Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s a fall day, and vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies just sound good, don’t they? Or it’s the middle of summer, and you long for the day you can bundle up in flannel by the fire and gorge on hot chocolate and cookies (does that happen to you, or is it just me?) No matter the season, this vegan pumpkin cookie recipe makes for a delicious dessert.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• So Autumn: This pumpkin cookie recipe combines every element of fall from the star ingredient pumpkin to the nutty almond flour to the seasonal spices and the caramelly maple syrup. 
• Quick: From batter to baked perfection in just 12 minutes. 
• Vegan: No FOMO with these egg-free and dairy-free pumpkin cookies – great for anyone with allergies to lactose or eggs. 

Ingredients & Notes

Here are the main ingredients for these vegan pumpkin cookies and some helpful options for substitutions.

• Flour: These vegan pumpkin cookies call for both whole-wheat pastry flour and almond flour. If you would like to make them gluten-free, then I recommend subbing the whole-wheat pastry flour for a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix.
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Sugar: A combination of cane sugar and maple syrup makes these vegan cookies perfectly sweet. If you are wanting a lower sugar option, then replace the cane sugar with monk fruit sugar or stevia. You can also use white sugar in place of the cane sugar.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. (This combination is similar to using pumpkin pie spice, but instead, you are using individual spices.)
• Pumpkin purée: I recommend using real pumpkin purée or homemade pumpkin purée. Make sure to avoid using canned pumpkin pie filling.
• Coconut oil: Ensure that your coconut oil is solid. If it’s not, stick it in the fridge for a few minutes before including it in this recipe. Using refined coconut oil will ensure that your
• Vanilla extract
• Chocolate chips: To keep these cookies dairy-free then, you want to make sure to use vegan chocolate chips. If you’d like to add extra chocolate chips, go for it! Who doesn’t like more dark chocolate chips?
• Salt: I tend to use Himalayan salt or sea salt because that is what we tend to have on hand. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl until combined.

3. Stir in the wet ingredients, including pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, until well combined. Using a wooden spoon works for this recipe. If you like, a hand mixer also does the trick.

4. Add the vegan chocolate chips and stir with a spoon until evenly dispersed. (Feel free to leave one to two tablespoons of chocolate chips on the side. Then place them on top of the cookies once they are on the cookie sheet.)

5. Scoop dough rounds onto a large baking sheet using a spoon or a cookie scoop. Then lightly flatten with your fingers. (To keep your cookies from sticking, spray the pan with cooking oil, line it with parchment paper, or use a silicone baking mat. 

6. Bake for about 12 minutes. (This will give you nice soft cookies with a slight cakey texture. (For chewy cookies, I would recommend checking them at 12 minutes but then potentially baking them for an additional 1-2 minutes.)

Recipe Variations

• Vegan butter: Vegan butter could be used instead of coconut oil.
• Walnuts: The best vegan pumpkin cookies taste wonderful, with some chopped walnuts added into the mix.
• Almond butter: This may seem odd, but a little drizzle of almond butter on top after they come out of the oven.

Storage Tips

Store leftover cookies from this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.

How to make the perfect cookie dough rounds:

Ever wondered what the trick to perfectly even round cookie dough balls could be? Here is my (now worst-kept) secret. 

For these dairy-free pumpkin cookies, use a round ice cream scoop to measure out a uniform amount of dough for each cookie. If they are still a little misshapen, you roll the dough in your hands to round it out before placing the balls on the silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. That’s the secret, an ice cream scoop. You’re welcome. 😉

Top Tips: 

• If the dough is particularly difficult to shape, it may help to refrigerate the batter for 20 minutes before rolling. 
• Roll with cold hands. Simply run your hands in cold water for 15 seconds and dry before molding your dough.  

Serving Tips

Here’s how to make your dairy-free pumpkin cookies even more aesthetically pleasing:

• After you position your cookie dough rounds on the baking paper, press a few chocolate chips into the top of the dough. This ensures the chocolate chips are front and center when you remove them from the oven. Plus, who doesn’t want more chocolate?
• If you are looking for another tasty winter treat, try these Vegan Peppermint Mocha Cookies or these Vegan Pumpkin Scones.

Why is pumpkin spice so popular?

Pumpkin in fall is nothing new, but what even is pumpkin spice, and how has it become such a buzzword in the last few years? 

You’ll probably recognize pumpkin spice from the infamous Starbucks pumpkin spice latte (PSL). Every year there are record numbers of PSL sales as people flock to coffee shops to get their PSL fix. 

This trend has progressed beyond coffee and into baking. And for a good reason! 

Pumpkin spice is typically a blend of the classic warming fall/winter spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves, and sometimes allspice. Combine these seasonings with the comforting pumpkin, and you have a winning combination of ingredients that could win you a trophy in any bake-off.

The reason we adore this flavor combination so much is likely because it’s so seasonal. The limited-edition nature of pumpkin spice, and pumpkins in general, gives us that urgency and that ‘must have’ feeling when it returns. 

The spice mix also works well in baking as each spice really shines in the baking, and no flavor is lost in the mix.

Whether you associate pumpkin spice with holiday nostalgia or just enjoy the taste, this is not a combo you want to miss out on this year. 

Recipe

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