These vegan pumpkin cookies are soft and gooey on the inside, and lightly crisp on the outside. AKA, they’re the perfect pumpkin cookies! You can load them up with chocolate chips, leave them plain, or drizzle some icing on top. Either way, you’re left with a delicious pumpkin cookie.
This post is sponsored by SunButter and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Butternut Bakery possible!
The secret to soft vegan pumpkin cookies
Getting the perfect pumpkin cookie is a balancing act. Too much pumpkin and they turn out really cakey, too little pumpkin and you don’t get that delicious flavor.
Luckily for this recipe, you’re left with a gooey and chewy vegan pumpkin cookie that’s a far cry from most pumpkin cookies! It walks and talks like a delicious chewy chocolate chip cookie but with all the added pumpkin flavor and zero animal products.
The secret to getting that perfect consistency is adding the right amount of pumpkin AND SunButter! Natural SunButter works so well in this recipe because it creates that gooey cookie texture and helps to bind everything together.
It also has a fairly mild flavor so it doesn’t compete with the pumpkin. It’s my secret weapon in creating delicious vegan and dairy free recipes because it’s the perfect placeholder for eggs or oil.
Just make sure to use Natural SunButter for that drippy consistency and really mix up the jar before using it.
How to make vegan pumpkin cookies
This recipe works just like any other cookie recipe, except maybe even a little bit easier and quicker!
Start by mixing together the brown sugar, pumpkin, Natural SunButter, and plant-based butter. Make sure to use a butter that is in stick form because those are specifically made for baking.
Once that’s combined, toss in your dry ingredients and you’re ready to go! I made mine into vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for an extra bit of gooiness in the center.
And if you follow my recipes, you know I LOVE my large 2 oz cookie scoop. But I found that a standard sized scoop worked best for this recipe. The smaller size allows the outside to bake evenly while the center remains soft.
For the best results, don’t roll them between your hands. Just scoop and bake. The reason being, rolling them slighty warms the outside. This creates a thin oil and sugar coating that leads to a tough cracked exterior.
The cookies bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. They’re ready when they’re slightly puffed up and have lost their shine. They’ll settle and flatten as they cool.
Can I eat the raw pumpkin cookie dough?
Absolutely! But first, you’ll need to heat treat the flour to ensure it’s safe to eat. I walk through how to do so in my recipe for Edible Brownie Batter Cookie Dough.
How can I make these pumpkin cookies gluten free?
Simply swap the all purpose flour with gluten free all purpose flour. Just make sure it already has xanthan gum mixed in. If it doesn’t, add 1 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum to the recipe.
Can I use a natural sweetener?
If you want to make these a little bit healthier, swap the brown sugar for coconut sugar. The cookies will turn out a little bit darker, but will taste just the same.
How to store vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
These are best enjoyed fresh from the oven. That’s when they’re the softest and gooiest. Otherwise, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
But just a warning, the mixture of SunButter and baking soda turns the inside of these cookies green the next day! No, they haven’t gone bad. It’s just a reaction between the acid in the sunflower seeds and the baking soda. It’s very common when baking with sunflower seed butter.
For more pumpkin recipes, check out my:
- Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make these Vegan Pumpkin Cookies. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
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These vegan pumpkin cookies are soft and gooey on the inside, and lightly crisp on the outside. Load them up with chocolate chips for some extra flavor and gooiness!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plant-based butter, room temp
- 1/4 cup Natural SunButter
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (or coconut sugar)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or GF all purpose flour w/ xanthan gum)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the butter, SunButter, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla using an electric mixer.
- Once smooth, mix in the dry ingredients.
- As an optional step, fold in the chocolate chips. Make sure to use vegan chocolate chips if needed.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop 5-6 cookies onto the baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. They should be slightly puffed up when fresh from the oven and will settle and flatten as they cool.
- Enjoy while they’re still warm or store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days*.
Notes
- *Your cookies may turn green in the middle the next day. They haven’t gone bad! It’s just a reaction between the sunflower seeds and baking soda and is very common.
Keywords: vegan pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cookies, vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
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