Soft Vegan Pumpkin Cookies (and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip)

Pumpkin purée is one of the best egg replacements in baking: it binds, adds moisture and brings color and flavor. These vegan pumpkin cookies lean into that, with a soft, almost cake-like texture and plenty of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Fold in chocolate chips and they become the autumn favorite, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients

Makes about 24 cookies.

• ¾ cup canned pumpkin purée (180 g), not pumpkin pie filling
• ½ cup vegan butter sticks, softened (113 g), or ½ cup neutral oil
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar (150 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or 1½ teaspoons cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon each ginger and nutmeg
• Optional: 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (175 g)

Method

1. Blot the pumpkin. Spread the pumpkin on a double layer of paper towels and press another towel on top for a minute. Removing some water gives a chewier, less cakey cookie.
2. Cream. Beat the vegan butter and brown sugar until smooth, then beat in the pumpkin and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spice until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
4. Chill for 30 minutes. The dough is soft and sticky; chilling makes it easier to scoop and helps the cookies keep some height.
5. Bake. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds onto lined sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops spring back lightly.
6. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then on a rack.

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

For vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, fold in 1 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips; semisweet and dark both work. Check the label for milk, which must be declared on US packaging as a major allergen. Mini chips spread through the soft dough more evenly.

Maple glaze

Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 to 2 teaspoons plant milk. Drizzle over the cooled plain cookies and let it set for 20 minutes.

Soft or chewy?

Pumpkin cookies are naturally soft and cakey because pumpkin is so moist. For a chewier cookie, blot the pumpkin well, use melted vegan butter instead of softened, and add an extra ¼ cup brown sugar. For a fluffier, cake-like cookie, skip the blotting.

Storing

Because of the pumpkin, keep them in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 4 days, with parchment between layers so they do not stick. They freeze well for up to 3 months.

Have leftover pumpkin? Use it in our vegan pumpkin bread or vegan pumpkin muffins.