I love autumn and everything about it! I love the cooler, crisp air. I love the beautiful red, yellow, orange and purplish leaves. I love baking and casseroles and soups. I love the smell of cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg and ginger. I love apple cider and hot chocolate. I love it all! And this recipe is my way of ushering it all in.

When I was a kid, my mom found a recipe for pumpkin cookies (out of a magazine or something) and made them right before a family trip to Tennessee. We devoured them!

Originally, the recipe called for a vanilla glaze, or something like that. But someone in my family (my sister? my mom?) came up with the idea of adding chocolate. But not just any chocolate! Crunchy candy coated M&Ms.

At first, we mixed the M&Ms in the raw dough. But while baking, the colors would bleed and look weird. We opted to cook them without the candy, but pushed them onto the top as soon as the cookies came out of the oven. If you are able to eat the candy, I HIGHLY recommend trying that.

When I got married, I continued to make the cookies every fall. It marked the beginning of the holidays for our family! The kids loved putting the colors on the cookies when they came out of the oven, using only fall colors and eating the rest. It was a wonderful tradition.

When we realized that wheat was making us sick, and then dairy and eggs and corn, we were all sad. It’s a strange recipe to me (in all honesty), mixing pumpkin and cinnamon and chocolate. But somehow, it works!

Determined to continue the tradition, I tried all of the substitutions. Normally, when you have to change practically everything, it doesn’t work. But these do! I don’t know how, but it works.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. Who knows? Maybe they’ll become a tradition in your home as well.

3 1/2 c. GF flour

2 1/3 c. GF quick oats

1 3/4 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 c. (340 g) palm fruit shortening

1 3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree

6 Tbsp. aquafaba (juice from garbanzo beans)

1 3/4 tsp. vanilla

2 bags chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350°F (177°C)

Mix first five ingredients, being sure to sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In separate bowl, beat shortening, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Add pumpkin, aquafaba and vanilla; mix well.

Gradually add flour mixture, blending well after each addition.

Using a medium scoop, place on parchment paper-lined pan.

Bake 15 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Makes 9 dozen

*I mention sifting a lot. It’s such an important step! It removes lumps so the batter can come together better and is worth the extra effort.