Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 6 tbsps pumpkin purée (86 g)
• 7 tbsps unsalted butter, cubed (100 g)
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (100g)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 180 g dark chocolate coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup rice flour (86 g)
• 1/2 cup oat flour (62 g)
• 3 tbsp tapioca flour (18 g)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• flaky salt for topping

1. Preheat your oven to 325ºF and add the pecans to a baking sheet. Toast for about six to seven minutes until fragrant and toasted, then remove and let cool. Roughly chop and set them aside.
2. Set aside the pumpkin purée and place a paper towel on top just to blot it down and remove some of the extra wetness/liquid from it.
3. Heat up a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt, stirring constantly with a silicone whisk or spatula until bubbling and browned. It will start to smell nutty and look browned and foamy. Don’t stop stirring, it can easily burn. This should take about 5 to 8 minutes total. Adjust the heat as needed to medium-low to avoid burning. Pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Add in the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar to the large bowl with the butter. Whisk very well, until most of the clumps of sugar are gone. Now add the blotted pumpkin purée, vanilla extract and the egg yolk. Whisk very well until the mixture is shiny and everything is incorporated very well. Whisk for about 45 seconds total.
5. Roughly chop your chocolate and set aside.
6. In a medium sized bowl, add the rice flour, oat flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk well to incorporate.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a wooden spoon to stir the flour mixture into the sugar/butter mixture very well. Stir until combined, continue to stir vigorously for 45 seconds; the mixture will firm up slightly. This increases the stickiness of the flours and helps the cookies hold together. Stir in the nuts and chocolate until evenly distributed.
8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and move the mixture to the fridge to let it firm up, at least one to two hours.

To Bake

1. Using slightly damp hands (the dough is sticky), roll into balls using about 2 tbsp of cookie dough into a 1 1/2" diameter ball, or use a cookie scoop.
2. Preheat your oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take your cookie dough balls and place them on the baking sheet spaced out about 2 to 3 inches apart. No need to flatten, leave them as balls.
3. Return the dough to the fridge while you are waiting for the cookies to bake in the oven.
4. Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes (mine took 9 minutes), until the edges are slightly brown and the center is very soft, it will look undercooked. If the cookies are looking a little puffy right out of the oven, bang the pan down on a hard stable surface. This helps to create those beautiful ripples around the centre. Add a pinch of flaky salt on top right after taking them from the oven.
5. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes (they will continue cooking). Then gently lift them off using a spatula or take the whole parchment lined paper off and place on a cooling rack.
6. Allow them to cool completely before devouring.