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Pumpkin Cookies with Apple Butter Thumbprint - Paleo, Vegan

These slightly soft pumpkin cookies with apple butter thumbprint and maple drizzle will melt in your mouth. They make it so easy to get a little bit of that pumpkin-pie-spice flavor. Gluten free! Vegan!
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword apple butter filling, easy recipe, Gluten-free, maple drizzle, paleo, pumpkin cookies, thumbprint cookie, vegan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 12 cookies
Author Beth of A Meal In Mind

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

  • 1 ⅔ cups packed fine almond flour not almond meal
  • ¼ cup organic coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon allspice or ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil room temperature
  • 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 2 ½ tablespoons water (for a crisper cookie, or at high altitude, use 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cup pumpkin puree
  • cup apple butter for thumbprints (recipe here)

Maple-vanilla drizzle:

  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or for more maple flavor, another teaspoon maple
  • Other toppings to consider: 12 pecan halves candy corn, a sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Measure almond flour, coconut flour, sugar, baking soda, spices and salt into your food processor. Process until well mixed, just a few pulses.
  • Drop in the coconut oil and process until mixed in, about 30 seconds. 
  • Add the pumpkin puree, flax egg and vanilla extract. Process until well combined and the dough gathers up in one area of the food processor bowl. 
  • Allow dough to sit for 5 minutes for coconut flour to hydrate. The dough should be workable and not too sticky. 
  • Next divide and roll the dough into 12 balls of about 1 ½-inch across. 
  • Flatten each dough ball between your hands, keeping the cookies round. Place them on the prepared cookie sheet. To make a thumbprint, press gently with your thumb in the center until the cookies are about ¼ inch thick in the center and about ½ inch thick on the edges. 
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes (at high altitude, bake for 15 minutes). 
  • Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow cookies to cool completely before spooning a little apple butter into each well. Makes about 12 cookies.
  • For the drizzle: In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, pure maple syrup and vanilla. If frosting is too thick to drizzle, you can add a teaspoon or two more maple syrup to make it drizzle-able from a spoon. Frost each cookie, then enjoy! Sprinkle top of frosting with a little cinnamon for a gorgeous look. 

Notes

Cookies will get softer each day. Cookies can be stored in a container at room temp for a few days, then I recommend storing them in the fridge - if any are left.