Soft Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
These easy frosted gluten-free pumpkin cookies are soft, pillowy, and topped with a dreamy lightened-up cream cheese frosting. Inspired by classic Lofthouse cookies, they’re thick, cakey, and filled with cozy fall spice — the perfect gluten-free treat for any fall gathering or holiday cookie plate. No one will guess they’re gluten-free!
Ingredients
The Cookies:
- 3 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, spooned & leveled
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch*
- 2 - 3 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice , I like a strong pumpkin flavor (3 tsp) but this depends on your taste preferences
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ cup pumpkin puree, room temperature
- ¼ cup greek yogurt (2 or 5%), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (12 tbsp), room temperature
Cream Cheese Yougrt Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel, room temperature
- ¼ cup greek yogurt (plain or vanilla), room temperature
- ¼ cup real maple syrup, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add gluten-free flour. Remove 2 tablespoons of flour (you can discard this or add it back to the bag). Then, add cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk or sift until there are no lumps.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, about 1–2 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients in three increments on low speed, stopping as soon as the last bit of dry flour disappears. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything is mixed.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape the Cookies: Use a cookie scoop to portion out about 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Roll and flatten them to about ½ inch thick.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 8–9 minutes. They may look underdone and will puff up, with the bottoms turning just barely golden. Remove them from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. For softer cookies, bake for 8 minutes; for slightly firmer cookies, bake for up to 9–10 minutes.
- Make the Frosting: While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, combine all frosting ingredients and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy and smooth. A stand mixer works great too!
- Frost the Cookies: Ensure the cookies are completely cool before frosting. Once cooled, spread the frosting on top of each cookie and dust with extra pumpkin spice if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Flour: Use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend with xanthan gum (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill). Other flours will not work the same.
Pumpkin purée: Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
Cornstarch: This keeps the cookies pillowy-soft, like Lofthouse cookies. If you don’t have it, use arrowroot or tapioca starch.
Cream cheese: Use block-style cream cheese, not whipped or spreadable, for the frosting.
Dairy-free option: Swap in vegan butter, thick non-dairy yogurt, and dairy-free cream cheese.
Storage: Store frosted cookies in the fridge up to 5 days, or freeze unfrosted cookies/dough balls up to 3 months.
Make ahead: Chill dough up to 24 hours before baking, or freeze dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition
Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1277IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and tag @HealthfulBlondie on Instagram & hashtag it #healthfulblondie!
