Soft Gluten-free Pumpkin Cookies (vegan w/ gluten and sugar-free options)

Whole New Mom - https://wholenewmom.com

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: AIP, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo, THM:S, Vegan

Keyword: gluten-free pumpkin cookies

Servings: cookies approximately

Calories: 54kcal

These Soft Pumpkin Cookies are gluten free, vegan, and sugar free. Perfect for fall or all year round. The perfect allergy-free cookie.

1 cup unsweetened pumpkin
1/2 cup coconut oil (or other healthy fat, melted)
1/4 cup low-carb sweetener (see Recipe Notes for sweetener alternatives)
1 tablespoon orange flavoring or extract (try Nielsen-Massey or Frontier Flavor)
1 tablespoon water

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (use almond flour for low-carb, tiger nut flour for AIP - see notes above)
3-4 scoops stevia extract (each scoop is 1/32 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped or ground nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Combine pumpkin, oil, sweetener, and orange flavoring in a medium bowl.
Add flour, baking soda, & seasonings. Mix just 'til combined.
Fold in nuts if using.
Make spoonfuls or scoops with a 2 tablespoon muffin scoop. If desired, roll in a bit of granulated sweetener before baking. You get a really nice "punch" of sweetness without adding a lot of sweetener when you coat cookies rather than adding more to the batter. :-P.
Place spoonfuls or scoops on a baking sheet (the scoops result in a cookie that really resembles the Enjoy Life ones :-)).
Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. They will harden a bit as they cool, but will still be nice and soft.

- Sweetener: You could substitute any healthy sweetener for the xylitol, although if you use a liquid sweetener you may need to use a different amount, so read this post for tips on substituting sweeteners. Although xylitol is a good low-carb option, vegetable glycerin and stevia (use 2-4 scoops) are as well. So is erythritol, but you will need about 25% more sweetener if using erythritol. If using a granulated sweetener, use coconut sugar, sucanat, or this Bocha Sweet sugar substitute for AIP, and if using a liquid, use honey, maple syrup (read Choosing Maple Syrup), or yacon for AIP. Omit the water if using a liquid.

- Stevia: Stevia is much stronger than other sweeteners. Read What Stevia Is and How to Use it for more tips. Here is a great brand of stevia scoops. If using pourable stevia, use 3-5 teaspoons, to taste. You can substitute approximately 4-8 tablespoons additional sweetener, to taste, for the stevia. If using stevia, add it to either wets or dries.

- Nuts: For nuts, we used walnuts. Almonds, macadamias, or even pumpkin or sunflower seeds would be great. Please use soaked and dried nuts if possible.
  Both the nut-filled and plain versions were great, but my boys and I much preferred the plain version (my husband simply loves nuts in just about anything.)

- Flour: Try whatever gluten-free flour blend, or individual gluten-free flour, that you have on hand. Each will give the final cookies a bit of a different result, but they should still be delicious! I do recommend combining flours when baking gluten-free, however, as noted in this post about gluten-free baking tips.
  If you make them with a nut or seed flour, they will have to bake longer. Add on at least an additional 5 minutes but keep an eye on them.
  For almond flour or any other nut or seed flour, increase the baking soda by 50%, using 3 cups almond flour, and 1/4 cup coconut oil.

- THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe will be a crossover.