Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave
Add the maple syrup, pumpkin purée, vanilla, ground almonds, gluten-free flour, baking powder and mixed spice
Add the milk a small amount at a time (to make sure you don't add too much), until you get a soft dough that's firm enough to mould
If the dough looks too wet, placing it in the fridge for an hour will help it firm up. If it looks too dry, add an extra splash of milk
Use your hands to shape the cookie dough into patties – you should be able to make 8 large cookies. To make super fluffy cookies, I like to make sure the centre part of the cookie is slightly thicker than the rest. And don't worry, unlike traditional cookies, these ones won't spread as they bake
Place the cookies on a baking tray/baking sheet lined with greased baking paper
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean – be careful not to over-bake!
They will be slightly soft when you remove them from the oven – leave to cool completely to let them harden before applying the frosting
For the frosting:
Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice
Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary
Taste and add extra lemon juice and/or maple syrup if necessary
Use a knife to spread a bit of frosting over each of the cookies
Sprinkle over ground cinnamon and/or pumpkin seeds to decorate, if desired
Taste best when fresh, but keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days
Notes
*You can alternatively use almond flour.Don’t worry about the cracks on top – I found it was impossible to make these vegan and gluten-free pumpkin cookies without cracks forming on top. The cracks don’t affect the taste or the texture at all, and the yummy lemon frosting will completely cover them up!