Soft and Chewy Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thick, craggy pumpkin cookies with pools of dark chocolate and a warm hit of pumpkin pie spice. They use neutral oil instead of butter and cornstarch instead of egg, so there's nothing specialty to shop for, and they only need half a cup of pumpkin puree. The cookie itself is deliberately restrained on sugar, which lets the chocolate do the talking.
Servings: 18 - 20 cookies
Calories: 200kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup neutral oil, such as canola, sunflower or vegetable (120 ml)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100 g)
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (120 ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (8 g)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (300 g)
- 1 tsp baking soda (5 g)
- ½ tsp salt (3 g)
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (4 g)
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (170 g)
Instructions
- Stir the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, both sugars, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes until well emulsified.
- Stir in the flour mixture until fully incorporated. The dough should be very thick but still soft. If it is too stiff, add 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) non-dairy milk.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes to reduce spreading.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop slightly heaping 2 tbsp (35 ml) portions of dough. Roll into balls and place on the lined sheets 2 to 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until well puffed and firm around the edges. Remove from the oven and tap the tray once on the counter to settle the cookies.
- Cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
Chocolate chips: check the label for milk, milkfat, milk solids, butterfat, cream, lactose or whey, any of which means they are not dairy free. If avoiding soy, look for sunflower lecithin rather than soy lecithin.
Do not substitute coconut oil. It solidifies during the chill and changes the texture. Cornstarch can be swapped for potato starch, but not tapioca starch or extra flour.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before eating.