Can't decide between wanting a cookie or a muffin? Try these Gluten Free Peach Muffin Top Cookies! These soft and airy peach cookies taste like the tops of fluffy muffins and are completely gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
When it's peach season, you can catch me baking absolutely every peach recipe I can think of! I already have a number of peach recipes on my site, and I plan to bring you many more as the years go by.
These delicious cookies were basically an end of season experiment. I had some leftover peaches I needed to use up and I thought it would be fun to try and make a muffin top cookie. They turned out great, so here we are! There are a lot of peach cobbler cookies on the internet, but this is an easy peach cookie recipe for when the dessert craving hits, but you don't want to put in a lot of effort- basically fluffy peach muffins in cookie form.
If you are looking for muffins, though, try my Paleo Ginger-Peach Muffins.
Why You'll Love These Fresh Peach Cookies
- Allergy friendly: these peach cookies are made without gluten, dairy, or refined sugar. They are also nut and corn free, making them a safe cookie to bring to gatherings or special occasions.
- Easy to make: mix, scoop, bake, it's that simple. These peach cookies are done in under 30 minutes.
- Healthy cookies: made with simple ingredients, there is no refined sugar in these gluten free cookies. They also contain a fraction of the sugar of most cookie recipes, making them lower glycemic and healthier overall. We use applesauce in place of some of the fat for a lower fat and calorie cookie. Peaches are also packed with antioxidants and fiber all of which help your skin, digestion, immune system, and more!
Gluten Free Peach Cookie Ingredients
- Gluten-free flour blend: be sure to use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour with xanthan gum for best results.
- Tigernut flour: this a nut free alternative to almond flour, but you can use almond flour instead if you tolerate nuts,
- Tapioca starch: adding a little bit of starch helps us achieve a tender cookie.
- Coconut sugar: the unrefined sweetener used in this peach cookie recipe.
- Coconut oil: the healthy fat used in these cookies instead of dairy.
- Applesauce: be sure to use an unsweetened applesauce.
- Eggs: you'll need 1 large egg for this recipe.
- Peaches: be sure to use ripe, fresh peaches for the best flavor! Yes, these cookies use real peaches- no yellow food coloring or peach flavoring. If you can, get peaches from a local farmer's market. They always taste better than from the grocery store.
- Baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt
How to Make Peach Muffin Top Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Pit and dice your peach and set aside in a small bowl.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Beat the melted coconut oil, applesauce, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl for 1 minute on medium speed with an electric mixer or stand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla to the wet mixture and beat until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, except for the peaches, and mix on low speed to combine.
- Toss diced peaches in flour then fold the peach mixture into the batter. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed.
- Use a 1.5-2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough into 12-15 balls and place on the lined baking sheet 1-2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies slightly.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on the edges.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Substitutions and Variations
- Flour: you can opt for almond flour instead of the tigernut flour. Instead of the tapioca starch, arrowroot starch will work. I have not tested corn starch.
- Coconut oil: I have not tested this recipe with another fat, but butter or dairy-free butter should work. Olive oil may provide a light texture, as well, but cause the cookies to spread more. If you try it, let me know how it went!
- Applesauce: applesauce is the best option since it is neutral, but you can also try mashed banana or pumpkin puree. Both of those will be denser, so I can't guarantee the outcome of the cookies. Yogurt will also yield a denser, gummier cookie.
- Egg: I have not tested an egg substitute, but it should work in this recipe.
- Coconut sugar: if you don't have coconut sugar, you can use light brown sugar.
- Variations: these gluten free muffin top cookies would work well with almost any other fresh fruit, so next time you can try berries or another seasonal fruit option. You could also try swirling a couple of tablespoons of peach jam through the cookie batter for extra peach flavor. Ginger and peach is also a wonderful combo, so you could add a thumb of grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger to the batter, as well.
Serving and Storage
Serve these fresh peach cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect late summer dessert!
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. These cookies also freeze well. Just be sure to let cookies come to room temperature before eating for the best flavor.
Baking Tips
- Measure dry ingredients correctly: the best way to measure dry ingredients is by scooping the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off. This way you don't have too much flour and end up with dry cookies.
- Don't over mix: one you've added the dry mixture to the wet, beat on low or fold in the dry ingredients until just combined and there are a few flour streaks left. When you fold in the peaches, everything will be combined perfectly.
- Don't over bake: take the cookies out when the edges are golden and the cookie centers look like they could use another minute. The cookies will cook a little more as they cool. Baking time varies based on oven and altitude, so it's always best to bake a test cookie first and adjust time from there.
FAQ
This recipe is designed using fresh peaches, I have not tested canned or frozen peaches. I think either would work as long as you thaw and drain off any excess liquid. If you use canned peaches, be sure to use ones without added sugar.
Nope! We actually want the moisture that fresh juicy peaches give off during baking, it helps keep these cookies from drying out.
I have not tested an egg-free version of these cookies, but I think a high quality egg substitute like Bob's Red Mill could work. If you try it, leave a comment and letting me know it went!
More Gluten Free Peach Desserts
Gluten Free Ginger Peach Galette
Gluten Free Strawberry and Peach Shortcake
Paleo Strawberry Peach Crisp Recipe
If you try this recipe, please leave a rating and review. I love hearing from you!
Peach Muffin Top Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup 1:1 gluten free flour
- ½ cup tigernut flour almond flour should work too
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup diced peaches tossed in 1 tablespoon gluten free flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pit and dice your peach and set aside.
- Beat the oil and sugar together in a bowl for 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to incorporate.
- Add the dry ingredients, except for the peaches, and mix on low to combine until there are a few streaks of flour left.
- Toss peaches in flour and fold into batter.
- Scoop cookie dough into 12-15 balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet 1-2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies slightly.
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes until golden on the edges.
- Let cool for 5 minutes on the tray then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Leave a Reply