Paleo Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie

A Paleo Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie Skillet. Perfect for a crowd. Made with grain-free flour, nut butter and real pumpkin. This dessert is going to blow you away! Dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo. 

Post updated with more notes and helpful tips October 2020. Originally published October 2017.

Do you ever get a hankering for a deep dish cookie?

…No? Just me?

Okay so one may not get a “hankering” for a deep dish cookie on the regular but when you’re dreaming of a paleo version of this pumpkin cookie skillet, but multiplied by 12…

We’re talking DEEP DISH CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN COOKIE.

Does it get any better than this?!

This recipe came about because while I love my darling little single cookie skillets…when they’re gone, they’re gone. And then you’re left the next evening wondering if you should have made 5 mini skillet cookies so your desserts would be set for the rest of the week.

Mr. FMK is not one for single-serve desserts around here unless they are his and his alone. He is also not one for giant cookies… Unless I don’t take any bites.

But let’s be honest… Isn’t it the wife’s duty to take a little bite of their spouse’s desserts?  I think that is a marriage rule. I’m sure we wrote that in our vows somewhere…

Deep Dish Pumpkin Cookie Skillet

So I made this deep dish pumpkin cookie with Drew in mind, plus all of other SOs that don’t want to share desserts and would like the option for seconds 🙂

Myself included in this. 

It would also be a lovely dessert to make for a gathering. Maybe you cut giant pumpkin cookie pie slices, or maybe you keep them on the smaller side and cut into squares.

Paleo Pumpkin Cookie Ingredients

• canned pumpkin – canned pumpkin works best here to maintain the texture. While I haven’t tried this with homemade pumpkin puree, it should work. You may just need an extra 1/4 cup flour to help absorb any excess moisture.
• cashew butter – I like cashew butter here but you can use almond butter, tahini, sunbutter or a blend. Just note if using sunbutter, parts of the baked cookie will turn green due to a reaction with baking soda (completely safe to eat though so don’t worry!).
• oil – really any mild oil works such as sunflower oil, avocado oil, melted and cooled coconut oil or even light olive oil.
• coconut sugar – any dry granulated sugar works such as brown sugar, cane sugar, maple sugar, xylitol, etc.
• maple syrup – the liquid sweetener of choice here. Honey could also work.
• eggs – helps maintain the structure of the cookie. I haven’t tried this with flaxseed eggs yet but it may work.
• vanilla extract – always vanilla!
• almond flour – nut flour works best here. Use blanched almond flour or cashew flour.
• pumpkin spice – you can use store bought or make it using this simple recipe that uses just 4 ingredients!
• baking soda & salt – the leavning agent for the cookie plus salt to balance flavor.

How to Make a Deep Dish Pumpkin Cookie Skillet

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 10″ cast iron skillet with butter or oil.
2. In large bowl add cashew butter, oil and coconut sugar. Use stand mixer paddle attachment or electric mixer and beat together for about 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined.
3. Add in maple syrup, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract; mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Add in almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Use spatula to combine by hand, or use paddle attachment.
5. Fold in chopped chocolate (you can use all chips or all chunks if preferred) and transfer pumpkin cookie batter into greased skillet.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden.
7. Allow skillet to cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
8. Serve with your favorite ice cream for a seriously awesome treat. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks for this recipe

• I used my stand mixer for easier mixing but you can also use one large bowl and an electric hand mixer.
• I do recommend an electric mixer of some sort if you have one, to help ensure all the wet ingredients get combined well–especially the nut/seed butter. My cashew butter was pretty thick and using the paddle attachment of my stand mixer helped make sure it combined well with the oil and sugar.
• Once the ingredients are all combined you simply transfer the pumpkin cookie batter into a greased 10″ skillet and bake.

Some notes on the flour!

I used almond flour here, but I also tested this mini pumpkin cookie skillet with cashew flour. So I think cashew flour would work here in this recipe too. See this post on how to make cashew flour–it’s as simple as blending raw cashews in a blender or food processor. 

Let the Pan Rest

The most challenging part of this whole process is letting the pumpkin cookie rest a bit before slicing into it.

It’s not that you have to wait too long, but it feels like torture when all you want to do is DIVE IN.

But allowing the skillet to cool will not only ensure you don’t burn your mouth (been there, done that) it will also help the cookie slices hold together better when sliced and served.

Can I use a different pan?

I used a cast iron here, but you could likely use a deep dish pie plate or even a 10″ round cake pan with removable bottom – like this one. Baking times will vary based on pan used.

I’ve also used a quarter sheet pan for this recipe and served as cookie bars. Bake at 350ºF and check after 20 minutes.

What does this Pumpkin Cookie Taste Like?

The texture in this pumpkin cookie? Thick, soft, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Especially when paired with your favorite ice cream…

I hope you guys love this as much as we do! It’s a dessert that I make often to share with friends and family – always a hit!

Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx, Ashley

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