PALEO. PUMPKIN. SNICKERDOODLES. Need I say more? These delicious cookies are wonderfully light and fluffy, and have that signature cinnamon-y taste that you know and love from snickerdoodles, but with an added twist. This time, I added pumpkin to make them the perfect fall treat. I just know you’re going to love them. Oh, and did I mention, they’re also Paleo and Vegan friendly? It truly doesn’t get better than this!
I love cookies, and that should come as no surprise if you’ve spent any length of time on my blog. My freezer is full of mostly cookie dough, and I am a firm believer that eating a cookie a day keeps the doctor away. When I was struggling with my eating disorder (if you’re unfamiliar with my story, I suffered for years with Binge Eating Disorder & Bulimia), cookies were one of those foods that I consistently had to fight the urge to binge. You can read all about that here.
As I recovered, however, I’ve found that I can still eat plenty of cookies, but in a healthy way. In fact, I can make healthy twists on my favorite cookie recipes that are both nutritious AND delicious. And these Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles certainly fit the bill (alongside my Life Changing Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies… and my Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies… and my Chewy Paleo Maple Pecan Cookies, just to name a few).
This recipe only uses a few key ingredients, with most of them being pantry staples, which makes these cookies super easy to make! I love whipping these up for my boys after they come home from school, or on the days where I want to honor my cookie cravings.
What Makes a Good Snickerdoodle
In my opinion, a good snickerdoodle cookie comes down to a few things. First, it must be a soft and chewy cookie – it CANNOT be hard. You want a cookie that has a little bite, but that’s going to soften and melt in your mouth. These cookies will do just that.
You might be wondering, “how can we get a soft, paleo-friendly cookie?” and the answer, my friends, is thanks to almond flour. Almond flour is naturally gluten-free, packed with protein, and gives baked goods a nice fluffy texture. I love using it in my recipes, and I know you guys do too!
The next thing a good snickerdoodle needs is a good dusting of cinnamon. After all, snickerdoodles are cinnamon cookies, and that dusted cinnamon on the top really makes them *chef’s kiss* perfection.
What You Need to Make These Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
What You Need to Make These Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles- Almond Flour: As mentioned above, I love almond flour in my gluten-free cookie recipes.
- Pumpkin Puree: Pumpkin puree gives these cookies the perfect pumpkin flavor.
- Maple Syrup: I love using maple syrup to add a natural sweetness to these cookies.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is essential to any baked good. Don’t skip it!
- Coconut Oil: Coconut oil helps to bind these cookies together, similar to how an egg would, but without the egg!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin pie spice will really help give these cookies a nice, punchy, pumpkin flavor.
- Salt: A pinch of salt never hurt anyone.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is essential to help these cookies get nice and fluffy!
- Coconut Sugar: Coconut sugar adds a nice sweetness, and is slightly healthier than refined cane sugar.
- Cinnamon: Of course, you can’t have a snickerdoodle without cinnamon. This is one of the most important ingredients!
How to Make These Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
How to Make These Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. in a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Once combined well, add the almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder. mix well, and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- This will make the dough firmer and easier to roll into balls.
- In a small bowl, add the coconut sugar and cinnamon.
- Remove bowl from the refrigerator, form balls with the cookies and roll each one in the sugar/cinnamon mixture.
- Place on baking sheet.
- Using the bottom of a cup or jar, press down to flatten to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake 10 minutes.
- Enjoy eating these all day today.
Storing Instructions
You can store these cookies at room-temperature, or in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to one week. You can also freeze the dough and store it for up to three months!
If they sit at room temperature, they will soften over the course of the week (if they last that long!) so if you want them to stay a little more crisp, then I recommend keeping them in the fridge.
Cookie Obsessed? You’ll Love These Other Recipes!
The Best Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookies
Strawberry Chia Linzer Cookies
Copycat Mother’s Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Life Changing Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment/rating below. And, since I practically live on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your creations, so I can see them and repost on my IG stories! Enjoy! xx
Ingredients
THE COOKIES:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, I make my own by using this recipe!
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
THE TOPPING:
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. in a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Once combined well, add the almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder. mix well, and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- This will make the dough firmer and easier to roll into balls.
- In a small bowl, add the coconut sugar and cinnamon.
- Remove bowl from the refrigerator, form balls with the cookies and roll each one in the sugar/cinnamon mixture.
- Place on baking sheet.
- Using the bottom of a cup or jar, press down to flatten to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake 10 minutes.
- Enjoy eating these all day today.
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
Any subs for coconut sugar. I find it to be bitter, does maple sugar and dare sugar taste similar to coconut sugar?
Hi Sarah, sure! You can definitely use maple sugar ☻
Made these the day before Thanksgiving just for my family… they only lasted one day!! Had to make a double batch to bring over for my extended family and they were a hit of course! The pumpkin gives such a nice texture and they are the perfect level of sweetness
Woohoo! I am so thrilled to hear that, Ava! Thank you so much for your review!
I was craving the Trader Joe’s pumpkin snickerdoodles and these cookies made an excellent low sugar and gluten free replacement. They are such a nice little evening indulgence to have with a cup of tea in the fall. The cinnamon sugar coating is so good and the cookie itself is the perfect texture. My only complaint is that they took a lot longer to bake than the recipe suggested, but my oven can be finicky so it might have been a problem on my end. Overall I’m definitely making these again!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Claire! Every oven is different, so you may have to adjust the cook time based on your oven. ☻