“I’m thinking a spiced shortbread sandwich cookie with caramel pumpkin filling sounds good,” I said to Micah as we were feeding the fish at the farm. “We can call them AIP Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies. I think it’ll make a great AIP cookie recipe.”
He laughed, “Is food all you ever think about?”
The answer to that question is maybe almost always. Recipe ideas are constantly rolling through my brain. Different flavor combinations and food creations are always simmering in the back of my mind. And with the fall season in full swing, I am thinking of all the AIP pumpkin recipes. Call it a blessing or a curse, or just the mark of a food blogger, but I like thinking about food!
Fall is the time when I go crazy with AIP pumpkin recipes. Since It’s fall I can finally enjoy pumpkin spice everything without being made fun of. And when the cool weather rolls around it demands that the flavors of spices and warm pumpkin be enjoyed. And these AIP Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies give a nice sweet flavor of warm pumpkin spice.
I am a cookie girl through and through, and I love a good AIP cookie recipe! Typically I like the easy, whip-em-up-in-5-minutes-and-bake-them-in-10 kind of cookie recipes. But fall gets me into a baking mood. This AIP cookie recipe takes some additional prep, but let me tell you it is well worth the extra time! The cookie is a crispy spiced shortbread base with a delicious pumpkin spiced caramel filling. These AIP cookies are grain-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened, and they are AIP, paleo, and vegan. This AIP pumpkin recipe is good for your belly and good for your soul.
Tips on making This AIP Pumpkin Recipe
Do I need to chill this AIP cookie dough?
Chilling the dough does two things: it helps the cookies to have a crispy texture, and it makes the dough easier to work with. You can still bake the cookies without chilling the dough, it’s just a little more difficult. When the dough is room temperature it may be a little sticky to work with. For this AIP pumpkin recipe, If you want to skip the chilling step make sure to have plenty of tapioca or arrowroot flour on hand to dust the dough with. Also make sure to roll the dough out on parchment paper for easy transfer.
Do I need to roll and cut out the cookies?
Rolling and cutting out the cookies are one of the easiest ways to ensure that the sandwich cookies will be the same size. If you don’t want to roll them out you can press them into discs onto the cookie sheet. Just make sure you flatten them to the thickness you want them since they don’t spread when they bake.
Tips on making this AIP Cookie Recipe
Make sure to chill the dough for at least half an hour to make it easier to work with. When you roll the dough out, use tapioca or arrowroot flour for dusting your work surface and rolling pin. My cookies were about 1 ½ inches, but you can cut them smaller or use different cookie cutter shapes.
This AIP cookie recipe is best fresh because after about a day they start to lose their crispiness. Make these cookies the day you want to serve them. If you make the dough ahead of time you may need to let it sit out and thaw a little bit before you use it as the oil will become solid when refrigerated for long periods of time. To store them, I recommend keeping them in the refrigerator in an airtight container so they will stay fresh!
How to Make AIP Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies
Start by mixing the coconut oil and palm shortening together until smooth. There still may be some chunks.
Next add in the coconut sugar and maple syrup into the oil. Stir this until nice and creamy, and add in the coconut milk and vanilla and stir again.
Mix the flours, salt, and spices together in a separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until it is completely mixed.
Let the dough chill for about 30 minutes or longer.
While the dough chills, make the AIP pumpkin caramel filling. Add the pumpkin, maple, and coconut milk together. On medium heat bring to a boil in a saucepan.
For the AIP pumpkin recipe, once it starts boiling, bring down to a simmer and let simmer for about 10-12 minutes. The sauce will become thick and reduce by about half.
When the dough has chilled, take out the dough and dust your dough with flour to prevent sticking and roll out the dough onto parchment paper. Cut the cookies out and bake at 350 F for 7-8 minutes. Turn the sheet half way through the baking cycle to ensure to cookies bake evenly.
Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before adding the caramel sauce. Dust with coconut sugar for presentation. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later.
If you liked this AIP pumpkin recipe, you should check out these AIP recipes!
AIP Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Spiced Shortbread
- ½ Cup Cassava Flour
- ½ Cup Arrowroot Flour
- ¼ Cup Coconut Flour
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Cup Palm Shortening
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon Cloves
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Pumpkin Spice Caramel Filling
- ½ Cup Coconut Milk (Full fat)
- ½ Cup Pumpkin Puree (Not pumpkin pie filling)
- ¼ Cup Maple Syrup
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Start by mixing the coconut oil and palm shortening together until smooth. There still may be some chunks.
- Next add in the coconut sugar and maple syrup into the oil. Stir this until nice and creamy and add in the coconut milk and vanilla and stir again.
- Mix the flours, salt, and spices together in a separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until it is completely mixed.
- Let the dough chill for about 30 minutes or longer. This is an important step! So don't skip it!
Pumpkin Spice Caramel
- While the dough chills add the pumpkin, maple, and coconut milk together. On Medium heat bring the pumpkin mixture to a boil in a saucepan.
- Once it starts boiling, bring down to a simmer and let simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and salt while the sauce simmers. The sauce will become thick and reduce by about half.
Assembling the Cookies
- When the dough has chilled, take out the dough and dust your dough with flour to prevent sticking and roll out the dough onto parchment paper.
- Cut the cookies out and bake at 350 F for 7-8 minutes. Turn the sheet half way through the baking cycle to ensure the cookies bake evenly.
- Once the cookies are baked wait about 10 minutes for them to cool before adding the caramel sauce to the cookies and dust with coconut sugar.
- Serve immediately for crispy cookies, or store in the refrigerator and serve later. Stores for about a week in the fridge.
