Hazelnut Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ #Creative Cookie Exchange

Sometimes me think, “What is Friend?” Then me say, “Friend is someone to share the last cookie with.” - The Cookie Monster.

These gluten-free Hazelnut Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are definitely share-worthy.

Gluten-free used to mean boring cookies, but not any more.  There are so many amazing recipes and manufacturers have come up with gluten-free flour mixes that make it so much easier for those with a gluten intolerance. Since this time of year usually means pumpkin, I decided to make a recipe that included it - maybe I can use up some of those 7 large cans that I still have from last year?  It isn't always easy to find ingredients here so I decided to use almond flour rather than hazelnut flour, since I knew my chances of finding it were next to none.

Note to self - get a better quality nut cracker before trying to open hazelnuts again. Not only did I pinch my fingers more times than I could count and say some bad words, but I am still finding pieces of the shells in random spots in my kitchen.  These cookies were so worth it though.

These cookies are everything you could want in a cookie.  They are soft on the inside and a little crunchy on the outside.  They are sweet from the chocolate and pumpkin, and salty from the sprinkle of salt they get before baking. They last really well, which makes them great for snacking throughout the week. I'm really glad I doubled the ingredients to make a larger batch as I knew they were going to be popular.

If you would like to know more about #CreativeCookieExchange and see what the other bakers made for the Back to School Cookies! theme please scroll down below the recipe. Thanks to Laura from The Spiced Life, who is our fearless leader.


Hazelnut Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

• 210g (1½ cups) hazelnut flour
• 180g (1 cup) tapioca flour
• 85g (⅓ cup) sweet rice flour
• 1½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 155g (1 cup) dark brown sugar, packed
• 100g (½ cup) sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 140g (⅔ cup) canned pumpkin purée
• 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, loose peels rubbed off & discarded, and chopped
• 225g (½ cup) chopped chocolate chunks
• Flaky salt (Maldon)

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the hazelnut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside.
2. Add the sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. In a small saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
4. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally until the butter browns (first it will foam up and then smell toasty with little brown flecks). 
5. Pour the browned butter over the sugar and stir a couple of times.
6. Add about a teaspoon of the butter/sugar mixture to the egg yolk to temper it and mix and then pour the tempered egg yolk into the butter/sugar mix and stir to combine.
7. Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
8. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until combined.
9. Add the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate and mix until evenly distributed.
10. Cover the dough with plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
11. Preheat the oven to 190℃ (375°F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
12. Drop large scoops (3 tablespoons) of dough onto the lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a few flakes of salt. If the dough has softened up, chill the dough on the baking sheet for another 10 minutes.
13. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is set, but still soft, rotating the pan halfway through.
14. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before carefully transferring with a thin spatula to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Gluten-free cookie recipes are a great idea to have on hand since you never know when you will encounter someone with a gluten allergy--and believe it or not there are tons of delicious gluten free cookies out there! Keep reading to discover the ones we’ve made this month. You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

If you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made ~

• Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Hazelnut Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cream and Butter Blog
• Almond Joy Coconut Macaroons from Food Lust People Love
• Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies from The Spiced Life
• Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles from 2 Cookin Mamas
• Flourless chocolate cookies from Flours & Frostings
• Fudge Cookie Bites from What Smells So Good?