I admit, Martha was my inspiration…
The first time I made Iced Pumpkin Raisin Cookies, I was 10 and got the recipe from a Martha Stewart magazine. Chock full of white flour, refined sugar and dairy – all the ingredients my body no longer obliges – they tasted like a warm hug. I think I made four batches in the course of a week. I also proudly brought a batch to our family Thanksgiving gathering, cradling them tenderly in my lap the whole ride to my grandma’s house.
I developed these Paleo Pumpkin Raisin cookies last year to indulge my seasonal craving. They are just as tasty as the original version, featuring warm spices, chewy raisins and a silky vanilla icing.
About the Ingredients
Coconut Flour – Coconut flour is my flour of choice for grain free baking. You can find it here or in any health food store. Unlike almond flour, which contains problematic enzyme inhibitors and inflammatory fatty acids (read why I avoid almond flour here) , coconut flour provides only healthy fats as well as fiber and protein to fill you up.
Eggs – Every time I post a recipe with eggs, I’m asked about a substitute. Because this recipe uses 100% coconut flour, it’s probably not going to work with an egg substitute unless you do some serious tweaking and experimenting. If you’re looking for an egg/dairy/nut/grain free cookie recipe for fall, try my Banana Ginger Cookies.
Coconut Butter – The key to the creamy icing is coconut butter, a puree of coconut meat. Don’t confuse coconut butter with coconut oil… think about the difference between almond oil and almond butter. You can make your own coconut butter in a food processor (directions here) or purchase it (I recommend this brand).
- ⅔ cup coconut flour, available here
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbs. coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup raw honey or pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. raw apple cider vinegar
- Pinch of unrefined salt
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup organic raisins
- ¼ cup coconut butter (not coconut oil), I recommend this one
- ¼ cup raw honey or pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp. coconut milk or milk of choice
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350. To measure the coconut flour, fluff flour with a fork then scoop the measuring cup and level. Don't pack the flour, or the cookies will be too heavy.
- Have all ingredients at room temperature and then stir together until well combined. If ingredients are not at room temperature, the batter will not combine because the coconut oil will clump. You can melt the coconut oil to help it mix together well.
- Flatten balls of dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I recommend making them smaller than the cookies in the picture - the bigger the cookies, the more fragile. I suggest using 1 Tbs. of dough per cookie and just flattening it slightly.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden around the edges. Cool cookies completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, have the ingredients at room temperature. Stir together until creamy. You may need to add another teaspoon or more of coconut milk for a spreadable frosting. Frost cookies before serving. Cookies and frosting should be stored separately. These cookies freeze relatively well.
Hi Lauren!
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this post, thinking of all the nice ingredients going into these cookies, with all the fuzzy feelings that come with the season… But then, it occurred to me: “Wait a minute, where’s the pumpkin?!” I triple-checked the ingredient list and still couldn’t find it. Either I’m missing something or you are
Yessss, i checked it few times looking for the pumpkin hehehehe. Where is it? 🙂
Ha! I thought it was just me as I’m a New Zealander and we just don’t get the whole sweet pumpkin thing (we use ours in savoury dishes), but even so, I did wonder where the pumpkin fits in.
I’m a New Zealander too, Kerrie, and we have had pumpkin pie every October at least – and sometimes more – all my life, for the last 60 years. It was my Dad’s favourite, and continues as a family tradition. So, some of us do indeed “get” the sweet pumpkin thing 🙂
Thanks for fixing it, Lauren! Now I can go ahead and try it
I’m so sorry about that, thanks for your patience!
I tried a few of the links in this post. However, the pages could not be found.
I’m sorry about that, I was in a rush to get the post up before class yesterday and I messed up some of the links inadvertently. I just fixed them, and I very much appreciate you telling me!
These look great! Any tips for digestive problems with coconut? I’ve found that I have a really hard time digesting anything with coconut flour or coconut butter (which sucks, because they’re great ingredients and fantastic healthwise, not to mention delicious). Coconut oil is fine, so I assume it’s the coconut fiber that bugs my tummy. Thanks!
Me too! I find I just have to avoid baked goods. Can’t handle almond flour or coconut flour. And even cacao can be a problem. I think the flours are just too high in fiber for my digestive problems (UC), even after being on GAPS for over 2 years 🙁
https://biomerestoration.com
Good for what ails ya! Praying health & happiness for you and yours!
My doctor wants me to abstain from grains, dairy, and sugar. This recipe fits bill except for the sugar. Could you suggest an acceptable substitute for the honey/maple syrup? I’m thinking liquid stevia, but not sure how many drops.
You may want to look into xylitol or erythritol if your doctor approves (xylitol sometimes has a laxative effect). They are sugar alcohols that should not affect your blood sugar. Xylitol has a small amount of calories while erythritol has 0- however, you’ll need to use more erythritol in a substitution as it is only 80% the sweetness of sugar. Or you can supplement the remaining 20% with stevia (recommend Nunaturals for a less bitter taste). The problem with stevia is that it has a rather bitter aftertaste that takes some getting used to. I find that when I make something for someone who is unused to healthy desserts, they almost always detect the stevia. Another- and more easily obtained- option is to use Truvia, which is basically erythritol with some stevia and monk fruit (fruit similar to stevia). You should be able to find it at your local Walmart. Good luck!
can you have agave syrup (from the cactus)
I love the xyla brand xylitol! It bakes like a dream and taste excellent in pu’er tea with coconut oil! I also recommend agave in a pinch. Same measurements for both. Happy baking!
My husband is diabetic and I’ve been using agave syrup for years. It doesn’t affect his blood sugars and we all love the way it tastes! I use in place of any recipe that calls for honey or syrups. If you use it in a recipe with a granular sugar, just substitute it while removing some of the liquid called for. Otherwise your recipe will be too moist.
Genius – I need these in my life right now:) Been stocking up on pumpkin for this reason! Why do you add RACV?
You need something acidic in the batter to react with the baking soda and release CO2, which will make the end product nice and fluffy, instead of flat and dense.
I wonder if a tbls of pale cider vinegar would work and nor overpower the taste?
your recipes are seriously the best:)
Is there supposed to be vanilla in the icing recipe? The description says “silky vanilla icing” – just checking if something was left out… thanks! Can’t wait to make these!
Yes, there was supposed to be vanilla extract listed. Thank you! I just fixed it. I’m embarrassed by the missing ingredient, I was trying to get this post up quickly.
I tried these last night! They were a hit. I only wish I had found Coconut butter locally; I bought some coconuts and tried making my own but my Magic Bullet isn’t powerful enough to make it into butter, I think. It would have really made the cookie, though. However, we definitely enjoyed them sans frosting. The only adjustment I had to make was by adding more coconut flour. I’m not sure if there was a typing mistake or if it’s the kind of flour I used but I had to add an extra cup of flour. So in the end it was 1 and 2/3 cups coconut flour. I also used Pumpkin Pie Spice but I added just a pinch of fresh clove to the second batch to give them that real holiday feel. Sooping out tablespoon balls of dough, we got 27 cookies. All-in-all, delicious! Thanks for posting!
These were delicious! Made them today without the raisins, and even cut down on the amount of honey in the frosting and my boys gobbled them up!
Hi, Lauren!
How long will these keep in a relatively airtight container on the kitchen counter, do you think?
Thanks!
They lasted three days before my friends and I ate them all and they were still moist. But I would recommend frosting them right before you serve them.