Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Chip-Pumpkin Cookies
From crisp apple fritters to fresh pumpkin pie, late autumn – the lead-up to Thanksgiving – is the most wonderful season for amazing baked goods.
But what do I love even more than creating a perfectly crafted dessert? Getting my children involved in the baking process! With kids taking part, a recipe may take longer to finish or someone might add an extra scoop of chocolate chips into the batter. But that’s not what matters. Baking together is always a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with one another.
Ashley Smith and her sons. Over the years, I have seen both of my children become more confident in the kitchen, and cooking know-how is particularly great for children with food allergies. It makes it more about the joy in what you can have, and shows that you don’t have to feel limited or deprived.
I smile at the thought that one day, my boys will be making our recipes with their own children, as they remember these times we have shared baking together.
For this installment of my Kitchen Craft Series for Allergic Living, I’ve created Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies. This Top 9 allergen-free recipe is simple enough for even our youngest bakers to join in the fun.
This style of chocolate chip meets pumpkin cookie is a fall favorite. My recipe results in a soft and chewy cookie and trust me, you’ll find it hard to eat just one. So whether you are looking for a kid-approved dessert or something new to try this autumn, these chocolate chip pumpkin cookies are the dessert you never knew you were missing.
Stay tuned for more of my Kitchen Craft series, designed to help inspire Allergic Living followers with allergy-friendly baking. We may have to manage food allergies, but with a pinch of patience, a cup of creativity and a liter of love, we’ll create beautifully crafted desserts that everyone can enjoy. Inclusion never tasted so sweet.
Chocolate Chip-Pumpkin Cookies
Makes: 2 dozen cookies
Free of: all top allergens and gluten
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour or all-purpose wheat flour, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup oil (corn, vegetable, canola)
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin purée
- ½ tbsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup allergy-friendly chocolate chips or chunks
The Tools
- 15-inch baking sheet, 1 or 2
- Parchment paper
- Whisk
- Large mixing spoon
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Vinyl gloves
- Small cookie scoop
Recipe Tips
When buying gluten-free all-purpose flour, watch for allergy-friendly brands. (Some brands have allergen warnings.) Not on a GF diet? This recipe works equally well with all-purpose wheat flour.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Note: I use two 15-inch baking sheets, so I always have my cookies ready to go into the oven when the timer goes off. But one baking sheet will also work fine.
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine most dry ingredients: sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, use a whisk or an electric mixer on low speed to mix together the sugars and oil. Now, add applesauce, vanilla extract and pumpkin purée. Mix until well-combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir with a large spoon until you no longer see raw flour.
- Fold in the chocolate chips with either a rubber spatula or let the kids wear vinyl gloves to fold them in by hand.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop approximately 1.5 tablespoons of cookie dough onto your parchment-lined cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 6 cookies on the sheet, keeping them well-spaced.
- Wearing vinyl gloves, use the palm of your hand or the back of a spoon to flatten out the cookie dough.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. The key to making these cookies chewy is to not over-bake, as they will continue to cook as they cool. If you’re using a second cookie sheet, prepare that while the first batch bakes.
- Let each sheet of baked cookies sit on the pan for 3-5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. If using one baking sheet, prepare the next batch after the first cookies cool. Then continue the process until all the cookies are formed and baked.
- Serve immediately. You can store any remaining cookies in an air-tight container. They will keep for about 3 days, but usually go faster!
Photos: Ashley Smith
Related Top 9-Free Recipes:
Kitchen Craft: Refreshing Watermelon Cake
Kitchen Craft: Teal Pumpkin Chocolate Layer Cake
Glazed Gluten-Free Pumpkin Doughnuts
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