These vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are the best fall cookies you’ll ever have. Soft, chewy, loaded with chocolate chips, and perfectly spiced! The addition of brown butter just elevates these cookies even more. I’m confident that you’ll love these vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
I think we can all agree that pumpkin is an essential ingredient in any fall baking, and these cookies are not alone. I wanted to combine my love for a good old chocolate chip cookie with all things spice and everything nice. And by everything nice, I mean brown butter, you can’t go wrong with adding some brown butter in there. Not to toot my own horn, but this vegan pumpkin cookie is a good one. What more could you ask for? These cookies are soft, chewy, perfectly spiced, and so incredibly delicious!
Ingredient notes
You’ll only need a few ingredients to make these Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies
Vegan brown butter – Honestly, this is my favorite ingredient of all time. It has a great toasty, nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with chocolate and pumpkin.
Pumpkin puree – The best brand I’ve used for any pumpkin recipe is Libby’s Pumpkin Puree. However, do not mistake this for pumpkin pie filling, they are not the same. The ingredients should only be pure pumpkin.
Spices – For this recipe, I only used 2 spices, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I believe it gives enough of that spice flavor that we all look for. However, if you want to use pumpkin spice, you can do that as well!
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips – I normally like using Baker’s chocolate in my cookies, but this recipe is already pretty hands-on and I wanted to keep things a little simpler by using chocolate chips. Semi-sweet gives these cookies a nice balance of sweetness. My favorite brand to use is Guittard Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. They make the best chocolate for baking, and they are vegan-friendly! But use any vegan chocolate chips you prefer.
How to make vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
Browning the butter is technically optional, but taking the extra time to do it, is so worth it! I highly suggest doing this the night before so it has time to cool, and it’ll be less work for you overall.
Drain/blot the pumpkin puree. Take a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and wring out the excess liquid from the pumpkin. Set it aside until you are ready to use it.
In a large bowl, whisk together the vegan brown butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar.
Add the pure vanilla extract, and warm non-dairy milk, and whisk it all together until the sugars have dissolved. Then add in the blotted pumpkin puree.
Next, fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Continue to fold there are no pockets of dry flour left.
Finally, fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with a cover or plastic wrap, and place the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to an hour.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop the cookies with a medium-sized cookie scoop onto the prepared baking pans. Space the cookie dough about 2-inches apart.
Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are just golden. Do not overbake. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
Measure your flour properly. My recipes are 100% tested in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
If you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, that this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Drain/blot your pumpkin. This is the secret method to baking with pumpkin. Pumpkin puree has a lot of added water, which can affect the outcome of your bakes. By doing this, you’ll get a less cakey texture, especially in these cookies. Simply wring out the pumpkin puree by using a nut milk bag or cheesecloth.
Chill your dough! First, letting your cookie dough rest gives the flour time to hydrate. When the flour is hydrated it helps contain the spread of the cookies so that you nice set edge and a soft chewy center. Additionally, allowing your cookie dough to chill gives it a better flavor profile. So the longer it has time to rest, the better the flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do these cookies stay fresh? Store the baked vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also store the dough in the fridge for up to a week.
Can I freeze the cookie dough? Yes! Freeze the pre-scooped cookie dough on a baking sheet, once frozen transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 weeks. The frozen cookie dough can go straight from the freezer to the oven, just add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.
Do I have to use brown butter for this recipe? Nope! You can use regular vegan butter or a neutral oil if you prefer. I just love the way brown butter pairs with spices and chocolate.
Can I make this gluten-free? Yes, I would suggest using a 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour!
If you enjoyed this vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe, check these out
If you tried this recipe let me know in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe for more delicious recipes. While you’re at it, don’t forget to tag me whenever you recreate my recipes! Happy baking!
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2 sticks (224g) – vegan butter, I used Country Crock Plant Butter
1 cup (125g)- pecans, roughly chopped
Cookies:
100g (½ cup) – granulated sugar, spooned, leveled, and sifted
150g (¾ cup) – light brown sugar, lightly packed
120g (½ cup) vegan brown butter, sub for regular melted vegan butter
45g (3 tablespoons) – warm non-dairy milk, I used soy
100g (⅓ cup) – pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons – pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons – ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon – ground nutmeg
250g (2 cups) – all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned, and leveled
1 teaspoon – baking soda
1 teaspoon – salt
Equipment:
Food scale, highly recommend
Nutmilk bag or cheesecloth
Small saucepan
Fine mesh sieve
Heatproof bowl
Mixing bowls
Measuring spoons
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Medium-sized cookie scoop
Parchment paper
Rimmed baking sheets
Bowl cover or plastic wrap
Wire cooling rack
Instructions
Make the brown butter (Do this the night before):
Melt the vegan butter and pecans in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15-18 minutes. Near the end, watch it carefully, as the pecans will start to burn if you leave them for too long.
Pour the butter mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a heat-proof bowl. Save the pecans for something else! Allow the brown butter to cool before using or keep it in an airtight container for later.
Drain/blot your pumpkin puree:
Take a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and wring out the excess liquid from the pumpkin.
Set it aside until you are ready to use it. See notes.
Cookie Dough:
In a large bowl, measure out 120g (½ cup) of the vegan brown butter you made earlier. Combine it with the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and your drained pumpkin puree.
To the bowl, add the pure vanilla extract, and warm non-dairy milk (milk must be warm or it won’t mix well). Whisk it all together until the sugars have dissolved.
Next, add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. With a rubber spatula, fold in the ingredients until there are no pockets of dry flour left. Then fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Cover the bowl with a cover or plastic wrap, and place the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to an hour. See notes.
Bake!
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the cookies with a medium-sized cookie scoop onto the prepared baking pans. Space the cookie dough about 2-inches apart.
Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are just golden. Do not overbake. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Measure your flour properly. My recipes are 100% tested in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
If you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, that this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Drain/blot your pumpkin. This is the secret method to baking with pumpkin. Pumpkin puree has a lot of added water, which can affect the outcome of your bakes. By doing this, you’ll get a less cakey texture, especially in these cookies. Simply wring out the pumpkin puree by using a nut milk bag or cheesecloth.
Chill your dough! First, letting your cookie dough rest gives the flour time to hydrate. When the flour is hydrated it helps contain the spread of the cookies so that you nice set edge and a soft chewy center. Additionally, allowing your cookie dough to chill gives it a better flavor profile. So the longer it has time to rest, the better the flavor.
How long do these cookies stay fresh? Store the baked vegan brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also store the dough in the fridge for up to a week.
Can I freeze the cookie dough? Yes! Freeze the pre-scooped cookie dough on a baking sheet, once frozen transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 weeks. The frozen cookie dough can go straight from the freezer to the oven, just add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.
Do I have to use brown butter for this recipe? Nope! You can the same measurement for regular vegan butter or a neutral oil if you prefer. I just love the way brown butter pairs with spices and chocolate.
Can I make this gluten-free? Yes, I would suggest using a 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour!
Keywords: vegan, vegan cookies, vegan pumpkin cookies
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