Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pizookie (Gluten Free Dessert!)

With a soft, fudgy texture and gooey chocolate chips, this gluten free pumpkin pizookie recipe may just become your favorite Fall dessert!

Why you’ll love this pumpkin pizookie

Easy to make. Just blend the ingredients in a food processor, stir in the chocolate chips, and bake until hot and gooey.
The taste and texture. It’s like a giant chocolate chip pumpkin cookie, with chewy edges, a thick center, and pumpkin spice flavor in each delicious bite.
No flour or eggs. The recipe uses high fiber chickpeas and whole grain oats or almond flour instead of traditional white flour.
Vegan and gluten free. Vegans, Celiacs, and people who have no interest whatsoever in special diets or healthy desserts all love this festive pumpkin dessert.
Holiday favorite. Serve it for Halloween, Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving dessert, or any event where a homemade chocolate chip pumpkin cookie cake would be a welcome addition. (Umm, every event?!)

You may also love these Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies

Full recipe video

What is a pizookie?

Imagine a combination of a pie and a cookie cake. A soft, chocolatey, fudgy delicious deep dish chocolate chip cookie.

Sounds pretty fantastic, right?!

First coined by the chain restaurant BJ’s Brewhouse, the name pizookie is a portmanteau of the words “pizza” and “cookie.”

BJ’s website says they offer flavors like Chocolate Chunk, Triple Chocolate, and Red Velvet pizookies. However, they do not offer a pumpkin version.

I first created this vegan pumpkin pizookie years ago for an October housewarming party, where the entire dessert disappeared almost immediately.

None of the guests besides me were vegan or gluten free, and everyone was so surprised to find out the secret ingredient: canned white beans!

Pumpkin Pizookie Ingredients (Pizza Cookie)

Gluten free pumpkin pizookie ingredients

Pumpkin – Buy pure pumpkin puree or make your own at home from a roasted pumpkin.

Beans – The recipe calls for chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or white beans (cannellini, great northern) for a soft, moist texture without eggs. You can use drained canned chickpeas or 500 grams of cooked beans.

Oats – Quick oats or almond flour take the place of white flour in typical cookie pie recipes. Use certified gluten free oats or the almond flour version for a gluten free pumpkin dessert.

Sweetener – You can use granulated sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, or a sugar free substitute that measures like white sugar. A few readers have commented to say that pure maple syrup, honey, or agave work. I have not personally tried tried a liquid sweetener yet.

Almond Butter – I like almond butter for its neutral flavor and buttery richness. Cashew butter or coconut oil are also great choices.

Spices – A teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice impart a cozy Fall flavor to the gluten free pie.

Chocolate Chips – Add one cup of dark or semi sweet chocolate chips (your choice), plus more for sprinkling on top if desired.

Other Ingredients – You also need baking powder, baking soda, salt, and a splash of pure vanilla extract to make the homemade pizookie recipe.

Leftover pumpkin? Make 100 Calorie Pumpkin Cake

How to make the pumpkin pizookie recipe

Step 1: Prepare the beans. Open the cans of chickpeas or white beans, then drain and rinse them thoroughly. Or if making your own beans from scratch, cook until soft and let cool.

Step 2: Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 350° Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius. Grease a 9 inch springform pan, or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set this pan aside.

Step 3: Combine ingredients. Add the beans, pumpkin puree, softened almond butter or coconut oil, vanilla extract, quick oats or almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt to a food processor.

Step 4: Blend until smooth. Turn the machine on high, and process until the texture resembles cookie dough. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed.

Step 5: Add chocolate chips. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand with a spatula or spoon.

Step 6: Transfer to the pan. Spread the pumpkin cookie cake batter evenly into the prepared round springform pan. Smooth out the top. Garnish with more chocolate chips or chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans if you wish.

Step 7: Bake in the oven. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven, and bake for 35 minutes. Then let it cool fully before removing the springform sides and slicing the pumpkin pizookie into individual servings.

Step 8: Refrigerate leftovers. After cooling, cover and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months. You may also leave the dessert out at room temperature for a few hours if transporting or serving at a party.

The pie is fantastic topped with Coconut Ice Cream

Chocolate chip pumpkin pizookie tip

I highly recommend a food processor to make this healthy pumpkin pizookie.

The beans will blend more smoothly in a food processor than if you use a blender (even a high speed blender like a Vitamix). Both the taste and texture are much, much better when blended in a food processor.

A 14 cup food processor is ideal, but it will work in a slightly smaller machine. If you have an 11 cup food processor, blend in two batches for the smoothest results. Do not use a mini chopper, which is not strong enough for this recipe.

Gooey Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pizookie (Deep Dish Cookie Cake)

1. Drain and rinse beans well. Alternatively, cook chickpeas or white beans from scratch and let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (176° Celsius). Grease a 9 inch springform pan, or line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Blend chickpeas, pumpkin, softened almond butter or coconut oil, vanilla, oats or almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt in a large food processor. (I used this Cuisinart food processor.) Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the machine. (For best results, I highly recommend a food processor over a blender here.)
4. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Then spread the gluten free pumpkin pizookie batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top if desired.
5. Bake on the oven’s center rack for 35 minutes. Let fully cool before removing the sides of the pan, slicing, and serving.
6. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.