Below is a holiday inspired recipe from the National Honey Board for Gluten-free Pumpkin Honey Spice Cookies.
I love using honey because it is a natural sweetener. I’ve been using more of it since my brother-in-law started keeping honey bees last year. A few of my recipes that use honey include:
- Chocolate Nut Butter Date Balls
- Nutty Apricot Balls
- Honeyed Grapefruit with Pecans
- Pineapple Cinnamon Chicken
- Cranberry Salad
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Coconut
Shirley at Gluten Free Easily also keeps bees and has plenty of recipes that use honey.
I like what the National Honey Board has to say about honey,
“This pantry staple is much more than a simple sweetener. With more than 300 varietals in the United States, honey adds its own unique profile to every recipe. In general, lighter colored honeys are milder in flavor, while darker honeys are more robust. Besides giving a touch of sweetness to every bite, honey also adds an appealing golden color for an eye-catching, mouthwatering treat.
Plus did you know honey is the perfect ingredient for gluten-free recipes, especially baked goods. Honey not only adds moisture to gluten-free recipes, it masks “off” bitter flavors often found in gluten-free flours.”
The pumpkin, pecans, and cranberries in these cookies make them ideal for holiday gatherings, and they’re sure to be a hit.
Pumpkin Honey Spice Cookies
Prep
Cook
Total
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour blend*
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon guar gum powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or line with parchment paper 3 cookie sheets.
- In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- On a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together honey and butter.
- Beat in pumpkin and egg (mixture will look curdled, but will smooth out when dry ingredients are added).
- On low speed, mix in dry ingredients until blended; mix in pecans and cranberries.
- Drop tablespoons of dough onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving 1 inch between them.
- Bake 15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool on pan 5 minutes; with spatula, transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
- Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Notes
*Use a store-bought blend or make your own blend by combining equal parts white rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch or cornstarch.
Courses Dessert
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 109 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 5 g | 8% | |
Cholesterol 13 mg | 4% | |
Sodium 84 mg | 4% | |
Total Carbohydrates 16 g | 5% | |
Dietary Fiber 1 g | 4% | |
Protein 1 g | 2% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I love that you are highlighting honey and the National Honey Board, Linda! Thanks, too, for the sweet mention! 🙂 I know that we and your brother hope that many more folks will get on board with keeping bees; our food supply desperately needs our honeybees for sure and I certainly love eating their honey. I made a variation of this recipe last year and we really enjoyed it. Thanks, too, for the reminder on some of your honey-sweetened recipes!
Shirley
These sound very good and I would like to make them. I however don’t have guar gum. Can I substitute xanthan gum instead?
Yes, xanthan gum should work.
A great alternative to wheat flour and sugar.
I love this recipe and plan to use it from now on.
I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free all purpose flour and xantham gum and it worked just fine.