Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Cinnamon Glaze

Michelle recently found out she had a gluten intolerance so I thought I'd try to do some gluten-free baking to treat her, something I've surprisingly never done before! Since Pick 'n Save is just across the street from my apartment, I decided to scope out what sort of gluten-free products they had available for baking. Unfortunately, while they did have a decent assortment of gluten-free flours, there was no xanthan gum or guar gum, ingredients that are typically needed when doing gluten-free baking in order to act as a binder in place of gluten. Some quick web searching on my phone and I found that it is still possible to bake without these ingredients but it might not work as well. I figured I give it a shot and try using some tapioca starch I had left over from making tapioca popovers last week to act as an emulsifier. Good news: it worked! The cookies turned out to be delicious with a nice, soft texture! Below is my recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkins Cookies with a Cinnamon Glaze modified from: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/dessertsandsweets/r/glutenfreepumpkincookierecipe.htm 

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Cookie Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free flour (I used 1 cup of rice flour and 1 cup of flaxseed meal)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (I checked mine just to make sure it was gluten-free!) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (corn starch might also work) 
• 1/2 cup organic coconut spread OR unsalted butter 
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup syrup (the original recipe called for molasses) 
• 1 egg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (don't use presweetened canned pumpkin pie mix)
• 1/3 cup milk OR your favorite dairy free milk substitute
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional) 

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk OR dairy free milk substitute
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or tinfoil and lightly grease. 
• In a medium mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients (gluten-free flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, tapioca starch) and whisk until thoroughly combined. 
• In a separate mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add syrup, egg, pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined. 
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips at the very end. 
• Drop cookies by generous rounded teaspoons on prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes in preheated oven. 
• While cookies are baking prepare glaze by whisking confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl until smooth and glossy. You may need to add more milk if the glaze is too thick. 
• Place cookies on bakers rack to cool for 1-2 minutes. Drizzle glaze over cookies. 
  

Notes: 

• Makes about 3 dozen cookies 
• For larger cookies drop cookies on prepared baking sheet by using a rounded tablespoon and bake an addition 2-3 minutes or until the cookies are done. 
• Always make sure your work surfaces, utensils, pans and tools are free of gluten. Always read product labels. Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice. When in doubt, do not buy or use a product before contacting the manufacturer for verification that the product is free of gluten.
  

--Amy

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