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–+ servings
Pumpkin cookies topped with a light maple glaze arranged on and around a round white plate on a table.

Healthier Pumpkin Cookies with a Maple Glaze

mylifeinbalancegroup.com/healthy-pumpkin-cookies-glaze-vegan-gf-refined-sugar-free/
These rich, moist pumpkin cookies are dairy free and gluten free, and taste like a little piece of autumn!
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 35 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 18 cookies

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Cooking spray
  • large baking sheet
  • large mixing bowl
  • Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula, stand mixer, or hand mixer
  • Cookie scoop with release handle
  • Spatula
  • wire cooling rack
  • Small saucepan
  • whisk

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Cookies

  • 1 large egg (at room temperature)
  • 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour (see Notes)
  • ½ teaspoon fresh baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fresh baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice (homemade or make your own)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
  • ½ cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 medium banana (ripe, mashed)
  • ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Maple Glaze

  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or 2 teaspoons tapioca starch or arrowroot powder)
  • 4 teaspoons warm water
  • ⅓ cup pure maple syrup

Instructions

For the Pumpkin Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Lightly grease baking sheet with neutral cooking spray and set aside.
  • Add 1 large egg, 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour, ½ teaspoon fresh baking powder, ½ teaspoon fresh baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup pumpkin purée, 1 medium banana, ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract to large mixing bowl. Stir all ingredients together until fully incorporated into smooth cookie dough.
  • Use cookie scoop with release handle to portion prepared cookie dough out of mixing bowl and place scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all cookie dough has been portioned into individual scoops, leaving space between each scoop on baking sheet to allow for spreading.
  • Place filled baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake cookies 13 minutes. After 13 minutes, check doneness. Continue baking cookies 2 to 3 minutes or as needed until edges are just dry and firm.
  • Once cookies are fully baked, carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Transfer cookies from baking sheet to wire cooling rack and let cookies cool completely.

For the Maple Glaze

  • Immediately before serving cookies, add 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 4 teaspoons warm water to small saucepan. Whisk ingredients together until fully combined into slurry.
  • Add ⅓ cup pure maple syrup to saucepan and whisk to incorporate. Place saucepan on stovetop over high heat.
  • Bring mixture to boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture, stirring as needed, until thickened.
  • Spoon glaze over tops of pumpkin cookies as desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

  • Gluten-Free Flour: Different flours will behave differently, so I recommend trying this recipe with different flours and flour blends to find your favorite. I used a blend of ½ cup almond meal + ¼ cup ground oats + ¼ cup brown rice flour + ¼ cup chickpea flour. 
  • Pumpkin Purée: Make sure you're not using pumpkin pie filling in this recipe. Pie filling is typically sweetened with spices added, which will throw off the flavor of the cookies.
  • Glaze: Only glaze the cookies right before you serve them. Glazing them in advance will make them soggy.
  • Leftovers: Store leftover cookies (unglazed) in an airtight container. Cookies will keep up to 1 week at room temperature.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1 cookie with glazeCalories: 84calProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 83mgPotassium: 66mgTotal Carbs: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gNet Carbs: 18gVitamin A: 1075IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 0.2mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://mylifeinbalancegroup.com/healthy-pumpkin-cookies-glaze-vegan-gf-refined-sugar-free/