By Camila called from her high school choir room — she was staying late, working with a student who couldn't find her pitch. She said: "Mamá, this girl has the voice but not the confidence. I'm teaching her the way Señora Perez taught me." The way Señora Perez taught her. The chain extends again — Rosa to Maria Elena to the bakery to Camila to the student, the recipe of teaching passing from hand to hand, from voice to voice.
When Camila called, I had already been thinking about baking — the way the bakery always smelled in October, how Señora Perez used to say that a recipe only lives if you give it away. I pulled out these pumpkin cookies not because they are fancy, but because they are the kind of thing you make in the fall without having to think too hard, the kind of thing that just belongs to the season the way a lesson belongs to the student who finally hears it. Every October they find their way back to my kitchen, and now I think they always will.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (with xanthan gum)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for dusting, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare. Heat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger until evenly combined.
- Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add the wet ingredients. Mix in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Portion the cookies. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten the tops slightly with the back of a spoon.
- Bake. Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look just dry. The cookies will be soft — they firm as they cool.
- Cool and finish. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 118 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 95mg