Pumpkin Doodles - Top 8 Allergy-Free (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

These cookies hold a special place in my heart. I first had them at a potluck that one of my college classes held for Thanksgiving, and I’ve had them every year since.

For those of you that don’t know, I have my degrees in food science and nutrition, so my classmates and I spent a lot of time in food labs and our potlucks never disappointed! My nightmares from organic chemistry class are still burned into my memory, but other than that, I loved college - the people, especially, and the classes!

One of my college besties made these pumpkin doodles and held the recipe hostage from all of our classmates for a couple years until we graduated. After our graduation ceremony, I found an email treasure from her with the recipe for the pumpkin doodles and I’ve been making them ever since. When pumpkin doodles come out of my kitchen it’s a sure sign that Fall is coming, or at least, I’m ready for Fall to come.

The original recipe calls for butter, wheat, and eggs, so Hudson had never had them, but this year I went to work to adapt the recipe and make it top 8 free. Because the cookies have pumpkin puree in them, it actually made it fairly easy to remove the egg. You can’t even detect that these are free from all the things - they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a subtle pumpkin flavor, just like the originals.

You’re going to want to make a double batch of these and throw them in the freezer. They’ve been known to taste good even straight out of the freezer.

Happy Fall, and most importantly, happy Fall baking!

Oh, and Sabrina, if you’re reading this, thanks for allowing me to carry the pumpkin doodle tradition on all these years after college. Hope you don’t mind me sharing it with a few more people!

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 20 minutes freeze time Cook Time: 20 minutes Yields: 32 medium cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup dairy-free butter

1/2 cup palm shortening

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid)

2 2/3 cups gluten-free flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat dairy-free butter and palm shortening with electric mixer until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups white sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes, until mixture is light and fluffy. Add in aquafaba and canned pumpkin and beat again until completely combined.

3. Add vanilla extract, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and gluten-free flour and beat until thoroughly mixed through.

4. Cover dough and chill for one hour in the refrigerator or 30 minutes in the freezer.

5. In small bowl, stir 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon together. Drop 2 Tbsp of cookie dough into cinnamon and sugar mixture and roll the dough to coat all surfaces. Place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets.

6. Bake at 330 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Recipe Notes:

1. Don't be tempted to skip the cooling of the dough. That is what allows you to handle the dough when coating it with cinnamon and sugar without it falling apart and it will make the cookies slightly fluffier!

2. If you want to make large cookies, increase the bake time by 5-7 minutes to ensure they are cooked through.