkin shakes, but these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles remain one of our favorites.
Super yummy and super adaptable to special diets, and of course, when you make your own cookies instead of buying store bought, you are most likely getting better ingredients while also saving a TON of money :-)!
Literally, every time I talk about baking cookies, my sons ask for these.
And if you're in the mood for snickerdoodles now, but don't feel like baking, try my 5-Minute Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Balls.
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission.
More On these Snickerdoodles
1. You could also use my Best Cinnamon Sugar as a topping for these cookies. I keep that in a little container in with my spices so it's readily available.
2. For better health, you could also soak the flours overnight, per instructions in my post on How and Why to Soak Grains. Be warned, however…you will get quite a workout mixing a batter this thick after it soaks :-). Also, I am not sure I like the taste of cookies after they've soaked. For some reason the fermenting process doesn't go so well with these cookies.
3. Note that the cookies don't spread out much when baking, so as much as you press them down, that is the size that the baked cookie will be.
And a note about Tiger Nuts. I'll be sharing more about them soon, but here are a few details. You can find them on Amazon here. They are NOT NUTS, but they're a fabulous treat and source of flour that is 100% gluten-free, nut-free, allergen-free, dairy-free, high in fiber, low in calories & fats, high in nutrition and they taste great.
You can also find Tiger Nut Flour here. The nuts themselves are a great snack (I LOVE them), plus the flour can pretty much be substituted 1:1 in any recipe you use.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions for Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Sweetener: Although I use xylitol for a candida-friendly option, you can substitute any healthy sweetener.
- Egg Substitute: My Homemade Powdered Egg Replacer is a great homemade option for an egg substitute.
- Flour: For flour, see my Gluten-Free Baking Tips for gluten-free flour blend info. For grain free, use either organic tiger nut flour, which is also AIP, or organic almond flour, for low carb. When made with almond flour, these cookies are not very crispy, but they still have great flavor! I am going to work with the recipe to see if adding some coconut flour helps out with that.
- THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe is a crossover unless you use the almond flour option, which will make these snickerdoodles qualify as an “S.”
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles - New Grain-Free Option! (gluten, dairy, and sugar free w/ vegan option)
These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are gluten free and sugar free with egg and dairy-free options. They're our "go to" cookies recipe whenever it's baking time!
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 cup organic coconut oil ((or healthy fat alternative like butter)
- 3/4 cup xylitol
- 1 large egg or equivalent substitute
- 1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp organic pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour (whole grain preferred)
- 1 tsp organic cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp organic nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp organic ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cinnamon Coating
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener (as healthy as possible)
- 1 tsp organic cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp organic nutmeg
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Combine ingredients for Cinnamon Coating and set aside for later use.
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Combine flour, salt, baking soda and spices in a medium-sized bowl.
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If coconut oil is not soft enough to mix easily, melt in a pan over low heat. Place in a bowl.
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Add sweetener and egg (or substitute) to the softened oil. Beat well. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla. Beat well again.
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Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly, but do not over-mix.
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Take a small amount of dough (I use a small cookie scoop for this process), roll into balls, drop in cinnamon sugar topping, and roll to coat. (NOTE: For gluten-free cookies, the smaller the cookie the better as they will crumble more easily than those made with gluten flours.)
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Place on a baking stone or cookie sheet (I highly recommend baking stones) about 2 inches apart, flattening a bit with your hand (or the bottom of a glass).
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Bake for about 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.
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Cool for approximately 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet to cool on a cooling rack.
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Try not to eat them all at once :-).
Other Healthy Fall Recipes
– Nut Butter Fruit Dip (perfect for apples, pears, whatever :-). It's even great drizzled on cake, cookies, ice cream, or warm cereal
– Super Pumpkin Pie Spice
– Soft Pumpkin Cookies (with gluten, dairy, egg and sugar-free options) – these taste amazingly like Enjoy Life Boxed Cookies (which cost a little too much for this frugal momma to stomach. Plus, they're loaded with sugar…save some dough and try these)!
I hope you love these as much as we do and that you and your family have time to enjoy the wonderful beauty of fall (if it is on display where you live), or whatever beauty there is around you.
What pumpkin or apple recipes do you enjoy in the fall?
Sharon says
I see in your recipe notes that you are working on maybe adding some coconut flour with the almond flour. I would be interested in the results of that experiment if you have tried it and the measurements for each. Thanks
Adrienne says
I haven’t yet – sorry! Thanks for asking!
Christie says
I tried this recipe and we loved it. I used the cup4cup flour for a GF option. Next time I’m going to use the Tiger Nut flour for a grain free option. I have candida so it was so nice to have a little “something sweet” as a dessert and these fit the bill. I didn’t have any of the issues other people complained about. The cookies were moist and almost cake like which is a little different texture from traditional cookies but it was a welcome change. I have added this to my “go to” candida recipes. Even passed on the recipe to my nutritionist they were so tasty.
Jessica says
I made these with almond flour and the dough was very wet. When I baked them they spread out and covered the entire pan almost like a cookie cake. Any idea what I might have done wrong? On a positive note, they taste delicious!
Adrienne says
Hi Jessica – I’m so sorry! I did them with almond flour and they were soft but didn’t spread like that. Maybe try another 1/4 batch or so?
Jill says
I’m experimenting with gluten-free recipes and thought this looked really good. I tried this recipe and found the batter to be very wet. I used a combination of 1 cup tiger nut flour and 1 cup of almond flour. I added a little extra tiger nut flour for my last tray and though the consistency was better. The didn’t crumble quite as much as the others. I used ghee instead of coconut oil, so I don’t know if that made the batter more wet. I also used xylitol in the batter, but stevia for the topping because of the finer texture.
