These soft and chewy pumpkin cookies have got it all! They’re gluten-free with pockets of crunchy macadamia nuts and creamy white chocolate.
Happy November, friends! Wow, can you believe it’s already November?? I hope everyone had a fun Halloween! Although I love the idea of dressing up, I’m horribly uninventive when it comes to costumes and going to more than one store for something I’m going to wear once makes my head spin. So that’s going to be a no from me for that costume party, but I’ll bake these gluten-free pumpkin white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for you!
If you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably noticed I’ve been going a little pumpkin crazy, lately. I mean, I know we all go a little overboard in the fall, but I’m pretty sure I’ve posted three pumpkin recipes this week. The fall was always my favorite time of year in the Midwest. I love those distinct changes in weather—the color of the leaves, the crispness of the air, the actual need for a scarf.
I don’t get that seasonal shift living in California, so I celebrate in other ways like incessantly cooking with pumpkin, buying a cuddly sweater, or keeping festive candles lit 24/7 (not actually). These things may seem small and even cliché, but they really lift my spirits this time of year when I seem to miss home the most.
I developed this recipe for my lovely friend Kaylie in exchange for an acupuncture session at Highland Holistic. I highly recommender her if you’re interested in acupuncture and live in the Los Angeles area! She really takes the time to understand your issues and get to the root cause of the problem. Sometimes I joke that she is my therapist, also! I always leave feeling super grounded and have a much better understanding of where my health concerns lie and how to manage them.
So Kaylie was a big fan of my Pumpkin brown butter white chocolate chunk cookies, but requested a gluten and refined sugar free (almost) version for the exchange. I had never made a GF cookie before, but I figured it was time to try. I tested them over and over to make sure they were the best flavor and texture they could possibly be. After finally feeling like I had them down, I went to make the batch for Kaylie and guess what? I FORGOT THE DAMN PUMPKIN. After all that planning and testing, I ended up having to bail on my recipe and just wing it. LOL. Major face palm. But I did learn a thing or two about GF baking in the process!
I used a recipe from Clean Eats by Tay on Instagram for the base of the cookie and to get an idea for measurements. For the first batch, I found the cookies didn’t spread very much (like at all), so the next time I flattened and shaped the cookies before baking them. The texture was a bit fluffier than a non GF cookie, so I like to almost slightly under bake them. I find it gives a chewier texture after they cool, especially if you leave them overnight. I over baked one of my batches and they were much more dense and cake-like.
I used almond milk and maple syrup to bind and sweeten the cookies, so the only form of refined sugar or dairy is in the chocolate chips. But feel free to swap in vegan chocolate for a completely dairy-free version!
Enjoy.
GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES
Makes about 24 cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg, room temp
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup melty cashew butter
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
- white chocolate chips, mini chips, or chunks
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large mixing bowl whisk together almond flour, gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie seasoning, and salt until well combined and set aside. In another mixing bowling, whisk remaining ingredients except for the nuts and chocolate, together until smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just barely combined. Gently fold in macadamia nuts and white chocolate until evenly distributed. Use a cookie scoop to measure out dough balls and place onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper at least an inch apart.
Cookies will not spread much, so form dough balls into cookie shapes by pressing down with your palm or a spatula. Add more chocolate chips on top and gently push into the dough. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until cookies are just barely firm. You are not looking for a dark color on the top or bottom. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely and store overnight (have a couple hot and fresh also!). I found the texture and color changes slightly after they sit.
For more cookie recipes check out my Chewy peanut butter jelly cookies or Pumpkin ginger cookies!