Erin says
I attempted to make this with almond flour 1.75cups and coconut flour .25 cups. I found 10 minutes to be too short yet 17-20 minutes to over cook them and deteriorate the flavors. I used a full tsp of baking soda and added 1/2 tsp of xanthumn gum. The flavor is great when not over cooked.
15 min seems to the best baking time when using the mixed but flours.
Madi says
I was so excited to make the pumpkin snickerdoodles, but I used coconut flour and coconut sugar and they are NOT baking! I’ve had them in the oven for lots more than ten minutes, and when I was making them into balls, they just crumbled and wouldn’t form. Suggestions? Was it the coconut flour or what?
Adrienne says
Hi there. Coconut flour absorbs a ton of liquid so that’s it. I’m sorry! Maybe use them as crumbles? I assume the dough was really dry? I find coconut flour hard to bake with.
Deborah says
I used the entire can of pumpkin and added an egg. Mixed well and baked for 15 mins on 365
Madi says
I just took them out of the oven and they crumbled. Very sad 🙁
Amanda says
Coconut flour is great for baking IF you’re willing/able to use a ton of eggs. I make some great coconut flour blueberry muffins and a double batch takes a DOZEN eggs. Worth it though, they are super delicious and packed with fiber. Almond flour is much more of a cup to cup substitute for regular flour. Cheers 🙂
Pam says
The cookies look wonderful. I just want to send out a warning to those who don’t know and use Xylitol. It is Deadly to your dogs. Please google and don’t share your treats with Xylitol with your pets. I can’t wait to try, but will use another sweetener. I have too many canine swipers in my household.
M kidh says
Where do u buy xylitol
Adrienne says
There is a link in the post – in the recipe. Hope that helps.
Joan says
Good Evening, Adrienne, I tried your recipe for Pumpkin Snickerdoodles and they were soooo gooood!! I used xylitol for the sweetner in my quest to back off from refined sugar. I liked how the xylitol crystals are like sugar & so the measurements being the same.
Now my question: I accidentally got on a web page of another woman doing almost the same as you. Except she seems to feel xylitol is bad. It appears it’s made from corn products fermented. I tho’t it was made from Stevia leaves.
I didn’t particularly like whatever it was I baked using Erythritol, but it could be as you suggested to me (in an email exchange) “that I probably didn’t put enough into the recipe” (it had a “bite” taste to it). You’re probably correct as I see on the bag it is 70% as sweet as sugar, so to use it I need to try to figure how much 30% more of it in a recipe “cup of sugar” to use. Any hints on how to figure that? I didn’t use Erythritol again but I still have a partial bag of it.
The other thing is back a yr. or so ago when I first discovered your web site, you recommended NuNaturals pure Stevia Extract, but now you recommend a different brand (KAL pure Stevia). I noticed the KAL mentions it’s ingredient: “maltodextrin” which I “googled” & interpreted it is sugar. Does that make the Stevia non-pure? The NuNatural says “nothing added”.
I’m assuming you recommend the KAL brand becuz you think it’s better? So I’m curious as to what was the reason you change brands?
Sincerely, Joan
Adrienne says
Hi Joan. Different people have different thoughts about sweeteners like xylitol and erythritol. I’m always trying to learn things and change what I think about things on occasion. I have removed some companies off of my blog due to learning things about them, for example.
As for converting for erythritol, you just multiply by 1.3. So if you need a cup of sugar, you do 1.3 cups of erythritol.
I don’t think I said that I recommend KAL now but it’s possible that I linked to it by mistake. Do you remember where you saw that? Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is made from starch. I personally use the NuNaturals almost all the time now but hope to try some new brands soon.
Dee says
I can’t have baking powder, baking soda, corn starch, arrowroot, any kind of gum or any other starchy ingredient. What can I replace the baking soda with? Thanks!
Adrienne says
Hi there. Baking soda isn’t a starch – are you certain that this is on your list of things to avoid?
Amy says
Baking soda is made of cornstarch. I use either tapioca starch or potato starch.
Adrienne says
Hi Amy. Thanks for reading. Perhaps you are confusing baking soda w/ baking powder. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and is made from soda ash.
Joni Severson says
These sound yummy! I have been experimenting with Lakanto as we are dealing with candidas issues in our family and I bake A LOT! I am finding when I use use sugar substitutes (sugar alcohol based) as the only sweeter the baked goods turn out very funky. Have a very sweet and an almost artificial taste. They also have to be frozen immediately or they degrade really quickly. I wouldn’t care about the freezing part if they tasted super yummy initially. I primarily use Lakanto (which is VERY expensive). Previously I was using half Lakanto and half organic cane sugar, but I can no longer do this. Any suggestions? I have not baked much lately as I don’t want to waste such an expensive product.
Adrienne says
I personally like blending sweeteners but have had occasional success with xylitol only on occasion. I think it depends on how much you use sometimes. I tend to do 1/2 xylitol (or another sweetener) and then 1/2 stevia extract. Yes, Lakanto is very pricey. Are you saying you can’t do 1/2 Lakanto b/c of the price?
Joni Severson says
Thanks for the reply. I can’t do the organic cane sugar anymore due to yeast overgrowth. After I get it under control if I eat even the smallest amount I become symptomatic again. I LOVE baking and have a nut allergic son so I bake a lot for him, too. So I’m this recipe if I were going to use 1/2 stevia how would I do that?
Adrienne says
I have candida as well. I would use stevia in the proportions mentioned in this post https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
I hope that helps and that he enjoys them!